Communal Tension Quote by William Dalrymple
““Thanks to all Zafar’s precautions, ‘Id passed peacefully on 1 August. The British, who were aware through their spies of the growing communal tension, and who had been eagerly hoping for a major communal riot, were disappointed. Hervey Greathed was left merely to grumble in a letter to his wife ‘that it is a good satire on the Mahomedans fighting for their faith, that at this Eid, under the Mahomedan king, no one was permitted to sacrifice a cow’.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Anarchy: The East India Company, the British Empire, and the Making of the Modern World, 2019
British colonial officials sometimes exploited communal tensions for political ends, leading to tragic outcomes.
In simple terms: Colonial powers used sectarian strife for control.
Key Takeaway
Recognize how power can manipulate social divisions.
Themes
colonialism
political manipulation
communal tension
Mood
critical
historical
Type
analysis
political
When to use this quote
- British India
- religious conflicts
- policy decisions
Key Concepts
historical analysis
political strategy
Questions to Reflect On
- What motives drove British policy?
- How did local actors respond?
A Different Perspective
Oversimplifying complex causes can obscure responsibility.
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