British Imperialism In India - 1626 Words

This paper will talk about the impact of British colonial conquest on India’s economy while lightly touch on the pre-colonial economic conditions as well. Colonialism refers to a process of control and domination where one country dominates the other. It is the control on the social, economic, and political policies of the colony countries (Emerson, 1969). Many European countries starting colonising other nations in order to gain raw materials, wealth, power and to spread their mission of civilization. The British controlled parts of India first through company rule 1757-1858 and later through the British raj from 1858-1947. The British did not enter India as colonisers but as traders. They had a legal trading charter from the British†¦show more content†¦Davis also mentions that the Mughal rulers thought it was essential obligation to protect their peasants. The Mughal rulers also facilitated their subjects during famines. An example can be taken from Aurangzeb’s relief camp in 1661, where free food was distributed, people were given tax reliefs and the king opened up his own wealth and distributed money to the people. This shows the nature of the precolonial state where there was a well-managed system and the kings would treat their subjects with consideration (2000). The British rule in India can be summarised in two facts which are â€Å"India’s per capita income went stagnant from 1757 to 1947† and â€Å"the life expectancy of Indians fell by 20 percent† (Davis, 2000). This shows that the British rule in India was not one in which India flourished but it deteriorated. The British brought about changes in all spheres of life. There brought about many social, cultural and economic changes however, this paper will only focus on the economic aspect of colonialism. The British tried to commercialise Indian agriculture and therefore, promoted cash crop farming. They forced farmers to move away from traditional and subsistence based farming and practice cash crop farming. This shift caused many farmers to suffer as they did not get much share in the profit even though the demand for cash crops like cotton and wheat was very high. The farmers fell into poverty and lived in terrible conditions whereas, the middleShow MoreRelatedBrit ish Imperialism in India Essay706 Words   |  3 Pagesgiven the people of India the greatest human blessing - peace.† (Dutt). Merely coming to India in the 1600s to trade, the British East India Company established trading outposts. After ridding of French influence in India during the Seven Years’ War and having Indians mutiny against British rule, Britain gained full control of India. India has been under the imperialist control of the British until their independence in 1947. 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