The Impacts Of British Colonialism On India

Indian soldiers serving a British woman (1875).

The British East India Company initially took control of India in 1858, and despite its significant influence on India’s culture and economy, the era is hardly known in detail or taught in schools and universities. The British Raj, the governing body, ruled present-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. Initially, they were all under a single governing body until they were separated under British rule. Trade in India was valuable to the West; it was a land with valuable resources such as knowledge, precious rocks, textiles, and spices. After the fall of the Mongol Empire, trade with India was difficult for British merchants, and forced them to find alternative routes. Eventually, they set up posts along the coast of India for easy access, which would later assist British expansion in India. The ports were managed by the British East India Company, and the owned territory led to the first consolidation of power in these areas. Over almost a decade of wars and expansion, the ports on the coast expanded inward, and by 1858, the subcontinent was well under British rule.

Some may know about the most impactful policies and actions taken by the British government during its imperialism in India, including the extraction of resources. Policies that allowed this led to 12 mass famines during their rule, the forced separation of states, and racist acts against Indians. In fact, one of the crown jewels of Britain, the Koh-i-noor, originated from India, along with many other jewels and resources extracted at the time. While the policies benefited the British Empire, it was at the expense of Indian citizens. Due to heavy and unfair taxes and cash cropping, wealth distribution became increasingly uneven, and land was depleted.

Other than the physical and economic consequences, socially, many political and religious lines were drawn. In a land of many religions and languages, coexisting with little conflict, the 1905 partition of Bengal drew clear borders. Western Bengal was split off, consisting of mostly those following Hinduism, and eastern Bengal containing a muslim population. Many people recognized this act as one that was imposed to stifle possible uprisings, as Bengal was intellectually and economically a hub of India, and the partition was meant to disrupt the unity between Hindus and muslims in the area. Although the partition did have some impact, it also set off multiple boycotts against strict policies and British imports, the formation of the All-India Muslim League, and, in the end, bonded the two separated regions ever more tightly together, as they tied rakhi threads on one another, symbolizing themselves as brothers and sisters even across religion.

Post-colonialism western petticoats and pants.        

But those actions impacted India socially and economically- some other actions made it dangerous to live as a lower class citizen. During their imperialism, there was a sex trafficking system imposed on Indian women, typically young and poor.  These women were kidnapped or enticed to escape their situation by being forced prostitutes for British soldiers, who justified the act as “perversion of homosexuality”. Indian women’s clothing also changed. Traditional sarees, pre-colonialism, were worn without a blouse; it was the style at the time, and provided for breathability during hot and humid days. However, the British imposed dress codes, forcing women to wear blouses and petticoats over and under their sarees to preserve their “modesty”. Though it is a common misconception nowadays that “modesty” came from Hinduism; in reality, it came from British colonialism. Men's clothing, which was once flowy and brightly colored in vibrant shades, was seen as unmanly by the British, and once again reformed to be more Western-styled, with straight pants in jackets in solid colors.

Although India was disturbed economically and socially, British influence in India also set the nation up for future technological advancements. Multiple railroad systems were designed, allowing for people and goods to travel easily from central land areas to the coast, to be shipped out to the west. It was also during that period that the basis for the legal system in India was designed by British influence. Although at the time, it was difficult to gain justice for the Indians in the system at the time, since their ownership of the land was stripped, and racism biased outcomes. Social values were also carried over, Martha Mault being the head of the revolution for women’s education in India.

This era had hurt Indian civilians, while setting other aspects up for future success- the impact of colonialism is not always as black and white as history may want it to be. Britain had managed to colonialize many different countries, and India is just as important of a story as others.