If you visit south Asia today, you will find remnants of a time when European colonization and presence occurred. Personally, I have been inside of a Dutch military fort built in the early 1600s in south Sri Lanka. There are schools, still operating today, built in the 1800s in the capital and across the tiny island, because of the British. In Sri Lanka’s main language, many words have their roots in Portuguese, as well as many Sri Lankans today have Portuguese last names and family names. These reminders are everywhere throughout south Asia.
In regards to when these European powers were active in the Indian Ocean, trade was the main force for their interest in the region. Word of this new place called, “India” reached Europe though trade
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Interestingly enough, settlement was not part of their plan. The Portuguese nor British. By the time the British arrived, they had already made colonies in the Americas, Canada, Australia etc. The British East India Company forbid colonization and maintained the focus on trade above all else.[1] On a broad scale, the presence of Europeans in the Indian Ocean did benefit trade and economy in south Asia. It was a continuation in a way of the Roman land trading routs, giving rare, exotic items such as, spices, gems and silk from China to Europe. European presence was a positive factor for the economy and trade of the region for many reasons. Analyzing each group that arrived and operated in the region and the impact they had will paint a bigger picture as to what contributions they had to the economy and trade within south …show more content…
Comparatively to the Portuguese and Dutch, the British had the greatest impact on the south Asian economy and trade. Rivalry brought Brittan to south Asia, It was originally chartered as the "Governor and Company of Merchants of London trading into the East Indies", the company rose to account for half of the world's trade, particularly trade in small commodities this included cotton, silk, indigo dye, salt, tea, opium, and coffee beans. The company also ruled the beginnings of the British Empire in India. The original object of the group was to break the Dutch monopoly of the spice trade with the East Indies. After 1623, when the Dutch massacred the English traders at Amboina, the company surrendered and concentrated its activities in India. It had established its first factory at Machilipatnam in 1611, and it gradually acquired unequaled trade privileges from the Mughal emperors. The company was making very large profits from its Indian exports (chiefly textiles), it had to deal with serious difficulties both in England and in India. Over the years many different political and military problems arose and in 1899 the company was disbanded and India was turned over to crown rule in 1858, this means India was to be ruled by England and were to continue its influence in the region. This is something the other European countries could not maintain or
In the early 19th century, the British East India Company established more trade warehouses and thoroughfares in the Indian subcontinent. This occupation of Indian lands was welcomed by some groups and fiercely opposed by others. While met by more opposition, the British Empire expanded into the other Indian Ocean territories up to the end of the century. Because the trans-Atlantic slave trade was profitable for African elites and brought many valuable goods to West Africa, when it was effectively shut down after 1808 by British patrols, people along this coast were eager to keep the European trade lines alive. The imposition of this “legitimate trade” (any non-slave trade) saw a huge rise in African exports of gold and palm oil.
As new ideas traveled main trade routes, such as the Silk Road and the Mediterranean, the effects of such were felt through an influx of contact between countries due to increased desire for new information and countries gaining a larger presence on the world stage. This phenomenon can also be seen through the lens of cultural exchange that took place during this same time period in Eurasia. A major component of the Eurasian trade networks, such as the Silk Road and Indian Ocean, was that they fostered interregional contacts that had ceased to previously exist. When a country had a desire for study or technology, they earned more respect on the global stage. This can be further examined by looking at Marco Polo’s voyage into Asia.
