British India - Introduction
Dateline: (1757AD-1947AD)
Indian history would now experience one more foreign invader, who would also go on to build an empire that would encompass the entire nation. The British were able to rule India for almost two hundred years, and in that time much change took place in the country. A notable exception about the British when compared to some of the past foreign invaders, was that they never had any intentions to settle down and integrate into Indian society. For the entire period they ruled, they maintained a separate identity and refused to integrate with the Indians, whom they considered inferior. Hence unlike past emperors, they did not set up an empire in India, instead they made India a colony, which they ruled in a way they sought fit.
The two hundred years of British rule had a lasting impact on the country, some of it positive and some of it negative. It was under the British that the political unification of India was once again achieved, which has always been a positive development in Indian history. They also implemented some useful communication facilities, like building one of the most dense network of railways, constructing highways, implementing telegraph and phone facilities. They also brought with them the conveniences of the modern world like electricity, machinery etc. They brought with them new schools of thought, which exercised great influence, in reforming the many evils that had crept into Indian society. More importantly however, the
freedom struggle that their rule led to, brought about for the first time in Indian history, a spirit of nationalism amongst Indians, the idea that they were one people and one nation. British rule undoubtedly brought much good to the country but at a very high cost. Although modern images of India today, show it to be a backward and poor country, India was one of the richest countries on Earth when the British arrived in India. India had a booming economy and was a major exporter of various commodities. Domestic industry was also flourishing, and while there may have been political instability, the people were living fairly comfortable lives. The British rule completely changed that, killing the Indian economy and converting the country into a mere colony, one that exported raw materials cheaply to Britain and imported finished goods at a high price. Such was the destruction of the economy, that at the time of independence, the economic planners of the country were faced with an uphill task, for the country produced virtually nothing. A debate on the pros and cons of the British rule could go on forever, but even the British acknowledged that India was the most valuable part of their empire.
Dateline: (1757AD-1947AD)
Indian history would now experience one more foreign invader, who would also go on to build an empire that would encompass the entire nation. The British were able to rule India for almost two hundred years, and in that time much change took place in the country. A notable exception about the British when compared to some of the past foreign invaders, was that they never had any intentions to settle down and integrate into Indian society. For the entire period they ruled, they maintained a separate identity and refused to integrate with the Indians, whom they considered inferior. Hence unlike past emperors, they did not set up an empire in India, instead they made India a colony, which they ruled in a way they sought fit.
The two hundred years of British rule had a lasting impact on the country, some of it positive and some of it negative. It was under the British that the political unification of India was once again achieved, which has always been a positive development in Indian history. They also implemented some useful communication facilities, like building one of the most dense network of railways, constructing highways, implementing telegraph and phone facilities. They also brought with them the conveniences of the modern world like electricity, machinery etc. They brought with them new schools of thought, which exercised great influence, in reforming the many evils that had crept into Indian society. More importantly however, the freedom struggle that their rule led to, brought about for the first time in Indian history, a spirit of nationalism amongst Indians, the idea that they were one people and one nation. British rule undoubtedly brought much good to the country but at a very high cost. Although modern images of India today, show it to be a backward and poor country, India was one of the richest countries on Earth when the British arrived in India. India had a booming economy and was a major exporter of various commodities. Domestic industry was also flourishing, and while there may have been political instability, the people were living fairly comfortable lives. The British rule completely changed that, killing the Indian economy and converting the country into a mere colony, one that exported raw materials cheaply to Britain and imported finished goods at a high price. Such was the destruction of the economy, that at the time of independence, the economic planners of the country were faced with an uphill task, for the country produced virtually nothing.
A debate on the pros and cons of the British rule could go on forever, but even the British acknowledged that India was the most valuable part of their empire.
More topics
Expansion of the British
Society
Economy
Government
Freedom Struggle
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