One important part of Middle Eastern history is British Imperialism in India. Though the situation did not turn out how Great Britain intended, it is ultimately what cost them the rule over India. The British originally went into India with the hopes of helping them to come together and act as one. They planned to do this through a long chain of events that included creating a country where everyone spoke the same language as their leader. There were many positive and negative aspects that went along with British Imperialism in India. The following information will discuss a few of each.
The Positive Effects of British Imperialism in India
One of the best things that the British did for India was help them become connected to the rest of the world through medicine, science, technology and other areas. Through this education, Indians were able to create and use more complex machinery to create vaccines, manufacturing goods, cars, steel, steam engines, guns, electricity, and so on.
As you can imagine, the other thing this did was made the country more productive as a whole. This is mainly because before the British came in, India’s residents were what could be called “ uncivilized”. The truth is that once the caste system was removed, everyone else had a shot at a more normal life. Still they needed to be taught better hygiene habits, how to properly farm land, and much more.
The Negative Effects of British Imperialism on India
On the other side of this, British Imperialism did have its downfalls for India; from loss of money, famine, and racism, to dependency and a loss of culture – the wounds ran deep. One of the worst effects it had on the people of India was the loss of culture. This came in the form of losing their previous economy. This happened because England urged Indians to buy products that were mass-created in England and cheaper, rather than purchasing their own handmade items in India. The industries affected by this were the metal, cloth, clock-making, and others.
Moreover, famine overcame the population after Britain suggested they grow only cash crops. The only problem was that most of India’s growing population couldn’t afford to buy the food; therefore, many starved to death. The country also lost a great deal of money because of leaders and wars between them and Great Britain, it became costly. The other negative aspect was that those from Great Britain treated Indian residents as if they were below them; thus causing a racism issue as one race felt superior to another.
In the end, though the era of British Imperialism in India played a significant role in India’s development into the modern world, it also came at a price. Regardless what was lost, a great deal was gained because India was able to not only increase its population, but also make the people smarter and healthier in the process. The way some of India’s residents were living before the age of Imperialism was not good, so if it didn’t do anything else positive – it helped them live better!
