India has undergone tremendous changes since the colonial era. India was under the European colonial powers. They were colonized through conquest and trade. It is worth noting that trade between Europe and India was the catalyst for European exploration. In the 19th century, British has gained indirect and direct control of India. British India consisted of British provinces and presidents that contained valuable components of British Empire. There are several reasons why Great Britain took over East India at the star of the colonial era (Spielvogel & Duiker, 2015). Great Britain enjoyed superior powers compared to other colonial powers. The colonial powers that competed to colonize East India include Holland, France, Portugal and Denmark. The British army was more professional, disciplined and equipped.
The disunity among Indian states was an advantage for Great Britain. British used the warring states to control the states. Also, doctrine lapse helped British to control East India. This was achieved through the signing of treaties. East India Company took over various states in India. The involvement of British began in the 17th century through British East India Company. The civilization of India during the colonial era was enhanced through the fulfillment of imperial responsibilities (Abdul & Singh, 2015). The British carried out economic improvement and invested in infrastructure. The economic focus was streamlined towards enhancing the efficiency of British administration in the region.
India embraced several attributes from the Western countries that helped in building modern economic power. The infrastructural facilities was embraced by Indians since it improved the standard of living. In fact, western colonies brought technology that led to the transformation of activities in several institution. Western colonies developed to build an act of patriotism among Indians. Indians began to embrace patriotism as one of the components towards economic development. India became one nation instead of princely states that existed during the colonial era. Advanced machines for manufacturing steel, goods steam, vaccines, electricity and guns modernized India. Caste system was removed by the British to enhance equality and social development (Kolsky, 2010). The production of goods in India increased because of Western influence. India was connected to the world through modern ideas, science, and technology. In a critical analysis, Western colony enhanced economic development through technology, trade and infrastructure.
India is believed to be one of the conservative nation. During the colonial era, they resisted some of the issues brought about by the Western colonies. Christianity is one of the Western aspects that Indians resisted. This is because Indians has their traditions and religion that was deeply rooted. Hindu renaissance movement was a clear indication that India’s rejected Western religion. Also, they rejected the aspect of racism from the British. The British viewed Indians as inferior because of their cultural beliefs and practices. India’s wanted to participate in political decisions, but the British took control in the decision-making process. Western culture was rejected by Indians (Spielvogel & Duiker, 2015). The Indians wanted to enjoy their dominant culture without interference. The aspect of maintaining cultural practices created tension and resistance between the Indians and the Western colonies.
In the general perspective, India underwent through tremendous changes during the colonial era. The powerful modern state of India is attributed to several aspects of western colonies. Some of the benefits that India benefited from Western colonies include infrastructure, cultural diversity, technology, medical research, and transportation systems. Notably, Western colonies affected India adversely. For example, Western colonies made India a dependent country. The British exploration was driven by the move to create markets for their products. India became a crucial marketplace for British products. This led to an economic imbalance in India.
References
Abdul, K. A. P. J., & Singh, S. P. (2015). Advantage India: From challenge to opportunity. Noida: HarperCollins Publishers India
Kolsky, E. (2010). Colonial Justice in British India. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Spielvogel, J & Duiker, W. (2015). World History. Volume II since 1500. Boston: Wiley
