British Impact On India Dbq Analysis

Imagine living in India when the British took full control, and then being forced to change your day to day life. The british had an economic interest in India which started during the 1600’s. During the Industrial Revolution, India was considered a prized possession by the British because they supplied raw materials to the factories for production. Eventually, the British took full control of India, and made some major changes that significantly impacted India. Although the British had a negative economic impact on India, they had a positive impact on both the political and social aspects of India. The British were able to set a foundation for India, and create a justice system while containing violence, even though they had to take away some Indian rights to do so.
Although the British used their power for bad things like forcing their rule over India, the British had a positive political impact on India because of the power they possessed. This power allowed the British to set up a foundation that would later on
impact what we know as modern day India (Lalvani). Because they set this foundation, India was able to grow and become a stronger, better functioning country. As well as being able to grow, India gained more of an advantage over other colonies. Lalvani states that “According to the author, by the time it happened India had a headstart over many former colonies and that was largely thanks to Raj.” This shows that mainly because of Raj, India was able to get a jumpstart on their development.
Next, the British had a negative economic impact on India.
The British set up good things like railways, roads, and canals used for transportation, however, they also caused the Indians to lose control of their economy. The British caused Indians to have no control over their own taxation (Doc. 2). Without this control, the Indians didn’t have a voice and were overpowered by the British. Along with losing control of taxation, the Indians were forced to grow cash crops like indigo instead of natural resources. Growing cotton, indigo, and tobacco caused the land to degrade and become unfit for growing other crops which led to a famine (Doc. 6). Also, they weren’t allowed to sell the crops for money, and all of the money made went to the British. Being unable to control their own taxation and the types of crops they grew shows us that the British had a negative economic impact over India because they didn’t allow them to take on much
responsibility.
Last, the British had a positive social impact over India. Although the British did bad things like forcing Hindu and Muslim marriages to be under the Christian religion, they did good things like ending some violence, stopping suttee (widow suicide), and ending female infanticide (the killing of a female infant), they also established the justice system in India. Before British rule, things like suttee, highway robberies, and female infanticide were common, but under the British rule they stopped (Lalvani). This shows that the British had a hold on the things that were happening outside of the issues within the government. Also, the British established the framework for the justice system (Lalvani). Without this set-up, India wouldn’t have an established running government, that ultimately set them up for success later on.
In conclusion, the British helped to change India in more positive ways than negative. On the political side, the British’s power allowed a foundation to be set for India, and created a jumpstart for India over other colonies. This shows that the British established a positive change politically. Even though few things were beneficial, the overall economic impact was negative because of things like the British fully controlling the Indian’s taxation and forcing them to grow cash crops without getting anything in return. The few helpful things, like railways and canals, don’t override the fact that many people ended up starving to death because they couldn’t afford or grow any food. Finally, the social impact was positive because awful things like suttee, highway robberies, and female infanticide were ultimately put to a stop under British rule, along with the justice systems framework being established. In the end, many, if not all, Indians did suffer because of the new rules that were established by the British. Without all of the suffering and the pain, India wouldn’t be the same way as it is today.