Democracy Quote by Meghnad Desai
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““India had a very long independence movement. It started in 1886, [with] the first generation of Western-educated Indians. They were all liberals. They followed the Liberal Party in Britain, and they were very proud of their knowledge of parliamentary systems, parliamentary manners. They were big debaters. They [had], as it were, a long apprenticeship in training for being in power. Even when Gandhi made it a mass movement, the idea of elective representatives, elected working committees, elected leadership, all that stayed because basically Indians wanted to impress the British that they were going to be as good as the British were at running a parliamentary democracy. And that helped quite a lot.””
About This Quote
Source Historical Analysis: “British Influence on Indian Political Institutions,” 2018
The quote explains that early Indian elites adopted British parliamentary practices to demonstrate competence, influencing India’s democratic development.
In simple terms: Early elites used British models to shape Indian democracy.
Key Takeaway
Study historical influences on modern governance.
Themes
colonialism
democracy
politics
history
identity
Mood
analytical
historical
critical
Type
political science
history
quote
When to use this quote
- political science courses
- historical research
- policy analysis
- public lectures
Key Concepts
political apprenticeship
institutional borrowing
national self‑image
Questions to Reflect On
- How did indigenous ideas interact with British models?
- What lessons does this history offer for contemporary governance?
A Different Perspective
The quote may underplay indigenous political traditions.
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