द इण्डियन स्ट्रगल / भारतीय स्वाधीनता संग्राम (नेताजी सुभाष चन्द्र बोस - ऐतिहासिक विश्लेषण)

INTRODUCTION
§ 1. THE BACKGROUND OF INDIAN POLITY
IT is only during the last three decades that attempts have
been made to give a true picture of the history of India since
the earliest times. Prior to that it was customary for British
historians to ignore the pre-British era of Indian history.
Since they were the first to interpret political India to modern
Europe, it was but natural that modern Europe should think
of India as a land where independent ruling chiefs had been
fighting perpetually among themselves until the British arrived
and after conquering the land, proceeded to establish peace
and order and bring the country under one political adminis-
tration.
In order to understand India, however, it is essential to
bear in mind at the outset two important facts. Firstly, the
history of India has to be reckoned not in decades or in
centuries, but in thousands of years. Secondly, it is only under
British rule that India for the first time in her history has
begun to feel that she has been conquered. Owing to her
long history and to the vastness of her territory, India has
passed through various vicissitudes of fortune. Neither for
the individual nor for the nation is it possible to have an
uninterrupted career of progress and prosperity. Consequently
there have been in the course of India's history, periods of
progress and prosperity followed by intervals of decay and
even chaos and the former have been always characterised by
a very high level of culture and civilisation. Only through
ignorance or through prejudice could one assert that under
British rule, India began to experience for the first time what
political unity was. As a matter of fact, though for reasons
of expediency, India has been brought under one political
administration by Great Britain and English has been enforced
on the people everywhere as the state language, no pains
have been spared to divide the people more and more. If
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