British Imperialism

The British colonization of India caused and still continues to cause great controversy among historians and can be considered as one of the most polarizing topics in history. Throughout the period of imperialism, Britain possessed the largest empire in the world and other countries viewed Britain as the most successful and powerful imperialist country. They colonized countries in order to improve their own political and economic situation as well as those of the colonies. This type of symbiotic relationship evidently occurred between the British and India, seen from their successful colonization. Before the British colonization, India mired in turmoil because of their unjust government and their unsuccessful political and economic systems.

When Britain first colonized India, education was not well structured and there were not many opportunities for the people to rise up into important positions. Britain created a long lasting educational system that had strong effects on the population of India. This education was also available for women, which demonstrates the modern ideas that the British brought to India. This improved the political situation because it gave people more opportunities and elevated the middle class. Britain also gave the elites of India other opportunities. Britain allowed some upper class Indian people to travel to Britain in order to greater understand and become more integrated with their culture. This better understanding of European culture among the upper class Indians advanced the modernization of the country. By bringing back this knowledge and having these first hand experiences, the whole country became more informed and successful. This higher education and opportunity was crucial to success in India and laid for the foundation for its society

At this time, there was a truly global economy which required countries to have large numbers of imports and exports to be a truly prosperous country. India began to be a part of the global economy because of the British influence, which can be seen through the exponential spikes in imports and exports after the British rule started. India’s imports from Britain in cloths increased around 42 million and dyed cotton imports increased around 12 million in just 14 years under British rule. Also the exports to Britain from India were low, which shows that Britain did not exploit India for its resources. This economic growth shows Britain's immense impact on India and the truly positive effects of their colonization. Without British imperialism, India would not be the same powerful and prosperous country that it is today. In addition to growth on a global level, India also experienced growth in their domestic economy. The industrialization of India led to new jobs, which could be done by unskilled workers and helped to elevate the lower class and improve society. The overall morale of the Indian people improved through this industrialization and the country became more productive. Unemployment was down and everyone played a part in improving the country because of the British influence. This made the Indian people happy with the British rule and caused them to accept their