British economic interest in India began in the 1600s when Britain set up trading posts in Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta. By 1707, the Mughal Empire was collapsing. Several small states broke away from the Mughal control. In 1757, Robert Clive led the East India troops in a victory over Indian forces at the Battle of Plassey. From this time until 1858, East India Company was the leading power in India. Over time, the area controlled by East India Company grew. Eventually, East India Company governed modern Bangladesh, most of southern India, and almost all the territory along the Ganges River. After the Industrial Revolution, Britain was known as the “world’s workshop,” and India was the major supplier of its raw material. Britain had a firm hold on India; their policies called for India to produce raw materials for British manufacturing and to buy British goods. Any Indian competition with British goods was prohibited. Imperialism between Britain and India had a positive economic outcome for the British during the 1600s, as well some bad impacts on Indian people; leaving their governmental power in the hands of Britain. Britain had much political and economic power over India. As Dadabhai Naoroji stated, “1Europeans [the British] occupy almost all the higher places in every department of 2government… All they [the Europeans] do is live off of India while they are here. 4When they go, they carry all they have gained.”(Doc 3). Naoroji, who was a political leader, was left with no power as the British took over the government. Naoroji and several other Indian political leaders of this time were left powerless. Naoroji was also a cotton trader. He was angered with the British for using India for the goods they produced. The Briti... ... middle of paper ... ... Indian intellectual Dadabhai Naoroji’s quote best describes the situation when he says, “1To sum up the whole, the British rule has been – morally, a great blessing; politically peace 2and order on one hand…on the other, materially, impoverishment…” (Doc 2). British rule created an overall better lifestyle for the mental wellbeing of the Indian people, but materialistically when it came down to producing goods, Imperialism also created chaos. Imperialism throughout India can be viewed as a mixed blessing. British Imperialism in India brought about many changes in India; both positive and negative. It was however, as a whole, an important turning point in India’s history. Imperialism had its positive economic outcomes for the British during the 1600s, but also had its negative effects on India’s people; leaving their governmental power in the hands of Britain.
One country that had imperialism was India. By the mid-1880s, the British East India Company controlled three fifths of India. The cause of British domination was that the land was very diverse and the people could not unite and that the British either paid local princes or used weapons to get control. Positive effects of imperialistic rule in India were that the British set up a stronger economy and more powerful industries. They built roads and railroads. British rule brought peace and order to the countryside. They revised the legal system to promote justice for the Indians regardless of class. Indian landowners and princes, who still owned territory grew rich from exporting cash crops such as cotton and jute. The British introduced the telegraph and the postal system as a means of communication. These improvements and benefits from British rule eventually lead to Indian nationalism. The exposure to European ideas caused an Indian nationalist movement, the people dreamed of ending Imperial ...
Not only did the inequality and separation of the Indian society frustrate the citizens of India, but the imperialism Britain had upon them as well. In the early 20th century, Indian nationalists wanted to take a stand against the British rule and make India independent. The British created unfair laws that created a nationalist movement in India to regain their freedom. He believed that there should not be a Caste System because of one’s birth.
" India was where the riches of the world came from, the jewel in the crown of the British Empire. The British needed to dispel the threat of other Europeans in Africa to maintain control of India, and they did so efficiently. They quickly gained control of both the major sea routes to India and then turned their eyes to the rest of the continent. Whether the British were trying to foster public support or prevent another nation from becoming a threat, all British actions in Africa were directly or indirectly linked to India. The British were motivated by their desire to become powerful, and they skillfully combined enterprise and conquest to create a globe spanning empire centered around the wealth of India.
The Effects of British Imperialism in India One could approach this topic from two points of view: the British and the Indian. One could choose either party and find very different opinions. When British colonizers first arrived in India, they slowly gained more and more control in India through many ways, the most prominent being trade and commerce. At first, they managed India’s government by pulling the string behind the curtain. However, soon they had acquired complete rule over India, converting it into a true British colony.
