Preview

The Indian Economy: Exports and Imports of India

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1132 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Indian Economy: Exports and Imports of India
Essay on The Indian Economy

India was a direct colony of the British and the impact of this colonial rule over the economy and society of India has been immense. It must be stated at the outset that direct colonial rule leaves a total impact on the colonized society because every aspect of social life is influenced by colonial policies of the colonizers. A direct colony (as was the case with India) is under the complete control of the colonizers and colonial policies and interests influence every aspect of social life of a colony. Another important fact about India is that the colonial rule lasted for a very long time and this longevity of colonial rule over India affected the vitals of the Indian society.
India in the pre-colonial period had a stable economy. Self-sufficient agriculture, flourishing trade and rich handicraft industries. Subsistence farmers, organized in small village communities carried on agricultural operations in India. "Landlords were not landowners; they only had the right or privilege to collect taxes from the peasants" (Rothermund, page 1). A village was more or less a self-sufficient economic unit and its business contacts with the outside world were limited to payment of land revenue (generally in kind) and the purchase of a few necessary things from the town nearby. The farmer raised only those crops, which he needed for his own use and shared the same with the village artisan who supplied him with simple manufactures that he needed for his domestic consumption. Means of communication were of a primitive type. Therefore, trade in agricultural produce, was somewhat limited. The farmer usually raised enough produce to feed himself and the non-agricultural members of the village community. If his crop yielded more than the consumption needs, due to favorable climatic conditions, he stored that surplus for use in the lean years. Storage of food grains was a common practice among the pre-colonial agriculturists and constituted, under

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    British Takeover of India

    • 582 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Although there was an improvement in the economy and industrialization of India through the British occupation, the negative consequences felt by the Indian population outweigh any good that they may have done. While the British resided in India, they established a social ranking complex called a caste system. The caste system divided Indian society into different sections, Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors and rulers), Vaisyas (traders, merchants, and minor officials), Sudras (unskilled workers), and the Harijans or “untouchables”, deciding power and wealth depending on which level a person belonged to (British Impact). While the people of the upper caste lived very comfortably, with money and power, the lower castes lived very tough lives in the ruts of poverty. People were not allowed to transfer or move up or down through the castes, which left the people barely scraping by without any way to improve on their lives. This had an extremely detrimental effect on society because it left generations of people stuck in poverty without any way of moving up, not to mention a whole class of people who were completely isolated. Overall, the British occupying India was completely wrong and negative, because not only did they ruin the lives of people living at that time, but for many to come as things like the caste system are still in place today. This cannot be overlooked despite anything positive…

    • 582 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Glt-1 Analysis

    • 1181 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The British introduced education, language, religion, democracy and trade to India. It is evident that the direct British changes created positive growth for the country with regards to education and technological advances but it created socioeconomic changes to the culture according to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).…

    • 1181 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    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…

    • 737 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    India Dbq Analysis

    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages

    “First they Ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” - Mahatma Gandhi. Although the British taking rule over India had many positive economic and some social effects, The majority of all political, social, and economic effects had negative impacts on the people and land of India.…

    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Imperialism in India

    • 714 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In India the British colonization had more positive affects than negative. For Instance, When the British colonized India they built 40,000 miles of railroad and 70,000 miles of paved roadway. As a result the British made it much easier to travel across India. Another good affect that the British had on India was the jump in agriculture, through large scale irrigation works. About 30 million acres were put into cultivation. Industrialization had also begun. Because of all these reasons almost no famine existed in British colonial India. The English also built many institutions in India and setup a productive government. "They have framed wise laws and have established courts of justice"(The Economic History Of India Under Early British Rule). In addition to all these positive affects, Britain also linked India to the modern world through modern science and modern thought.…

