Britain became the vast and mighty Empire upon which the sun never set through the development and use of what is, in modern terms, referred to as Imperialism. The British approach to the colonization of India came out of: the European, specifically British, superiority mindset; the practical approach of attaining resources in return for modernization and “guardianship”; and the solidification of Britain as the world’s dominating force. Britain’s use of Imperialism, as a necessity to maintain its Empire, acted as the catalyst of the Indian Rebellion. The colonization of India, through the use of British Imperial tactics, was justified by the perceived superiority of the English Empire. The British hold of India was achieved through the training of the Sepoys as a method of controlling the land and the resources held in it. During the initial rebellion 40,000 British troops were stationed to rule over the 200 million population of India, the Sepoy force, which was well trained and armed, is estimated to have been 270,000 (textbook reading, 13). The training of the indigenous population was the only viable method for the Empire to maintain its claim of the land. The British force maintained higher rank over the Sepoys, and would often go to drastic measures to maintain the Sepoy ranks in order. “... the 19th regiment... refused to receive the cartridges... and were prevented from open violence only by the presence of a superior English force. After great delay... the
After the Industrial revolution started in Europe the Europeans needed raw material from other countries and from that came the Idea of Imperialism when one country takes over another. Although what the British were doing seemed to be benefiting India was actually doing the opposite. Many things that the Europeans did to India weather it was political, economic, or social the Europeans found ways to have those things benefit the British and very little or not at all to the Indian.
As India’s modernization developed, the entire civilization of India improved remarkably. The country’s improvement of civilization is exemplified through it’s establishment of schools and law. Western education was introduced by Britain and laws were well made with courts that enforce them. (Doc 3). One should take into account the speaker of this document because Romesh Dutt is an Indian like any other, yet he praises the British for what they have done to contribute to the development of India. In addition to these establishments is Britain bringing finer ideals of humanity to India. Infanticide, the killing of female babies, was brought to a halt as well as participation in the slave trade (Doc 5). Without the interference of Britain, these inhumane actions would be prevalent throughout India and the country would suffer from a bad reputation. These
British imperialism lasted for hundreds of years and has had staggering effects in India that we can still see today. Britain initially became interested in India in the 1600’s; the government set up trading posts around the country because it was interested in the raw materials and resources available. At first Britain used indirect rule through Sepoys -- Indian soldiers -- but after the Sepoy Rebellion Britain had to step in to rule directly. Although British imperialism had positive effects such as eradicating immoral customs and paving the way for modern India, it also had numerous negative effects, such as by creating laws to better control Indians which left their government negatively impacted, taking from India with no concern for the
A question often contemplated, but never concluded: Is the effective rule of an alien power bette that the mismanaged one of your own? This was the case for the people of India during British colonial rule. India was the largest and most significant colony that was controlled at the height of the British Empire. Because of its vast quantities of cotton, tea and indigo, the British East India Company began to take over Indian cities in 1757, essentially establishing a monopoly over trade. When British sepoys rebelled against the East India Company in 1857, both the East India Company and the British military took over the entire country of India. Despite many Indians remaining illiterate, British rule in India was efficient, affluent and contributive.
The British originally came in as a decent sized company in East India, but when the sepoys attacked that company, England sent their whole army and navy to get the sepoys under control, but while doing that they also took over all of India. Although economically and socially the Indians did benefit in some ways, the British established a massive infrastructure by controlling India and having a huge political, economic, and social impact on India that helped them more than it helped the Indians.
Even though the british were a huge factor in the indian revolution the caused more bad then they didn good… the created administration over 500 million people they created indian army and trained officers on the other hand the framework to the administration did not include indians the british trained officers were used to control indian pedestrians. The british established control over 500 million diverse people (P6) the framework did not include indians for every 900 british there was only 60 indians
Did you know in the 17th century India was one of the richest countries in the world? British imperialism began with the fall of the Mughal Dynasty in 1757. The East India Company noticed the Mughal Dynasty collapsing and took advantage of it. Robert Clive led his troops to victory, taking over India. Although many Indians were killed, British imperialism led India on the right path to success. The British developed a government and brought the nation together. They developed railways and infrastructure throughout India and provided jobs to those who searched for them. The idea of national parks came along and protected wildlife from going extinct.
