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    Impact of Colonialism

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    Aiman iqbal
    The document discusses the enduring impacts of colonialism on the economic, social, and political landscapes of the Indian subcontinent. It examines how British colonial policies influenced various aspects of life, including transforming India's economy, introducing social changes, and shaping the political terrain through administrative partitions.

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    Impact of Colonialism

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    Aiman iqbal
    16 views5 pages
    The document discusses the enduring impacts of colonialism on the economic, social, and political landscapes of the Indian subcontinent. It examines how British colonial policies influenced various aspects of life, including transforming India's economy, introducing social changes, and shaping the political terrain through administrative partitions.

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    The document discusses the enduring impacts of colonialism on the economic, social, and political landscapes of the Indian subcontinent. It examines how British colonial policies influenced various aspects of life, including transforming India's economy, introducing social changes, and shaping the political terrain through administrative partitions.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    16 views5 pages

    Impact of Colonialism

    Uploaded by

    Aiman iqbal
    The document discusses the enduring impacts of colonialism on the economic, social, and political landscapes of the Indian subcontinent. It examines how British colonial policies influenced various aspects of life, including transforming India's economy, introducing social changes, and shaping the political terrain through administrative partitions.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    You are on page 1of 5

    Submitted to: Dr.

    Raza Zaidi

    Submitted by: Muhammad Shahid Ashraf

    Roll Number: 14

    Class: BS Political Science 2nd Semester

    Subject: Pakistan Studies

    Assignment Topic: Impact of Colonialism

    Department: Political Science

    University of the Punjab, Lahore.


    Assignment 1: Impact of Colonialism

    Question.No.01: Write an essay exploring the enduring and multifaceted


    effects of colonialism on the subcontinent's economic, social, and political
    landscapes, examining how colonial policies and practices influenced the
    various aspects of life in the region.

    Introduction
    People's lives are profoundly impacted by Colonialism. The process by which nations
    under colonial rule evolve, mature, and ultimately reach a point at which the legacy of
    dependency still influences their existence and functioning is markedly different. When
    colonial rule ends and is only replaced by another dominant power rather than resulting in
    independence, the issue gets even more convoluted. These encounters typically leave a mix of
    impressions that lead to mistrust, immaturity, and bewilderment (Huque, 1997).

    Impacts of Colonialism on Subcontinent


    European arrivals in India significantly impacted socio-economic and political aspects
    of society, with the British Empire transforming India's economy and society. British rule had
    a profound social, economic, and cultural impact, largely due to its rapid economic policies
    (Sakalesh, 2016).

    1-Economic Impacts

    The "drain of wealth," expropriation (mostly of land), control over commerce and
    production, exploitation of natural resources, and infrastructural improvements are some of the
    economic effects of colonialism (Ziltener & Künzler, 2013). As Tomlinson summarizes about
    India:

    By the last quarter of the nineteenth century India was the largest purchaser of British exports,
    a major employer of British civil servants at high salaries, the provider of half of the Empire’s
    military might, all paid for from local revenues, and a significant recipient of British capital.
    (Tomlinson 1993: 13)
    • Financial Condition: Due to the high taxes imposed by the British Raj, the agrarian
    economy stagnated. India's contribution to the world GDP fell dramatically from 23%
    to 5% (Roy, 2019).

    2- Social Impacts

    There were several social and cultural changes brought by British in Subcontinent. Some of
    them are as under:

    • The British introduced concepts like liberty, equality, freedom, and human rights amid
    social problems like sati, child marriages, and infanticides.
    • Several legislative initiatives were introduced to better the status of women in society.
    • The British were eager to introduce English into Indian culture and there was disregard
    for the regional tongues.
    • The Charter Act of 1813, approved by the British Parliament, provided one lakh rupees
    to support the advancement of western sciences in India.

    3- Political Impacts

    • Divide and Rule: The British incited animosity between Muslims and Hindus by using
    the "divide and rule" tactic. Utilizing religion as a wedge between Indians, the divide
    and rule program ultimately caused millions of people to die and be uprooted, as well
    as the destruction of important economic resources (Lyer, 2010; Tharoor, 2017).
    • Nation-State Formation: The political terrain of the subcontinent was shaped by the
    British-imposed administrative partitions. The Radcliffe Line, drawn during the 1947
    partition, led to the creation of Pakistan and India (Guha, 2007).

    Positive Aspects

    i. The British introduced new employment opportunities, benefiting lower castes and
    promoting social mobility.
    ii. A middle class emerged, forming the foundation of Indian industry. British
    infrastructure, including hospitals and railways, laid the groundwork for India's
    economic power. However, India's interdependence with the British proved
    problematic, affecting other Western countries.

    Negative Aspects
    i. The British Raj's economic-political machinations in India led to turmoil in local
    industries, resulting in a virtual slave status.
    ii. They promoted cash crop growth over food production, leading to 24 famines and
    millions of deaths.
    iii. The Divide-and-Rule policy, which paid religious leaders to oppose each other,
    damaged ties between faiths and strained relations between India and Pakistan.
    iv. The British Raj looted India's economy, diverting trillions of cash due to immoral
    commercial practices and destroying Indian companies.

    Conclusion

    British rule in India was primarily for trading purposes during the Industrial Revolution,
    requiring raw materials and a market for finished goods. India provided a significant source of
    raw materials and a perfect market for British trade. While the British rule may have
    transformed India's society, these improvements were merely self-serving, with societal
    changes occurring independently without British intervention.

    References
    1. Shafiqul Huque, A. (1997). The impact of colonialism: thoughts on politics and
    governance in Bangladesh. Asian Affairs, 28(1), 15-27.
    2. Sakalesh, M. (2016, March). IMPACT OF BRITISH RULE IN INDIA. JETIR, 3(3).
    3. Ziltener, P., & Künzler, D. (2013). Impacts of colonialism–A research survey. Journal
    of World-Systems Research, 19(2), 290-311.
    4. Roy, T. (2019). Economic History of India: Ancient to Present. Sage Publications.
    5. Banerjee, A. and L. Iyer (2005). History, Social Divisions and Public Goods in Rural
    India. Switzerland: Journal of the European Economic Association 3 (2-3). 639-47.
    6. Lyer, L. (2010). Direct versus indirect colonial rule in India: long-term consequences.
    The Review of Economics and Statistics, 92(4), 693–713.
    7. Tharoor, S. (2017, March 8). “But what about the railways ...?” The myth of Britain’s
    gifts to India. The Guardian. Retrieved from
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/08/india-britain-empire-railways-
    myths gifts
    8. Guha, R. (2007). India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy.
    HarperCollins
    9. https://unacademy.com/content/upsc/study-material/ncert-notes/impact-of-
    colonialism-in-india/
    10. Tharoor, S. (2016). An era of darkness: The British empire in India. (No Title).

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