Table of Contents
How did Britain feel about losing India?
Many British settlers in India had contempt for the Indians and did not believe they were fit to run their own country. The British government in London favoured some measures to involve Indians in ruling India. Also, India was so valuable to Britain that they were reluctant to lose too much control.
What were the ways in which the British conquered India?
The British were able to take control of India mainly because India was not united. The British signed treaties and made military and trading alliances with many of the independent states that made up India. The British were very effective at infiltrating these states and gradually taking control.
What if British did not conquer India?
India had always been a peaceful nation and would have nothing to with the World War II had it not been under the rule of the British. The unscrupulous wartime policies of the British to supply food to soldiers at war led to the shortage of food in Bengal and Bihar causing millions of deaths out of starvation.
What caused Britain to consider leaving India?
An early symptom of the weakness of the empire was Britain’s withdrawal from India in 1947. During World War Two, the British had mobilised India’s resources for their imperial war effort. They crushed the attempt of Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Congress to force them to ‘quit India’ in 1942.
What are your thoughts about the British rule in India?
The British thought of their rule as a form of “autocratic paternalism.” The British also created “divide and rule” policies, pitting Hindu and Muslim Indians against one another. In 1905, the colonial government divided Bengal into Hindu and Muslim sections; this division was revoked after strong protests.
What was the impact of British rule in India?
They forced the commercialisation of agriculture with the growing of various cash crops and the raw materials for the industries in the Britain. With the strong political control, the British were able to monopolise the trade with India. They defeated their foreign rivals in trade so that there could be no competition.
What was life like in British India?
Poverty existed in India before the British, thanks in part to constant war, food shortages, and the caste system, but in general Indian society took care of everyone. According to Indian Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, India was once one of the wealthiest countries in the world — and then the British showed up.