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Conclusions

from 7 - Centripetal forces (1760–1803)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2008

Stewart Gordon
Affiliation:
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
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Summary

How, then, might we describe the Maratha polity? At the outset, let us dispose of several notions prevalent in the historical literature. The Maratha polity was not an empire, if, by that, we have an image of imperial Rome or the Mughal Empire. There was no graded civilian/military ranking with attendant symbols of authority. Those in the military were not, until late in the eighteenth century, full-time professionals. The Maratha polity did not, and could not, impose a uniform legal or revenue system. It never minted a uniform, high-quality currency; neither did it build the straight roads which were the pride of the Roman Empire. Large parts of the Maratha polity, unlike Rome or the Mughal Empire, were permanently alienated to military commanders. There was no grand, imperial architecture.

Another term, in favor since the nineteenth century in writings on Marathas, is “confederacy.” This term, also, fails to describe many central aspects of the Maratha polity. Confederacy implies a long-term shared power among groups or individuals of more-or-less equal power for mutual benefit or gain. The models which come to mind are the co-operation between the Swiss cantonments or the pre-Revolution American colonies. Confederacy implies a long-term cast of characters (the confederates) to make and execute plans. In contrast, as we have analyzed, it was characteristic of the Maratha polity that the inner circle of power changed with each generation, sometimes as frequently as each decade. Men joined or left the inner circle, depending on the stability and strength of the ruling family.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1993

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References

Duff, James Grant, History of the Marathas (Jaipur, reprinted edition, 1986), 111, 109.Google Scholar
Puntambeker, S. V., “The Ajnapatra or royal edict” (trans.), Journal of Indian History, 8, 2 (August 1929).Google Scholar
Sen, S. N., The Military System of the Marathas (Calcutta, reprinted edition, 1979).Google Scholar
Tone, W. H.Illustrations of Some Institutions of the Maratha People (London, 1818).Google Scholar
Wink, Andre, Land and Sovereignty in India: Agrarian Society and Politics under the Eighteenth-century Maratha Svarajya (Cambridge, 1986).Google Scholar

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  • Conclusions
  • Stewart Gordon, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • Book: The Marathas 1600–1818
  • Online publication: 28 March 2008
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CHOL9780521268837.011
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  • Conclusions
  • Stewart Gordon, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • Book: The Marathas 1600–1818
  • Online publication: 28 March 2008
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CHOL9780521268837.011
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Conclusions
  • Stewart Gordon, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • Book: The Marathas 1600–1818
  • Online publication: 28 March 2008
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CHOL9780521268837.011
Available formats
×