re: Marx on India

[Anon Anon <inprekorr@xxxxxxxxx>]

One very important essay on this subject is Irfan
Habib's "Marx's Perception of India", first published
in the Communist Party of India (Marxist) theoretical
journal *The Marxist* Vol. 1 No 1 (July-September)
1983 and reprinted in *Essays in Indian History*
Tulika, New Delhi, 1995 (and reprinted a number of
times since).

I'd also recommend Habib's "The Economic History of
Mediaeval India: A Survey", Tulika, New Delhi, 2001,
as a very useful short introduction on the breakdown
of the Mughal ("Indian") economy by the late middle
ages, ie prior to the colonial epoch.  But,
importantly, to quote the final part:

"When in 1920 Moreland published his well known study
of the Indian economy, c. 1605, he was concerned to
establish that Indian production per capita was not
lower around 1910 than it was in Akbar's time.  Thus
despite 150 years of British rule, the best that could
be claimed for it, was that conditions under it had
grown no worse for the people of India than at its
beginning.  Even this the 1921 census proved to be a
delusion.  Over the previous five decades the average
expectancy of life in India had fallen from 24 years
to bearely above 20!  Compared with such perfermance
the Mughal Empire in its heyday might well have
shone."

Also, useful as a source is Marx's "Notes on Indian
History", Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1960 (2nd
printing 1962, Third 1986), which helps to provide an
outline of the periodisations Marx thought Indian
history had developed through.



__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month!
http://sbc.yahoo.com