Examine the British control over India. How did it set the stage for later British expansion? In what ways British control of India represent the best and worst of British rule?
The British Empire first came to India in the 1600s for the purpose of trade. There was severe competition between the empires that had established trade with India. To become more successful, the British empire took advantage of the naive Indians and established the East India Company, which helped them defeat other nations like war. Since India was rich in spices and cloth, more empires were competing with England for trade power over the region. Trading soon led to political and economic control over India by the British and soon the country had fallen entirely under the Imperial rule of England. Starting as a mere trade company in East India, England took the power away from the kings ruling each state by turning the citizens against their own rulers. By helping India in wars and causing the subcontinent to win, England won the trust of the Indians and were able to expand their power to more Asian countries. By the 18th century the subcontinent was completely controlled by the British. This represented the best of British rule.
Colonialism in India and the British brought about tremendous change for Indians with their cloth, crops and other resources. England was able to expand to larger parts of Asia with India under it's grasp. As India went from Afghanistan in the west to Bangladesh in the east and Sri Lanka in the south. The subcontinent came under the name of "British Raj" meaning British rule. Years passing by with India as a struggling nation at the the feet of the British empire, the Indians came to the stage of unrest in the 1800s and the want for independence. Minor disputes and revolts led to the great Independence war. With the help of freedom-fighters like Gandhi, India was able to drive the British out of the land. This caused the British empire to retreat from other countries as well as this served as an example for other Asian subcontinents. England lost all of its power from Asia and therefore lost most of wealth as well. This represented the worst of the British empire as the Asian countries started to grow. |