The whole notion behind imperialism, more often than not, is regarded as a negative chapter in history, due to the obvious damaging effects that it had (for the purpose of this inquiry) on India specifically. Regardless of that fact, we need to analyze this era with an
Not only did the British rob the nation of their natural resources but shut down their self-owned business as well; thus, a monopoly was created by the British over all aspects of Indian production. They bought the Indian raw materials at low prices while the Indian weavers were forced to buy them back as finished goods at unreasonable prices. The British industrialized India to expand their own markets globally. The desire and need for cheap labor and a continuous supply of raw materials gave a reason to the Britain to imperialize India. India was extremely rich in raw materials: spices, textile, cotton and opium etc. It helped Britain cross-trade with other countries which resulted in a boost of the British economy. Therefore, India was referred to as the “Crown Jewel of the British
The East India Company effectively ruled India from 1757 to 1857, where their rise to power came to an end after the start of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 (Lawson, 35). The direct reason for the rebellion still remains unclear. It was either a planned war of independence against the British power, an uncoordinated uprising of soldiers who felt a threat to their religion and traditional practices, or simply a mutiny by soldiers who wanted increased pay and greater career opportunities (Iyer, 4). The British Crown signed the Government of India Act 1858, which liquidated the East India Company, relinquishing all of its assets to Britain, including the control of the territories seized in India. This was the beginning of the British rule over India, the British Raj, which established India as a British colony commonly referred to as British India.
I know this because although britain claimed to gift India and her people with an absence of killing, and mutual respect, the British people have proven otherwise with the Amritsar massacre, and violent threats. To elaborate, Dr. Lalvani claims that there was a “noticeable absence of killings”, but this contrasts to the fact that in 1919, General R. E. H. ordered 50 Indian soldiers to open fire upon 20,000, killing 400 and injuring 1,200. This is important because it directly contrasts Dr. Lalvani’s previous claim that India had a noticeable absence in killings, with 400 being the dead. Finally, Dr. Lalvani claimed that there was mutual respect between Indians and britons. But, on the contrary, “Britain’s own cloth manufacturers conspired to cut off the fingers of bengali weavers and break their looms” (Document 3). This is very important because threats of violence and destruction of property against Indians is absolutely not
(Pg.217.) Without the British government, its colonies could have fallen into the hands of much worse powers “would Indians have been better off under the Mughals? Or, for that matter, under the Dutch – or the Russians?” (Pg. 218). And without the empire, many colonies fates might
The British were able to secure their colonial rule in India by creating certain regulations and defining racial lines. The British used historical Hindu and Muslim rule to govern the two religious groups. This made the British seem like they were friends to the Indians, while really creating deeper divisions in Indian society. Additionally, they created a sense of British superiority to the Indians and a belief that the Indians needed to be civilized. When the Indians did revolt, this only allowed the British to justify their
Historical experiences like imperialism had been crucial in paving the way for further development and progress of colonies. This is reflected significantly in case of India where the development path of country has been deeply influenced by the colonisation under British rule through their specific strategies and policies.
The colonization of India and the immense transfer of wealth that moved from the latter to Britain were vital to the success of the British Empire. In fact, the Viceroy of British India in 1894 called India “the pivot of our Empire …” I examine the effects of the Industrial Revolution on the subcontinent. Besides highlighting the fact that without cheap labor and raw materials from India, the modernization of Britain during this era would have been highly unlikely, I will show how colonial policy led to the privation and death of millions of natives. I conclude that while India undoubtedly benefited from British colonial rule, the negatives for the subject population far outweighed the positives.