Enemy at the Gates

Abstract

Chapter 7 takes an in-depth look at the evolution of population politics within the developing world from 1800 to 1980, with a special focus on India and China. An exploration of the role of British influence on early Indian demographic thinking in tandem with the role of indigenous Indian thinkers, this chapter broadens the lessons developed in chapters 2 through 6 and applies them to the newly formed states of the postcolonial world. Similarly, the chapter discusses the origins and evolution of Chinese attitudes toward population control. Exploring the distinct similarities of China’s One-Child policy to other population control efforts of its time, this chapter demystifies China’s efforts, as they stand in ready comparison in style if not in intensity with other efforts occurring throughout the developing world.