On the eve of the fiftieth anniversary of Indian independence Anthony Low examines anew the distinctive character of perhaps the most momentous struggle of the twentieth century. He shows how the struggle was conditioned by the ambiguity of the British position, determined to hold fast to their Indian empire yet reluctant to offer unyielding resistance to their nationalist opponents. Britain and Indian Nationalism makes a major contribution to the historiography of modern India, to Britain's relations with its empire, and to the history of decolonization in the twentieth century.