| Summary/Abstract |
During and immediately after World War I, Indian nationalism became subsumed into the overall American governmental efforts to cripple the activism of alleged subversives, radicals and anarchists. Indian nationalism was cast in a particularly negative light in the United States after British and American officials uncovered the Indo-German conspiracy of 1915. Using primary sources from American and British archives, I argue that through this ‘imperial collusion’ with the British, the United States spurned its Indian population and plainly let it be known that it would not support anti-colonialist independence movements. There were, however, American supporters of Indian nationalism in the United States who voiced their condemnation of British imperialism and disdain for American government repression and racism towards its Indian population. This article adds depth to South Asian studies through its transnational approach to anti-imperialism and anti-colonialism by revealing the shared solidarity among Indian and American anti-imperialists as they combatted the seemingly ubiquitous forces of the British and American empires from 1917 to 1920.
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