Another delusion divorced from reality and history
Karl Marx described India as a civilization without a history.
The statement was not a denial of India’s ancient existence or cultural achievements. Rather, it reflected his historical-materialist analysis of social development, particularly in the context of economic dynamism and class struggle.
In his 1853 article “The Future Results of British Rule in India”, Marx wrote: “Indian society has no history at all, at least no known history. What we call its history, is but the history of the successive intruders who founded their empires on the passive basis of that unresisting and unchanging society.”
This was not a claim that India lacked a past or civilization, but that its social structure—based on village communities and caste—appeared stagnant and resistant to internal change, especially in contrast to the dynamic class struggles that Marx saw as driving historical progress in Europe.
Marx viewed India’s pre-colonial society as economically static, lacking the internal contradictions (like feudalism vs. bourgeoisie) that, in his theory, propel historical change.
Marx’s views were hardly unique among historians, many of whom view India as a civilization without a history from an anthropological perspective.
Unlike other ancient civilizations such as Greece, China, Egypt or Mesopotamia where history has long been recorded in detailed, linear chronological writings, Indian history lacks written documentation and is largely transmitted orally, often blending facts with fiction and mythology.
In addition, India has historically been a geographic concept, rather than a nation state. The land was occupied by a myriad of native communal villages, tribes, and maharajahs, fragmented by hundreds of languages and an equal number of religions.
Over time, the land known as India was ruled in succession by foreign invaders such as Aryans, Persians, Tokharians, Mongols, Afghanis, Muslims, and the British.
They ruled through the Kuru Kingdom, Achaemenid Empire, Kushan Empire, Mughal Empire, Lodi Dynasty, and the British Raj.
Long term foreign colonial rule has deprived the natives off the spirit of resistance. Coupled with the Hindu religious belief of reincarnation, and the Caste system which mandates a person’s fate is tied to the social hierarchy of his birth, a cultural identity of acceptance of one’s destiny is forged.
This passive acceptance culminated in Gandhi’s quest for independence through the “non-cooperation” movement in the 1940s.
India’s path to sovereignty and independence is completely different from the Chinese, who fought against foreign invaders for over 100 years through two Opium Wars (1830s through 1860s), the first Sino-Japanese War (1894 – 1895), and the second Sino-Japanese War (1931 – 1945).
China’s path was one of violent revolution and trial by fire, with sacrifices of millions of lives. The quest to overcome the Century of Humiliation has forged a will of steel and an indomitable fighting spirit for both the ruling Communist Party and the general population.
As the West steps up its effort to contain China, it has actively recruited India to the cause and attempted to prop up India as a replacement for China, both as a manufacturing base and as a market.
After a decade-old effort through QUAD, US India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and renaming Asia Pacific to Indo-Pacific (much like the newly minted Gulf of USA and Department of War – which are keys to recover national greatness), how far has India gone to achieve such a goal? Will it ever reach the “potential” promoted by western propaganda?......
......As discussed earlier, there was no written history for the Indian civilization. Instead, stories have been passed down the generations orally in a mix of facts and fantasy.
Failures and defeat are not part of the package. The Indians always prevail. Despite repeated conquest by foreigners in its long history, there is no equivalent of China’s Century of Humiliation to motivate the Indians to strive for rejuvenation.
After all, they have always won in their version of history. The India Pakistan air war, known in India as Operation Sindoor, will no doubt be recorded as another “win” in the official chronicle for posterity.
Modi sent 7 “victory delegations” to share its “success” with over 40 foreign governments and declared a 10-day national celebrations.
Such self-deception goes beyond military defeats. In May, the IMF published a forecast predicting the Indian economy could overtake Japan by 2026/2027. On May 27, 2025, Modi called for national celebration and announced to the world “India is the world’s 4th largest economy” in bold letters.
Such “popping champaign ahead of time” for an economic forecast may seem bizarre to the rest of the world. But for India, this is the manifestation of the “winner mentality”.
Similarly, Indians celebrate their joining various “clubs”, a term much abused by the hyperbolic Indian media – the “nuclear weapon club”, the “space power club”, the “supersonic missile club”, on and on.
Too bad, it is still denied admission to the ultimate “club” – the Permanent Security Members of the United Nations. A national shame no doubt.
With no common language or shared history, the “Bharat Triumphalogy” is the glue holding the fragmented country together.
In the end, “India as replacement for China” is just another farce that is fed to the Indians and devoured eagerly by a desperate west that either doesn’t know better or is equally delusional.
