Positive And Negative Effects Of British Imperialism

597 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Effect and impact of colonialism

The Effects of British Imperialism
It may not seem likely today, but Great Britain used to be one of the most powerful countries in the world. They had a strong grip on land across the globe. Using outside sources, it will be found that British imperialism had both positive and negative impacts on societies and their economies, yet the system was made to mostly benefit only England itself.

Great Britain made lots of profits because of the amount of trade they had power over in other countries. The first source shows us a map of the British Empire and what products came out of different regions. The British Empire produced many products, mainly textiles, coal, steel, and iron. All of these products were very crucial in societies, especially during the industrial revolution. These products were versatile and desired in many countries The British empire had a huge impact on the world as it’s empire spread to almost all the continents, and they had power over many goods in high demand. The second image displays a bar graph comparing India and Great Britain. The death rates were much higher in India than in Britain, and the …show more content…

The second source is a political cartoon titled “English Imperial Octopus”. The cartoon displays an octopus with the head of a man, labeled as England. Each of his arms is holding another country. The countries Ireland and New Zealand are held closest to England, while his other hands are shown grabbing for other lands, such as India or Jamaica. The cartoon portrays England as greedy, abusive of its power, and cruel. The message of this cartoon is to show that at the time, Great Britain was an extreme powerhouse, and only wanted to expand more and more. The countries Great Britain forcibly gained control over would agree with this message, while Great Britain would most likely not, as the cartoon portrays them as greedy and

Show More
Related

  • British Imperialism in India and China

    740 Words  | 2 Pages

    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 ...

    Read More

  • Imperialism In Australia

    478 Words  | 1 Pages

    The country I will be using for an example of imperialism is England. England imperialize South Africa, Canada, Australia, and India. The British Empire became the largest empire spanning over 35 million square kilometers in 1913.

    Read More

  • The Effects of British Imperialism in India

    1031 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of British Colonies

    670 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the 1600’s there was the foundations of representative government. In the 1600’s the colonists came up with something called a democracy. A democracy is a government in which people rule themselves. The colonists had voted for many certain laws. They ruled themselves by using the laws of society. The carter named “Magna Carta” was a character of liberties which was agreed by King John of England, it had made the king obey the same laws as the citizens. Protestantism is a branch within Christianity; this was mostly participated during the 16th century. These were people who had reformed certain practices in the Catholic churches. On November 11, 1620 the Mayflower Compact was signed. The Mayflower Compact is a legal contract which was agreed to have fair laws to protect the good.

    Read More

  • Effects Of Imperialism

    770 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although imperialism helped the colonized people by improving the economy and the lives of the people, for the most part imperialism hurt the colonized people because the people were forced to grow cash crops which led to death by starvation. First of all, imperialism improved the lives of the colonized people by aiding economic growth. The imperial powers prompted industrialization in the colonies, which is the development of advanced technology, leading to modernization in the colony. This is the change to a more modern, a more advanced country with new technology and better standards of living. These improvements then led to an increase in self-sufficiency, being able to maintain the colony’s economy by itself.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Imperialism

    1589 Words  | 4 Pages

    At a glance Imperialism is seen as a horrendous practice that many European nations practiced at the turn of the century. With Britain at the top and many other nations coming up behind them Imperialism seemed to be the way to go. But why would such a practice that involved exploiting the natives and harming both the land and people be so appealing to the public? The profits offered by Politicians and Officials hid the truth behind Imperialism, swaying the opinion in favor of money, goods, and a sense of moral duty. Imperialism was a great example of ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing’, its promise of greatness for everyone involved outweighed the hardships many endured from it. The pros and cons of Imperialism

    Read More

  • Negative Effects Of American Imperialism

    510 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Negative Force of American Expansionism and Imperialism Many people believe that American Expansionism and Imperialism was a positive force, that it did more good than bad. However, many people disagree with this popular notion. Many good things do come out of it, but the bad ultimately trumps the good. There were several problems between whites and Natives and because of the problems countless people died. To start off, American Expansionism and Imperialism brought isolation to America.

    Read More

  • Imperialism in India

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    British imperialism on India had many positive and negative affects 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.

