Abstract
Jawaharlal Nehru was a major figure in the Indian National Movement, which brought independence from British rule in 1947, and was prime minister from 1947 to his death in 1964. His greatest historical achievement lies in his contribution to the creation of the state in modern India, through which he sought to carry the Indian struggle for democracy forward. Its main features were a republican constitution based on universal adult suffrage and a federal polity that guaranteed citizens fundamental rights; a secular polity with a clear separation of religion from politics; a significant public sector functioning under a system of national planning; and a policy of nonalignment in foreign affairs. Nehru failed to incorporate his vision entirely into the structure and actions of the Indian state. However, as an architect of modern India and arbitrator of many conflicts, both east–west and those associated with the decolonization of Africa, his historical stature is assured.
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