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British “Imperialism” of India
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The influence of the British in the regions of India was dated all the way back during the times of the seventeenth century. Years of colonization spread English ways throughout all of India. They had brought over their own government system to India which was a huge reason as to how and why it is one of the most striking territories of the British Empire. The British began to take control of India solely because it was not a united country. The British had signed off treaties and had made numerous militant and trading allies with the states in India that were independent. The British were very successful at subverting the states and slowly but surely taking political control. From the increasing weaknesses of the Mughal Empire, the East India Company, the Way of Plassey and many more pivotal occurrences, the British were one hundred percent successful at the overall political control in the southern parts of Asia.
To start off, during the sixteen hundreds the EIC had slowly established ground in India. It was one of the very few settlements of Europeans in South Asia. The EIC served mainly as a trade station. So that the Brits could import and export goods at reasonable costs. This is where William Hawkins who was a commander during the sixteen hundreds comes in the picture. He was sent to ask the Mughal Emperor about the whole trading deal with England. He wanted permission to establish an overall presence in India. He was not successful during the process, which led to Sir Thomas Roe being the right ambassador to overrule Hawkins. Despite some setbacks, the EIC had later on gone to battle with Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, who had ruled over most of the Indian subcontinent. It turned out to be a convenient way to establish busin...
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...o lead to educated Indians that would only move on to becoming a better state. The English language began to increase greatly. As always, there is something that always ceases to ruin success in the midst of everything. Radicals were then led by Indian nationalist, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and in Bengal armed revolts struggled to transfer out an operation of terror and elimination directed by British officials.
Britain gained hugely from the ruling of India. Economic growth in India started off very slow and the population grew each year. The import and export system was huge between India and the British. This rule has been a political blessing overall. Though hundreds have events occurred in the midst of everything such as, the EIC, the Mughal Empire, as well as the War of Plassey, the British were a huge success at taking over when it comes to politics in South Asia.
British Imperialism in China and Africa The treatment of the Chinese by the British, during the takeover of their country, was just like that of the Africans. The British took over the land and the government, took advantage of the people and exploited them for their resources. The English accomplished these things differently in each situation, but each time, the results were the same. One of the most important aspects of imperialism is the takeover of government.
A new era was dawning on the American colonies and its mother country Britain, an era of revolution. The American colonists were subjected to many cruel acts of the British Parliament in order to benefit England itself. These British policies were forcing the Americans to rebellious feelings as their rights were constantly being violated by the British Crown. The colonies wanted to have an independent government and economy so they could create their own laws and stipulations. The British imperial policies affected the colonies economic, political, and geographic situation which intensified colonists’ resistance to British rule and intensified commitment to their republican values.
Between the years 1600 and 1950 british used the land of India to their advantage. During this time, British expansion was at its prime. As time went on Indian culture slowly morphed more and more into British culture. British Tradition became the new normal for the people of india. Most of the indian inhabitants worked as plantation slaves, where they spent their life starving and sweating. They starved because the crops that they harvested were sold by british plantation owners. Cash crops like Tobacco and wheat were harvested and sold because they were in high export demand. India was one of many huge sources of british income because the terrain was ideal for farming. Not only that but they had all of the indian people there to do their
Two important sources that will be used during this investigation are Indian Summer by Alex Von Tunzelmann and Empire: How Britain Made The Modern World by Niall Ferguson. Summary of Evidence After the Battle of Plussey in 1757, Britain gained much control over India. The British East India Company exercised power in this region instead of the Queen of England. The Company brought British soldiers and missionaries to the foreign land. The military in India was comprised of European troops and Indian troops, resulting in a variety of weapons present.
There is a point of time in certain a country’s history where they become dominant and more powerful than ever before. During this elongated process a country becomes an empire. The British and the Ottomans were states that succeeded in this process, but becoming an empire such as theirs required vast amounts of political and social maneuvering to expand their boundaries, called imperialism. Imperialism is, “a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force”. By becoming a modern nation enjoying economic prosperity and political stability, the British and the Ottomans created an imperialistic impact over the globe with distinctive motivations and approaches especially during the transition period of gaining ample amount power and influence globally.
" 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.)
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.
By the year 1857 the British had established complete political control of India. As Western education was introduced and missionaries eroded Hindu society resentment among Indian people grew and it was joined by unease among the old governing class when the British decided to formally abolish the Mughal Empire.
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.
1 Moore, Robin J., "Imperial India, 1858-1914", in Porter, Andrew, Oxford History of the British Empire: The Nineteenth Century, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2001a, p.422-446,
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”.
There were many countries that had ever been colonized in the world. India is one of these countries that affected by the Britain very much. From 16th century to 20th century, British colonialist began the aggression and expanding. England had ever governed many countries by using force methods . Absolutely, India became the target because of its widely nature products and lack of military power. The ancient country was suffering the colonial bearing. As English invade , many parts of India were changed such as culture, traditions and political structure. They also influenced Indians on language. In old days, they usually used Hindi, but now they almost use English. Some changes are positive while others are negative. Overall, in my opinion, the changes made by mixing culture do more harmful to India than positive. The positive elements are transportation, political structure, advanced technology. The negative elements are language, traditional culture and religion problems.
With major control over India, the British used a combination of firepower & guile to consolidate their power over the country by expanding from their base areas along the coast into the interior (Duiker 31). Some territories were also taken over the privately run East India Company, which at the time was given authority to administer Asian territories under British occupation, while others were ruled by local maharajas (Duiker 31). British governance brought order and stability to a society that had recently been wrecked by the wars from the different empires (Duiker 31).