British Colonization and Effet

The effects of British Imperialism were disastrous for India", to what extent do you agree with the statement. Refer to the 1858-1914 period in your answer.

Imperialism dates back to antiquity. In the ancient world the idea of imperialism was to create great empires in an attempted to dominate all others by creating a unified system of control. The empire of Alexander the Great and the Roman Empire are such examples.

Then came early modern European imperialism (1492-1780), the discovery of new lands such as America brought new opportunities, and imperialism took the form of overseas colonial expansion. Many countries took part in this expansion, rather than one state attempting to unify the world. The countries established political control over territories in Asia and South East Asia and in the New World and parts of Africa and Oceania. Each country attempted to control the trade of its colonies, in order to monopolize the benefits of that trade. India is a clear example of this, the British established the East India Trading Company, its trade focused on bringing tea, silks and spices from the East. By the 19th century, the British saw India as the "Jewel in the Crown of the British Empire.

Then the power of India was handed over to the British government and in 1876 queen Victoria was proclaimed "Empress of India". This period is referred to as the British Raj, the period of British colonial rule where they ruled most of the Indian subcontinent. It lasted from 1858 until 1947. This is also referred to as the "new imperialism" when European governments scrambled frantically for territory. White people came, therefore, to rule millions in India. The causes of the new imperialism are still debated. Competition for trade, superior military force, European power politics, and a racist belief in European superiority were among the most important.

The economic, political and psychological effects of imperialism on India are equally difficult to determine. Imperialism has proven both destructive and creative: for better or worse, it has destroyed traditional institutions and ways of thinking and has replaced them with the habits and mentality of the Western world. We shall explore in more depth the positive and negative effect of Imperialism in India.

When the British invested into India, they made big contributions the railroad system is an example. British rule modernized India in many respects. The spread of railroads from 1853 contributed to the expansion of business. Companies built rail lines that linked growing regions in the interior with ports on the coast. Its rail system was the third largest in the