Decolonization is the retracting of imperial influences within a previously colonized nation. As nations such as France and Britain expanded their empires, they engaged in something called imperialism. Imperialism is extending a country’s influence by force into another culture or nation. Individual groups of people throughout most of Africa, South America and parts of Asia, were taken on by imperialist powers and were sometimes were feeling unappreciated at the least. Imperial nations would come into a tribe or underdeveloped nation, take them over, and then often times oppress the natives for their own economic gain. One case study we will be looking at is the country of India. Through the process of British colonization, imperialism and then decolonization the people of india would gain a sense of nationalism. Nationalism in India was gained through decolonization because of the work of India National Congress and influence of Mohandas Gandhi. The history of India is quite complex. …show more content…
The East India Company began in 1600 and was ordered by Queen Elizabeth I. The purpose of the East India Company was to encourage trade in the east and particularly in India. However, Britain was not the only nation getting in on trade in India. Countries such as France, were also fighting for trade in India. Even though British trade was a large part of Indian economics and politics, England was not the political dominance in India at this time. India was still under the Mughal Dynasty. However, in the later half of the 1700s the Mughal dynasty was losing influence over Indian land and population, as the East India Company was forcing taxes and causing political discomfort in India. The Mughal Dynasty came to a halt and British Empire took over politically and economically within India. It is crucial to understand how the English came to be so predominately involved with Indian politics and
In Todd Shepard’s work Voices of Decolonization, the featured documents provide keen insight into the geopolitical environment of the era of decolonization (1945-1965) and the external and internal pressures on the relationships between colonial nations and the territories that they held dominion over (Shepard 10). Decolonization is the result of a combination of national self-determination and the establishment of functional international institutions composed of independent sovereign nations united towards common goals. As decolonization progressed, it intersected with points of significant sociopolitical tension between colonies and the nations that colonized them. Some of these moments of tension came in the form of progressive ideals held by international agencies which colonial nations were allied with, the revolt of colonized populations against their standing government in favor of independence, and in moral and political conflicts that arose when decolonization takes a form unexpected or undesired by the primary agents of progressive international institutions.
These improvements and benefits from British rule eventually led to Indian nationalism. The exposure to European ideas caused an Indian nationalist movement, the people dreamed of ending Imperial rule.
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.
The one interesting aspect that I was surprised with my three authors was the little detail given on nationalism in the decolonization process. Before reading these three books, I thought that nationalism played a key factor in decolonization. However, my assumption was incorrect. The author, John Darwin, brought nationalism into question, but ultimately Darwin felt that WWII had weakened the British, which subsequently lead to a problematic post-war economic situation. All the authors discussed nationalism and its part in decolonization, but all came to a conclusion that nationalism may have played a part, but it was insignificant in the entire process of decolonization. Most colonies had a wide variety of communities that had very little in common. Therefore, mass nationalistic movements that would be strong enough to throw out British colonial rulers was much more difficult than one might think. Ultimately, all of the authors and their books I used for the essay-review focused on the aftermath of Britain in WWII to describe the reasoning for decolonization.
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.
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.
The mutiny, regarded by many as India's first War of Independence, was to have important consequences and the structure of British India was to be re-organised extensively. Increasingly, India came under direct Crown rule as the British East India Company was dispossessed of its functions and, in 1877, Queen Victoria was crowned Empress. Despite the severity of European reprisal as each territory had been regained and its subsequent defensive proposals of military alteration, a measure of conciliation had been introduced to administrative policy. Integration of the higher castes and princes was now considered important, land policy was revised and plans for radical social change were shelved.
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.
After the revolution actually happens there is a period called the honeymoon period where the fall of the old regime allows new things to happen. Before the revolution occurred, there were many instances where decolonization was apparent. In African territories, guerrillas movements were rising and that weakened the Portuguese empire. When the Carnation Revolution ended, the MFA created the National Salvation Junta whose prime purpose was to suppress wars and to help the colonies from withdrawing. After these occurrences, African territories such Angola and Mozambique experienced mass decolonization. The Portuguese colonies refugees were called retornados. India had also invaded Goa, which was one of Portugal's territories and that led to
"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)
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...
There is a distinct difference between popular Indian nationalism, that is the nation believing in a state independent of Britain, and Indian nationalist movements, for example the Muslim League or the Hindu revivalist movement. These movements fought for independence but were far more religiously orientated and were fighting in their own interests. Although Indian nationalism initially found expression in the Mutiny of 1857, its deve...
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).
Colonialism describes the domination of one nation over another nation of lesser means. Postcolonialism explores what happens to the substandard nation after the parent, dominating nation leaves. In relation to the definition of colonialism/postcolonialism, common aspects of colonialism/postcolonialism include: racial and cultural inequality between ruling and subject people, what’s left behind when the parent state leaves, the occupiers, move out, and exploitation of the subject people. The stories, On Seeing England for the first time by Jamaica Kincaid, Civil Peace by Chinua Achebe, The Divorcee by Ken Saro Wiwa and The Only Traffic Signal on the Reservation Doesn 't Flash Red Anymore by Sherman Alexie, display these aspects in some form.