    Read More

  • European Imperialism in Africa and Asia

    1516 Words  | 4 Pages

    The epoch of imperialism cannot be defined simply as proliferation of inflated egos tied to the hardened opinions of nationalists, but also a multi-faceted global rivalry with roots of philosophies tainted with racism and Social Darwinism. The technique of each imperialist was specific to the motivations and desires of each combative, predominantly Western power and subsequently impacted the success of each imperialist and its colonies. Driven by industrialization, Europeans were aware of the urgent need for raw materials and new markets to maintain a constant rate of expansion and wealth. Imperialism became a competition; in general, the European countries led with fervor while the non-Western regions deemed likely to be stepped on. Britain was endowed with geographic and political advantages that allowed the country to become the first to unwittingly stumble onto industrialization. Britain was an island, therefore had developed a unique naval strength which subsequently gave Britain leverage when globalization blossomed from expanding maritime trade. Meanwhile, the rest of Europe, including Belgium, trailed behind. Presently, colonized regions still bear the traits and scars from the subjugators of their past.

    Read More

  • British Imperialism in India

    1693 Words  | 4 Pages

    "All the leadership had spent their early years in England. They were influenced by British thought, British ideas, that is why our leaders were always telling the British "How can you do these things? They're against your own basic values.". We had no hatred, in fact it was the other way round - it was their values that made us revolt." -Aruna Asaf Ali, a leader of the Indian National Congress. (Masani, quoted in Wood, 32, 1989)

    Read More

  • Motives for British Imperialism in Africa

    5625 Words  | 12 Pages

    Throughout history, the British have been a nation of sailors and businessmen. With the dawn of the imperial era, money began to equal power, and the wealth of the British elevated them to the top of the world. As Sir Walter Raleigh said,

    Read More

  • Was the British Empire a force for good or for evil?

    1430 Words  | 3 Pages

    The British Empire is the largest empire ever seen on the face of this planet. The empire was divided into two. The first part of the empire revolved around the British colonies in America that were popularly known as the thirteen colonies. These gained independence from Britain in 1783. The second part of the empire, which developed from the first empire, came later. It started during the Napoleonic wars and survived throughout the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century. In fact, the British withdrew from its last colony, Hong Kong, in 1997; indeed the empire lasted for a long time. It developed from India and spun to regions of Africa and Australia. The influence and the power of the empire spun around the world shaping it in different ways. This influence is still evident in many places that fell under its control (Ferguson, 2004). To many people the world is the way it is due to the effects of the British Empire. Certainly, this empire just like other numerous empires before it and after it had triumphs and humiliations; however, the fact that this empire had numerous good effects cannot be overemphasized. The empire impacted positively on Britain and the colonies.

    Read More

  • Japanese Imperialism Essay

    1089 Words  | 3 Pages

    The British Empire was equally a powerful imperial system, but for differing reasons. Its monarchy has led them to success with nationalism and patriotism, and even some of their own thought that ruling over more countries (particularly India) would make them “the greatest power in the world” (Roberts, p. 225). They were interested in imperializing and having control over others, to spread their beliefs and government across the seas. All they needed was “food, raw materials and cash” while they supplied “minerals and capital and sold services” and traded their goods with Europe (Roberts, p. 50).

    Read More

  • Negative Effects Of British Imperialism

    585 Words  | 2 Pages

    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 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. Economically, Britain imposed very high tariffs even though they provided modern technology and increased the production of goods. Britain created famine in India, although because of Britain education was brought to a higher level. Politically, Britain had most of the control in the Indian government, although they created a much more stronger one than the one that was in use before the British came.

    Read More

  • The Negative Effects of Colonialism on the Colonized Country

    817 Words  | 2 Pages

    Colonialism, which was a major cause of the north-south gap that occurred in the period following the Second World War, is the takeover by a nation of foreign territories; making them part of it to aid its own economical, social and political structures. The mother countries succeed in doing that by using the colony’s natural resources, money savings, and their lands, which leads the colony to rely on the mother country and therefore, leaving the country underdeveloped. Hence, the world wide scramble for colonies, particularly in the late 19th – early 20th century, had a tremendous negative effect on the economic, social, and political structures of indigenous, non-industrialized peoples.

    Read More

More about Positive And Negative Effects Of British Imperialism

Open Document