The Amritsar massacre : the untold story of one fateful day / by Nick Lloyd.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lloyd, Nick, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Amritsar Massacre, Amritsar, India, 1919.

India--Politics and government--1919-1947.

India.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (306 p.)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

London : I.B. Tauris, 2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"On 13 April 1919, a fateful event took place which was to define the last decades of the British Raj in India. At 5:10pm on that day, Brigadier-General 'Rex' Dyer led a small party of soldiers through the centre of Amritsar into a walled garden known as the Jallianwala Bagh. He had been informed that an illegal political meeting was taking place and had come to disperse it. On entering the garden, Dyer's men immediately lined up in formation. Dyer then gave the order to open fire on the huge crowd that had gathered there. 379 people were killed and at least 1,000 more were wounded in what has became known as the Amritsar Massacre. Nick Lloyd here provides a highly readable, but detailed account of the most infamous British atrocity in the entire history of the Raj. He considers the massacre in its historical context, but also describes its impact in uniting the people of the sub-continent against their colonial rulers. The book dispels common myths and misconceptions surrounding the massacre and offers a new explanation of the decisions taken in 1919. Ultimately, it seeks to examine whether the massacre was an unfortunate and tragic mistake or a case of cold-blooded murder, and one which would fatally weaken the British position in India."--Bloomsbury Publishing.

Contents:

Acknowledgements

Glossary of Selected Indian Words and Phrases

Abbreviations

Timeline

Preface: Massacre at the Jallianwala Bag

Introduction

PART ONE: BEGINNINGS

1. The Road to Bombay

2. This 'Creaking and Lumbering Machine'

3. Gandhi and the Rowlatt Satyagraha

4. 'An Amazing Sight'

5. 'Like an Ocean Being on Fire'

6. 'Days of Gloom and Sacrifice' PART TWO: DISTURBANCES

7. 'The Greatest Calamity Since the Mutiny'

8. 'A Terrible Quietness'

9. 'Some Hours of the Most Terrible Suspense'

10. A 'Serious Rising' at Kasur

11. The 'High-Water Mark'

12. 'How Suddenly the Embers Burst into Flame' PART THREE: AFTERMATH

13. 'Killing the Soul of a Nation'

14. 'A Risk Not Worth Taking'

15. 'We Must Have a Fearless Enquiry'

16. 'We Could See an Immense Crowd'

17. 'The Perfect Death-Trap'

18. 'A New Era is Opening'

Conclusion: Amritsar and the British in India Epilogue: Operation Blue Star

Select Bibliography.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

9780755625710

0755625714

9780857730770

0857730770

9780857719973

0857719971

OCLC:

808372550