This book examines the socio-economic factors in the rise and development of nationalism in the Tamil-speaking region of the Madras Presidency in India between 1858 and 1918. It analyses the dynamic interaction between socio-economic conditions and nationalism in Tamil Nadu by applying both historical methods of documentary analysis and a sociological perspective. The volume looks at the advent of Western education and the role of Christian missionaries, the growth of the local press, socio-religious reform movements, decline of indigenous industries and the land revenue policies of the colonial government to arrive at a comprehensive portrait of the rise of nationalism in the Madras Presidency. The volume is invaluable for scholars of colonial history and the Indian freedom movement in southern India.