A Passage to India: Imperialism

“Englishmen.. have given the people of India the greatest human blessing - peace.” (Dutt). Merely coming to India in the 1600s to trade, the British East India Company established trading outposts. After ridding of French influence in India during the Seven Years’ War and having Indians mutiny against British rule, Britain gained full control of India. India has been under the imperialist control of the British until their independence in 1947. British imperialism caused some negative effects on India through poverty and persecution, but retained more of a positive impact due to its massive improvements in the modernization of India and the overall improvement of Indian civilization.

The reader gets a rare and exotic understanding of a totally foreign and ancient culture experiencing the growing pains of colonial expansion during the British domination

Imagine a country coming into yours and ruining your environment. Killing your people. Taking your land- your power. Pushing you and the ones you love into starvation and poverty. In reality, this is what imperialism was for India when the British had gained control over them.

Imperialism is the domination of one country of the political, economic, or cultural life of another country. Imperialism is more often than not fueled by two major schools of thought known as nationalism and Social Darwinism. Nationalism is a feeling of pride and devotion to one’s country. This can drive a person to think that their country is the most powerful, and in essence drives that person mad with power and a hunger to conquer, which not ironically is exactly what many countries did. Social Darwinism is the very idea that a more powerful country conquer the smaller countries. “Survival of the fittest,” as the well renowned Charles Darwin used to say. Imperialism is also sometimes sparked by military motives, such as when USA set up

The purpose of this historical inquiry is to analyze to what extent did British Imperialism have an effect on shaping modern India? The main source that will be discussed in this paper is the seventh book of the Spotlight on History Series called The British Raj, which explains the reasons behind the conflicts between the British Empire and Indian nationalism and assess the achievements of a memorable relationship.

One question I have on the topic of Britain’s reign over India is why Indians were discriminated against. On page 42, a young British girl says to Vidya at the airport, “Don’t touch me, blackie! Look where you’re going, you crow!” On page 38 Vidya’s father scoffs sarcastically, “Only white people have the brains to be officers. We are too stupid, of course.” Why did Britain hate the citizens of the country they had taken over? Was it to keep them in line, to say if they dare go against them the discrimination would get worse? If the British thought the Indians were so horrible, why did they take over their country, take their resources and take volunteers to fight on their side of the war? It made no sense that Britain would occupy their country

Imperialism has been a big factor in the world’s economy for a fairly long time now. So, it must be a good thing right? …Right? Well… yes and no. It really just depends on who you’re asking, really. If you ask someone from England, they might say yes. If you ask someone from India, however, that’s a different story. The reason for this is because the true answer is not so black and white. There are several factors that tie into this overarching discussion. What good has it done? What bad has come out of it? These are all factors to consider. In India’s case - in my opinion - it’s not such a good thing. Why? While Britain did do some good during their time controlling India, they ended up crippling the country in the long run.

Imperialism takes place when a strong country takes over a weaker country. When this happens, it affects the imperialized country positively yet also negatively. When India was imperialized by Britain, the British rule represented some progress but mostly dominance. Britain helped build railroads and schools in India to try to modernize the country. However, Britain forced Indians to grow cash crops instead of food which later led India to a famine.

One of the greatest examples of Imperialism with the tense relationship between Britain and India. It’s a strong showcase that compares both pros and cons of Imperialism. The colonization of India started with the development of the East India Company. First of all the dominion and influence over India allowed many economic growths, which included a strong trade system thanks to India’s very promising amount of raw materials, British could export back to themselves raise money to develop new companies “India became an agricultural colony of Industrial England, supplying raw materials and providing marks for England’s industrial goods.” (Nehru). Since they had a surplus amount of materials they could sell it for very cheap, therefore changing the economy, and the market trends. India became the best sources for raw materials, production, and allowed companies to develop in Britain. The main reason why the manufactured goods were able to be sold at a cheap price was because of the law set in India that allowed foreign goods free entry without having to pay “The East India Company held a monopoly on the export of Indian goods and British goods had free entry into India” (Nehru). This was mainly allowed because of the British ideological views on Indian people, how they are below them. The Indian crafters were being taxed a lot of money when they are leaving the country. The British government made sure to set a tariffs on the Indian textiles. This

The character in the essay even says “Theoretically- and secretly, of course- I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British.” (Orwell Elephant 1) Throughout the essay there is also a tone of pity when speaking about natives. For example, “he was only an Indian and could do nothing” (Orwell Elephant 3), the tone that this is written in makes the reader sympathize with the natives far more than the British. The author does a brilliant job at using the authority figure to convey a sense of remorse for those living under imperialism.

This period was one of major change in Indian life and culture. While the East

In conclusion The irony shown in this book about corruption, oppression of the poor, reality of India vs. the images foreigners have of India help portray our understanding of this novel. The corruption shown in the book is the teacher stealing the student’s money and the school inspector getting a question that he asked wrong. The reality of India vs. the images foreigners have of India is shown in the book there was framing involved and no doctors in government hospitals. last but not least is the oppression of the poor is

Impact of British Colonization Exposed in A Small Place, A Passage to India, and Robinson Crusoe

A Passage To India by E. M. Forster is a rich, postcolonial novel delving into the possibility of sustaining a personal friendship between an English person and an "Indian" person. This topic is being discussed in the beginning of the novel at the home of Hamidullah, "... they were discussing as to whether or no(t) it is possible to be friends with an Englishman. Mahmoud Ali argued that it was not, Hamidullah disagreed, but with so many reservations..." (Forster 7) Aziz, who the novel centers around, has the disposition to just shut them out and ignore them and all will be jolly. Of course, later, we find Aziz does not shut them out and rather

E.M. Forster’s classic novel “A Passage to India” tells the story of a young doctor, Dr. Aziz, and his interactions with the British citizens who are residing in India during the time of the British Raj. Throughout the novel, the reader gets many different viewpoints on the people and the culture of India during this point in history. The reader sees through the eyes of the Indian people primarily through the character of Dr. Aziz, and the perceptions of the British through the characters of Mr. Fielding, Adela Quested, and Mrs. Moore. Through the different characters, and their differing viewpoints, the reader can see that Forster was creating a work that expressed a criticism that he held of the behavior of the British towards their Indian subjects.