Throughout the rule of the British in India, Europeans mainly controlled the government and police force, leaving the Indians with no voice and no protection. According to Dr. Lalvani, the British established an efficient administration over 500 million people. While this was beneficial to the British, the Indians had no control over the taxations and laws that affected them (Doc. #2). Since all of these laws and taxes were targeted to help the British, India’s freedom was stolen, as shown in the Rowlatt Act, a law that allowed the government to imprison people without trial.
Dr.Lalvani claims that under British rule, India was modernized, giving the foundation for a government that therefore gave law and order. While this system and others were built, they were built almost entirely for British benefit and even profit. In this new government, Indians had no say in the laws being decided by the British, that were impacting them. The laws were meant to further control Indians, while the British extracted India’s wealth and flood India’s markets with textiles with the help of railroads. Wanting more and more wealth, the British logged forests to create land to grow cash crops which in the end degraded the soil making it more difficult for them to grow.
The British empire had taken over many colonies, India refused to be one of them. Britain set up trading posts in three cities. One of those cities, the mughal empire collapsed and britain 's posts quickly took control. Britain found that India was very valuable with the resources that they could easily take and use to sell to the high population of India. Britain put the justice and military system into place for India which made an efficient profit for them and made them all in all knowledgeable.
The rule of the British Empire in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947 greatly affected the net economic status of India. Trade was the sole reason for the British East India company arrival in India, for the Industrial Revolution in Britain led to the increase in demand for raw materials in factories and India served as an efficient platform. However, as their influence started expanding, they created new policies and began to colonize India not only economically, but also socially and politically. Historians continue to debate whether the long-term impact of British rule in India was accelerating the economy or declining it. That being said, my paper is going to be assessing the positive and negative impacts on the Indian economy
The British first took control of India in 1759, when the “East India Company,” a British corporation, used their private military to take advantage of the declining government of India, the Mughal Dynasty. After this, they exploited it for its natural wealth and imposed regulations on India’s people that helped profits, particularly after the British government got involved personally. Finally, after decades of protest and conflict, India gained independence in 1947 due to the efforts of activists such as Mohandas Gandhi and their supporters. As supporters of imperialism would argue, during this Britain maintained structured control, provided trade, and protected Indian culture. However, they restricted freedoms, imposed poverty, and destroyed
The native people didn’t even have control of their own home. The Europeans came to India after the Indians were already there, and then the British took almost all of the control and authority from the native Indians. “Europeans (the British) occupy almost all of the higher places in every department of government.” (Naoroji, Doc.2) India was most impacted by the British colonization because economic developments and industries only benefited the British. The British came into India and then stopped almost all of the Indian economy, for a new one where the British have the advantage over the native people.
It took more than 200 years for India to shake the oppressive rule of the British. Britain seized control of Indian territory until they controlled the whole sub-continent. At first india was treasured by the British more for its potential rather than its actual profit. Its 300 million people were also a large potential market for British made products. Although Britain created sound law against killing, economic opportunities and health related advancements they caused more harm than good.
Through the East India Company, Britain also came to control India. Through the course of the 19th century, the British government ruled India, known as the British Raj. During this time, the people of India began to revolt. One example being the Sepoy Rebellion was due to Sepoys unhappiness with the pay inequality compared to British soldiers as well as the suspicion of rifle cartridges with animal fats, which conflicted their religion. Despite the thousands of killed Sepoys, the Sepoy Rebellion opened a new council for Indians in government and removed the East India Company.
Long ago when Britain was the most powerful nation still hunting for more power, the nation took its chance to gain more glory in a far away land overseas; India. During the 1600s Britain became interested in India for its precious raw materials and the fact that the British could market many of their products to the 300 million people of India to make big profit. In 1757 the British East India Company won the Battle of Plassey against the Indians and gained some power of India. Britain would soon decimate pieces of the culture and take over the whole nation of India. Despite the fact that Britain established an advanced government in India, improved infrastructure in the nation, and also increased life expectancies of the people of India by
The British rule in India during the Imperial period was extremely negative for the Indian people however, the British rule ultimately created a improved Indian nation. The British forced the idea of monoculture, were racist, created unfair trade and economic distress. For the Indian nation they did provide an education system, human rights, peace and created a more modern society. The British rule began in the early 1600s.
India was dominant towards the cotton textile industry trade, which motivated England to take the opportunity of forcibly removing all indigenous competition: “...the British who most fully took advantage of the collapse of the empire. Between 1757 and 1803, they took control of most of India except the Northwest. The result was that the East India Company now administered major sectors of the economy, and quickly reduced the role of the big Indian bankers by changes in taxes and methods of collecting them. ”(Mukherjee) By eliminating any further competition at their weakest moment, England lowered India’s economy and chances of industrializing.
They gave them no say in their taxation at all. Britain rule was bad because it made the Indians extremely poor and left them with no money for food. It also impacted India in a negative way because all their soil for farming was destroyed and they also built railroads right in the middle of the towns. These railroads were used to benefit Britain because it made shipping materials and trade easier for them. Lastly, British rule caused lots of deaths from famine.
Though some may say that England’s effect on India was bad, looking at India now compared to before it was under the British wing, it has improved greatly. “Years of nonviolent resistance to British rule…eventually resulted in Indian independence…Despite pressing problems such as significant overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and widespread corruption, economic growth following the launch of economic reforms in 1991 and a massive youthful population are driving India's emergence as a regional and global power” (The World Factbook). Though the British rule may have been unhealthy for India, because of the British they earned their independence and they started to grow in power and are now a respected country. People would even say that imperialism has been the cause of poverty in some countries. Yet “Western culture continued to influence much of the world; transportation, education, and medical care were improved.”
Great Britain was a very powerful country. They had a very strong government and army, when imperialism was introduced, that was a way of expanding it all. One of their targets that they want to imperialized was India. India was ruled by Mughals and it was very rich in natural resources such as tea, indigo, coffee, cotton. Moreover, they governed wisely and fought well.
The British first came to India not only because of the abundance of raw materials, but also the mass potential they seen. The British East India Company, took advantage of the collapsing Mughal Empire, and broke away from their control to flourished their company. In 1857 the Sepoy army rebelled and that caused the British to come in guns blazing and take over the country. The British rule demolished India through, taxation on anything made in India, and the exportation of raw materials, which caused a plentiful amount of famine,and throughout all of this, the British kept most on India uneducated, and those they did educate, most were forced to become interpreters for the benefits it would make in taking over India and keeping the British in control. Political Paragraph British imperialism had a negative effect on the politics of India because of the corrupt justice system, and the utter lack of respect that killed masses of innocent people.
