Hardgrave discusses the problems of political development as shown through the experience of India. He examines India's struggle for independence and national unity, its experience with democratic political institutions, and its efforts to establish itself as a power in South Asia and the world. Although the book reflects a particular theoretical perspective, it is not essentially theoretical in either content or purpose. It is designed to provide a sense of the cultural and historical milieu in which political developments take place and to give a balanced treatment of structure and process, of institutions and behavior, and of policy and performance in Indian politics. India reflects the growing importance of non-Western nations and provides the framework in which problems of political development common to a major portion of the world are explored