Industrial Revolution Essay

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For centuries, India was a country of separate dynasties and kingdoms, which often led to a wide variety of cultural and ethnic tensions and continuous change of power for many of the kingdoms. They viewed each other as enemies, which created an opportunity for countries, such as England, to invade and eventually rule much of the country. Britain colonized the Indian subcontinent (present-day countries of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh) from 1757 until 1947 (Iyer 2). Not all areas were directly under British control, in other cases Indian rulers governed them, and power was split between the two (Iyer 2). For the British, India was strategically placed in terms of geography, manpower, natural resources, and land, as well as many other sectors (Maddison 1). Some believe that India’s non-participation in the Industrial Revolution was due to British colonization. At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, India had clout as a world leader in cotton textiles (Majumdar 62). The British plundering subsequently lead to the destruction of the textile industry, and eventually the economy. It is believed that much of the money necessary to the Industrial Revolution was obtained by the looting of India. After all, India had the three things necessary to start an endeavor such as this: raw materials, wealth, and a market. The Industrial Revolution itself began only a few years after the colonization of India (Majumdar 62). In the end, India was unable to participate in the Industrial Revolution. According to Majumdar, “Consequences of not being able to participate in the Industrial Revolution included not democratizing invention and the democratization of markets”. India’s own industrial revolution began after Independence in 1947, wh... ... middle of paper ... ... British had colonized India for approximately 200 years, there were lasting effects on the country in terms of many sectors, specifically the economical and industrial sectors. Due to India’s non-participation and manipulation of agriculture by the British, some would argue that the British obliterated the economy. Others would argue that the British instead helped due to the creation of the railroad, improved communication and created the beginnings of an industry. The British harmed the economy and industrial sector more than they helped it, and effectively caused the destruction of the economy both in the short term and the long term. The growth rate directly after the independence was less than 1% for almost 5 years (BIC 4). It was necessary for India to rebuild the economy if they ever wanted to be on the same playing field as the other countries at the time.

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