The Casco Bay Treaty of 1727 was intended to settle tension which had been occurring
He meant that economically open doors for countries throughout Europe to stimulate their economy. Describe the different global economies that Europeans participated in or created during the European age of expansion. A global economy was made solely reliant on produce of its province; gaining free labor from slaves also shipment bringing in byproduct colonies. This encouraged growth for Europe to extend their boarder and riches. One of the most striking features of Indian societies at the time of the encounter with Europeans was their diversity. Support this statement with several examples. Examples of this can be irrigation, roadway systems, the pyramids, and the diversity of different languages in different cities. Compare and contrast European values and ways of life with those of the Indians. Consider addressing religion, views about ownership of land, gender relations, and notions of freedom. The Indians believed that if they lived on property then it is theirs but if it is not inhabited then it is free where as Europeans believe that wealth comes from land ownership and fortune. Indian women won homes and tools and European women do not. What were the main factors fueling the European age of expansion? The main factors for expansion were resource, new route to India resource and pillaging. Compare the different economic and
Land is a precious resource; it is one of the most finite in the world. If someone has land, they can produce things like food or clothes, mine for precious metals, or raise, feed, and house an army. The uses for this resource are the keys to power. It only makes sense then, that for as long as humans have traded with each other they have also fought over this resource. The majority of wars have been fought over rights to control rights to land. The European approach to this was to take over land by force and force the native population into labor. One of the most famous examples of this is during European Expansion in Africa. During this period, Europe attempted to conquer Africa with almost complete success. They made resistance look like an inconvenience; it was a failure. This is clear when one evaluates the amount of time that Europe controlled Africa, the military of the Europeans powers, or the number of Africans killed or maimed.
Introduction: The epoch of imperialism cannot be defined simply as a 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 are 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.
While continuity remains in the Indian Ocean region from 650 C.E. to 1750 C.E., the astounding changes broke up the peaceful silence. During the time period, the goods and routes in the Indian Ocean were almost unchanged. However, following the European colonziation in the regions around the Indian Ocean, the trade overwhelmingly became western-dominant instead of local-state autonomy.
1.) As a whole, the entry of the Europeans into the Asian sea trading network had relatively little effect on the entire system. The entry of the Europeans into the network led to the establishment of new trade routes in the Indian Ocean to the southern Atlantic near the Cape of Good Hope. In water, the Europeans were superior militarily, but on land against fortified Asian settlements, the Asians far surpassed the Europeans technologically. The only superior items that the Europeans had were small, fast sea vessels such as caravels, clocks, and weaponry.
To begin with, one can observe that the British colonizers did indeed improve Indian civilization by developing means of communication and transport. They built a great number of bridges, over 40,000 miles of railway and paving an astounding 70,000 miles of road (Doc. 4). They established schools,newspapers and telegraphs for the people of the colonies.All blessings of civilization they could not create for themselves (Doc. 1). Furthermore, the British brought 30 million acres under cultivation with large scale irrigation works, began industrialization, improved sanitation and provided an overall higher standard of living (Doc. 4). With many new establishments and institutions to staff, job opportunities opened up left and right for Indian workers.Their contributions to Indian civilization made famine all but disappear throughout India. Without the British, it’s quite possible India could not achi...
As many people know, Imperialism has shaped the culture and customs all over the world. Imperialism is the dominance of one country over another politically, economically or socially. Western culture can be seen in all parts of the world; from Asia to Africa, to the Indies and the Americans. The downside of having the bits of western culture all over the world, is how it got there. Western influence was forced upon places in Asia, specifically India, Indonesia with a hellacious price; lives and poverty.
Iyer , L, 2004, The Long-term Impact of Colonial Rule: Evidence from India. [Online] available at [accessed on 12 November 2010]
In India the British colonization had more positive affects than negative. For Instance, When the British colonized India they built 40,000 miles of railroad and 70,000 miles of paved roadway. As a result the British made it much easier to travel across India. Another good affect that the British had on India was the jump in agriculture, through large scale irrigation works. About 30 million acres were put into cultivation. Industrialization had also begun. Because of all these reasons almost no famine existed in British colonial India. The English also built many institutions in India and setup a productive government. "They have framed wise laws and have established courts of justice"(The Economic History Of India Under Early British Rule). In addition to all these positive affects, Britain also linked India to the modern world through modern science and modern thought.
"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)
Colonization for the British first began in 1591 when the merchant Sir James Lancaster had been commissioned to set sail by Commander Sir Francis Duke towards the East Indies. Sir James would continue to sail until in September 1592, he would land in Penang remaining there for two years pillaging any rival European ships that were to harbor there. Returning to Britain in 1594 and relaying the news of this newly found area, the British would not become a major participant in Penang’s history until 1786 with the Malay Sultanate of Kedah. During this time, the Burmese and the Siamese armies had increasingly threatened the Sultan of Penang forcing him to cut a deal with then Captain of the British Navy in the Southeast Asia region Francis Light.
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).