This book considers the forces that shaped India's postwar position as a major
power. It examines the growth and development of India's defense infrastructure
from the eve of the Second World War in 1938 through the transfer of power and
partition in 1947 to the creation of the Baghdad Pact in 1955. The study shows
how the British invested in the expansion of India's defense infrastructure
during the Second World War in order to defend their imperial interests east of
Suez. It also examines the effects of partition and de jure independence on
India's access to this infrastructure. Finally, it analyzes the impact that
India's possession of