Canadian Bilateral Foreign Assistance to India, 1950-60 by Jill
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The Mind of Modernity: Canadian Bilateral Foreign Assistance to India, 1950-60 by Jill Marie Sarah Campbell-Miller A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfillment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2014 © Jill Marie Sarah Campbell-Miller 2014 Author’s Declaration I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. ii Abstract This dissertation examines the history of Canada’s early bilateral foreign assistance program to India between 1950 and 1960. With Canada’s decision to join the Colombo Plan for Co-operative Economic Development in South and Southeast Asia in 1950, India became the largest beneficiary of Canadian aid for the next decade. This dissertation argues that the ideology of high modernism permeated conventional thinking among elites in the Canadian and Indian governments, convincing officials in both countries of the rightness of modernization and industrialization. Canada’s support for the Commonwealth and particularly the United Kingdom, and the context of a new Cold War, provided its initial motivations to join the Plan. Although the first year of the program challenged officials, Canada settled into an aid relationship with India that tried to find, in the words of Colombo Plan administrator R.G. Nik Cavell, a “distinctively Canadian” approach that matched Canadian goods and expertise with the developmental needs of India. This approach contrasted with that of Escott Reid, high commissioner in India between 1952 and 1957, who advocated a developmental framework which focused on India’s economic needs over Canadian domestic priorities. Although Reid never made the impact on the aid program that he desired during his time in the country, he succeeded in emphasizing its importance to officials in Ottawa. Significant changes followed the election of the Progressive Conservative government in 1957, including a greater commitment to multilateralism as exemplified by the decision to join the World Bank’s Aid-India Consortium, and the reorganization of various disparate aid programs into the External Aid Office under the direct control of the Department of External Affairs. Diefenbaker did not succeed in his larger attempt to make the Colombo Plan a wheat surplus disposal program, and Cavell’s vision for the “distinctively Canadian” program began to fade by the end of the decade. iii Acknowledgements This time at the University of Waterloo has been a truly exceptional time in my life and many people contributed to this dissertation, either directly or indirectly. Bruce Muirhead encouraged me to enter the doctoral program, and not only has his academic expertise made this project a reality, his constant support for my development as a professional in the field has made a substantial contribution to what I have learned during my time at Waterloo. He also patiently corrected so many capitalization errors he deserves some kind of medal. I sincerely thank him for all of his support. Ryan Touhey steered me toward this topic, helped prepare me for my time in India, and generally supported my all-around self-confidence during challenging times. Jeff Grischow helped me work through the theoretical basis for this project, and guided me through the challenging inter-disciplinary aspects of my work. James W. St. G. Walker has been a mentor in the truest sense of the word, and his unfailing kindness has supported me both professionally and personally throughout my time at Waterloo. I really won the lottery by having the privilege to attend Susan Neylan’s Canadian field seminar, and I hope that I have been able to implement what she taught me about rigorous attention to detail in the writing of history. Nothing would have been possible without the unbelievable talents of Donna Hayes, who has had my best interest, and the best interest of all history graduate students, at heart from day one. I truly, truly thank her for all her support and hard work. Geoff Hayes helped me through some unique and challenging times and I very much thank him for that. Dan Gorman, Gary Bruce, and Andrew Hunt have all contributed to making my time at Waterloo a comfortable and collegial experience, and helped with the various administrative challenges that the degree can occasionally present. Jane Forgay at the Dana Porter Library has been an unbelievable resource and deserves many thanks for her hard work on behalf of myself and all graduate history iv students. Nancy Birss also helped me through some tough spots, and I thank her. Greg Donaghy has used his vast knowledge and expertise with Canadian foreign policy to help me with my research purely out of his own altruistic nature. David Malone made crucial introductions for me in India despite his heavy responsibilities and workload. The international aspect of my research would have been impossible without the funding provided by the Shastri-Indo Canadian Institute, and Prachi Kaul, the Institute’s representative in India, deserves particular thanks. In India, Satish Jain and Jawaharlal Nehru University, Rajeev Ranjan Chaturvedy, and Toopran Sampath Kumar at the Canadian high commission helped guide my research in India. Sunetra Lala’s friendship and insider’s knowledge of New Delhi made my time there much more fun and much less stressful than it otherwise might have been. Doris Jakobsh’s decision to let me temporarily join her class in India not only helped me to vastly expand my knowledge of that country, it was a true act of generosity. Cathryn Walter in the reference room, and Gilles Bertrand and Marc Robillard at the Access to Information Division at Library and Archives Canada worked hard to help me through my many, many requests and visits to that institution. Lana Miller and Jamie Miller made me feel at home in Ottawa and given me free room and board so many times I have lost count, and deserve a great vote of thanks. Chinnaiah Jangam at Carleton has kindly served as a resource, as has Alan Barry in Ottawa. Mark Sweeney was my office mate and confidant for five years and acted as a sounding board for my ideas, and a true friend. Jonathan Crossen was my other half during my time at Waterloo and I learned so much from him about how to build community in unconventional ways. Ryan Kirkby made me feel at home in the PhD program through his friendship and great intellect. v David Miller’s constancy and emotional, practical, and personal support has made this journey possible, and it I simply could not have done it without him. Finally, last but certainly not least, this project required extensive and international archival research which would not have been possible without the financial support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, and the University of Waterloo. vi Dedication In memory of my father, who passed on to me his love for learning and curiosity about the world. vii Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................ iv Dedication .............................................................................................................................................. vii Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................. viii List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................. xi Introduction: Yaks, Modernity, and Development .................................................................................. 1 High Modernism ..................................................................................................................................... 9 The Assumptions of Modernity ........................................................................................................... 19 The Literature ....................................................................................................................................... 23 The Outline ............................................................................................................................................ 29 A Note about Sources ............................................................................................................................ 30 Chapter 1: Development, Modernization, and the Creation of “Donors” and “Recipients” ............. 32 India Becomes a Recipient ................................................................................................................... 35 Canada Becomes a Donor .................................................................................................................... 48 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 53 Chapter 2: The Colombo Plan ................................................................................................................. 55 A Changing Commonwealth ...............................................................................................................