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Jawaharlal Nehru and International Law and Relations

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Studies in International Law and History

Part of the book series: Developments in International Law ((DIL))

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Abstract

There are some people who leave an indelible mark on history. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India, was such a great leader. He was not only the architect of independent India’s destiny during the first seventeen years he was its undisputed leader and the prime minister, but he “played a decisive role in the history of the twentieth century—as a leader of the Indian people, as a representative of the new mood of Asia, and as a spokesman of the international conscience.”1 As Michael Brecher, his political biographer, said:

“Few statesmen in the twentieth century have attained the stature of Jawaharlal Nehru. As the pre-eminent figure in India’s era of transition he bears comparison with Roosevelt and Churchill, Lenin and Mao, men who towered above their colleagues and guided their people through a period of national crisis. Only Gandhi inspired greater faith and adoration among the masses. Only Stalin, perhaps, had greater power. Like these outstanding men of the age he has also imposed his personality on a wider canvas. He is for many a symbol of Asia’s political awakening and the outstanding spokesman of ‘the middle way’ in a world of ideological crusades. His name conjures up a host of associations, some praiseworthy, some critical... Yet friends and foes alike recognize him as a leading actor on the stage of contemporary history.”2

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Anand, R.P. (2004). Jawaharlal Nehru and International Law and Relations. In: Studies in International Law and History. Developments in International Law. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-5600-6_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-5600-6_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-04-13859-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-017-5600-6

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