ABSTRACT
India’s post-independence period saw key political leaders commit to advance the constitutional objectives of a democratic, secular culture manifested through decentralised modes of governance. This chapter explores the diverse historical socio-political and economic developments that led to India’s current standing. The reader is briefly introduced to important shifts in post-independence India’s economic, social and political outlooks, and the leaders who steered some of these changes, from Nehru to Vajpayee and Manmohan. The identified transition points include a study of transformative events such as the Indo-China War (1960s); the state of emergency (1970s); the Licence Raj (until the 1980s); the Technological Revolution and the Liberalisation Era (1990s); and the ‘policy paralysis’ experienced during the coalition era of the United Progressive Alliance years (pre-2014).
