dadabhai naoroji's views about nature of british imperialism
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Asmit7
First serious study to the impact of British rule on India was carried out by Dadabhai Naroji. Indians had accepted the British rule at face value. British administration tried to bring reforms but the objectives were limited. 1. To carry on White Man's burden to civilize the natives 2. To generate resources to serve the British economy.
The British tried to bring many reforms to the social customs prevalent at that time - child marriage, widow remarriage, sati, etc. They also introduced a common criminal code to replace the criminal justice system which was based on religion. These actions, although intended to establish British racial supremacy by reforming the natives, was accepted by some upper class members of the society who were against such evils (evils against humanity as they called them). This reformist zeal only lasted till 1857. The first war of Indian independence shook the foundations of British rule and after that they concentrated on consolidating their economic and political interests only.
To generate the resources for the British economy, the British administration had to increase the efficiency. So they carried out meticulous land surveys and established land revenue systems to increase the land revenue. They developed infrastructure - ports, railways, telegraph, postal system, steam engines, etc. The intention was to - consolidate their hold on the continent, push the boundaries of the colonial state, convert India into a provider of raw materials for British industries and a market for finished British goods.
The outcomes were diverse- Due to better connectivity, India started coming together and the process of transformation of local battles against British oppression started to take the form of a pan India struggle for independence. British administrative structures were used by the Indians for furthering Indian interests and this experience reinforced the parliamentary system of democracy that India has today. Discriminatory British policies destroyed Indian industries and commercialized Indian agriculture. This caused regular famines and large hunger deaths. British policies caused the general decline of Indian arts and crafts industry and weapons manufacturing industry. A large number of formerly employed soldiers lost their livelihood after British conquest of Indian rulers. Wealth generated from India was used to further British interests and further exploit India. This was clearly articulated by Dadabhai Naroji is his theory of drain of Indian wealth. Every problem seemed to come with some kind of benefit, thus, Dadabhai Naoroji described it as “‘the knife of sugar’… there is no oppression, it is all smooth and sweet, but it is a knife, nevertheless”.
Dadabhai Naoroji often regarded as the Grand Old man of India who witnessed the British imperialism as dogmatic and commercially exploitative. The chief ambition of the British is the financial exploitation of India. According to Dadabhai Naoroji, the British emptied several resources of India and carried to Europe in the form of export duties, Custody, wages, raw materials, etc.
Dadabhai Naoroji was initially the first Person in India to describe British rule in the prospect of the Drain of Wealth theory. It is a unilateral substitution of capital from India to the British with no or limited profits from there. He considered the Drain of Wealth as the root condition of poverty in India.
Answers & Comments
1. To carry on White Man's burden to civilize the natives
2. To generate resources to serve the British economy.
The British tried to bring many reforms to the social customs prevalent at that time - child marriage, widow remarriage, sati, etc. They also introduced a common criminal code to replace the criminal justice system which was based on religion.
These actions, although intended to establish British racial supremacy by reforming the natives, was accepted by some upper class members of the society who were against such evils (evils against humanity as they called them).
This reformist zeal only lasted till 1857. The first war of Indian independence shook the foundations of British rule and after that they concentrated on consolidating their economic and political interests only.
To generate the resources for the British economy, the British administration had to increase the efficiency. So they carried out meticulous land surveys and established land revenue systems to increase the land revenue. They developed infrastructure - ports, railways, telegraph, postal system, steam engines, etc.
The intention was to - consolidate their hold on the continent, push the boundaries of the colonial state, convert India into a provider of raw materials for British industries and a market for finished British goods.
The outcomes were diverse-
Due to better connectivity, India started coming together and the process of transformation of local battles against British oppression started to take the form of a pan India struggle for independence.
British administrative structures were used by the Indians for furthering Indian interests and this experience reinforced the parliamentary system of democracy that India has today.
Discriminatory British policies destroyed Indian industries and commercialized Indian agriculture. This caused regular famines and large hunger deaths.
British policies caused the general decline of Indian arts and crafts industry and weapons manufacturing industry. A large number of formerly employed soldiers lost their livelihood after British conquest of Indian rulers.
Wealth generated from India was used to further British interests and further exploit India. This was clearly articulated by Dadabhai Naroji is his theory of drain of Indian wealth.
Every problem seemed to come with some kind of benefit, thus, Dadabhai Naoroji described it as “‘the knife of sugar’… there is no oppression, it is all smooth and sweet, but it is a knife, nevertheless”.
Dadabhai Naoroji often regarded as the Grand Old man of India who witnessed the British imperialism as dogmatic and commercially exploitative. The chief ambition of the British is the financial exploitation of India. According to Dadabhai Naoroji, the British emptied several resources of India and carried to Europe in the form of export duties, Custody, wages, raw materials, etc.
Dadabhai Naoroji was initially the first Person in India to describe British rule in the prospect of the Drain of Wealth theory. It is a unilateral substitution of capital from India to the British with no or limited profits from there. He considered the Drain of Wealth as the root condition of poverty in India.