In the 1600's the English took advantage of the crumbling Mughals. In 1757, Robert Clive led an unquestionable victory against the Indian Forces at the Battle of Plassey. After that battle, the East India Company was the leading force in India. Eventually, the company governed directly or indirectly areas that included modern day Bangladesh, most of southern India and almost all of the land along the Ganges River in the north. Until the 19th century, the East India Company ruled with little to no interference from Britain. The company had even established their own army. The company staffed its army with British and Indian Soldiers, or Sepoy, with the Sepoys eventually out numbering the British soldiers ten to one. Mountstuart Elphinstone, the governor of Bombay referred to the Sepoy army as “a delicate and dangerous machine, which a little mismanagement may easily turn against us.” (British Imperialism in India.)
Iyer , L, 2004, The Long-term Impact of Colonial Rule: Evidence from India. [Online] available at [accessed on 12 November 2010]
their suppressor, they gain a sense of nationalism and independence, resulting in a more distinct
Imperialism in India British imperialism in India had many positive and negative effects on both the mother country, Britain and the colony, India. Many people would argue which effects were more prominent in these countries, and some would agree that they were equal. But in both cases, there were actually both. In India, the British colonization had more positive effects than negative. For instance, when the British colonized India they built 40,000 miles of railroad and 70,000 miles of paved roadway.
There is no doubt that British imperialism had a large impact on India. From positive affects to negative affects, British colonized India. It all started around the 1600’s when the British East India Company entered India. Only as traders, they entered what was known as the Mughal Empire. Around the 1757 Battle of Plassey the Mughal empire fell (Carrick) and it was only a matter of time until the British Raj took their once in a lifetime chance.
Although there are many other important factors, the main cause of the rise of imperialism was most certainly economic. The Age of Empire, by Eric J. Hobsbawn, provides an interpretation of New Imperialism. Hobsbawn calls imperialism “a natural by-product of the international economy” (Sherman pg 177). He is basically saying that imperialism is dependent on the rivalries of competing industries, which continually drive the international economy. Hobsbawn also dictates the need for external markets. The Industrial Revolution created many products that needed markets, thus creating a need of colonies. Hobsbawn believed that the overproduction of the Industrial Revolution and the Great Depression could be solved. He also realized that many businessmen knew that they could make a large profit off of China’s large population. For example, if every one of the three hundred million Chinese purchased one box of tin-tacks the businessmen knew that there would be a huge profit, consequently increasing the desire for colonization of weaker countries.
There is no doubt that British imperialism had a large impact on India. India, having previously been an group of independent and semi-independent princedoms and territories, underwent great change under British administration. Originally intended to consolidate their hold on India by establishing a population that spoke the same language as their rulers, the British decision in the 1830s to educate Indians in a Western fashion, with English as the language of instruction, was the beginning of a chain of events, including a rise in Indian nationalism, that led to Indian resentment of British imperialism and ultimately to the loss of British control over India.
In 1857 the British had invaded the nation of Hindustan (India). Many feel that if it were not for the British Empire, India would still be an under developed country. The British established a government system that before did not exist. It was a three level system including the imperial government located in London, the central government located in Calcutta, and later on provincial governments scattered throughout the regions of what was known as the British Raj1. Alt...
The decision to grant independence to India was not the logical culmination of errors in policy, neither was it as a consequence of a mass revolution forcing the British out of India, but rather, the decision was undertaken voluntarily. Patrick French argues that: “The British left India because they lost control over crucial areas of the administration, and lacked the will and the financial or military ability to recover that control”.
India was the first major Asian civilizations to fall victim to European predatory activities (Duiker 31). With conquering India, the British had various purposes behind it. Their main purpose was to achieve a monopolistic trading position (The Economic and Social Impact of Colonial Rule in India). The second purpose was the control of India; this was a key element in the world power structure, in terms of geography, logistics and military manpower (The Economic and Social Impact of Colonial Rule in India). When the East India Company continued to trade under the British, huge armies were created, largely composed of Indian sepoys (Marshall). The armies were used to defend the Company’s territories protect the Indian states (Marshall).
Imperial Britain was the most powerful empire of its time. The British would capture any country that they felt had resources to offer. There is no argument that the British made their impact on the way India is today. India, before Britain, was a country filled with groups of independent princedoms but this all changed under British rule. The British introduced English to the Indians and later on started educating the Indians in a Western Fashion. In addition to the language they brought to India, they also brought industrial advances with them. Even though the British took harsh measure to gain rule of India, India would not be as developed as it is now without the British and would not be one of the world 's largest industrial countries