    • 714 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The events of 1857-8 are extremely significant and have changed India dramatically into the India we see today. We see the British taking over India from the East India Company after a ‘mutiny’ in 1857 and welcoming it into a colony in the British Empire. It was described as “the jewel in the crown” of the British Empire because of their rich sources such as silk that were deported from India to countries in Europe. This made Britain considerably richer and greedier as they increased their power by continuing to expand their empire. The British made many positive changes as well as negative changes in India during their rule such as introducing technology such as expanding railways for everyone to use, and education for some Indians. These are just a few changes that helped a trade-inspired outlook within India. Nevertheless, they also took advantage of the Indians by making money from their resources, charging them heavy taxes to use in Britain and sending many Indians to fight for Britain in the First World War. We see that many changes shaped the modern India today, but why do these changes matter to us?…

    • 1451 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Some of the positive effects was, The caste system was removed from India by Britain allowing the people to be more equal, and Britain connected India to the modern world through science, technology, medicine, and modern ideas. Also, Transportation methods and communication were introduced to India by Great Britain. Telephones improved and paved roads, cars, trains, and postal networks.This was a positive effect because it boosted the economy, standard of living and the flow of information and people. This can be evidenced where document 4 and 5 states, “ Means of communication have been developed: innumerable bridges, over 40,000 miles of railway, 70,000 miles of metalled roads…[and]... put an end to slavery, to establish court of Law… the natives a sense of individual responsibility, of liberty, and justice”. These quotes shows some of the way the Britain was positive. However, there were also some negative effects such as Loss of money. Wars with Britain, and against leaders started by Great Britain, took away a lot of money. Also, The East India Trading Company would buy materials at a low price while selling processed goods at a steep price. Britain ruined India's previous economy and industries as a result of Britain forcing them to import their goods from Britain and not buy their own goods from India. This can be shown in document 7 which states, “They take away our money from year to…

    • 648 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    On the other side of this, British Imperialism did have its downfalls for India; from loss of money, famine, and racism, to dependency and a loss of culture – the wounds ran deep. One of the worst effects it had on the people of India was the loss of culture. This came in the form of losing their previous economy. This happened because England urged Indians to buy products that were mass-created in England and cheaper, rather than purchasing their own handmade items in India. The industries affected by this were the metal, cloth,…

    • 521 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To begin with, British imperialism helped to revise the legal system in India. Several things needed to be changed therefore many reforms began to occur. The legal system changed to promote justice towards all Indians no matter their classes. They worked to put an end to the caste system and slavery once and for all. Much of the population was Hindu and followed the Hindu customs and traditions even those that were hurtful or not beneficial to society or the country of India. For example one of the Hindu customs referred to as “Sati” is a belief that a widow must join her husband in death therefore she is required to throw herself unto his funeral…

    • 432 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    British Imperialism was a large factor in the development of India both technologically and socially. The main reason that the British Imperialism has had such a large effect on the Indian way of life was because it lasted 190 years. Such a long direct and indirect rule impacted India's development immensely, with the occupation ranging from the oppressive company rule to the British monarchy. The imperialism of India had many negative effects on the nation. Indian culture was lost, people were repressed, and the social order was completely destroyed. However; there were also many good outcomes. This boost in resources allowed Britain colonies to contribute to fixing India as a whole and make their economy stronger. This also, eventually freed…

    • 912 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The British Imperialism had a positive impact on India. When they had conquered India in 1858, India was not subjected to the influences of the western world, except for trade with the Greeks. THey ruled through the East India Company. The British did not do much for Indian Economy. In fact, taxes were raised and famine was the aftereffects of it.…

    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    British Imperialism

    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages

    India was the jewel in the crown of the British Empire. India was a country with an abundance of resources. The British took cloth, spices, and other items from India and sold them for profit. English exports from India’s resources were produced in massive quantities to guarantee economic growth. The British’s desire for more and more wealth helped them maintain control of India. In the process, many British people took advantage of the India people for their own personal gain.The impact of colonialism made advancements in India’s technology such as the railroad systems, dams, bridges, and canals. The railroad system in India was the fourth largest in the world and helped the Indian economy to be more modern. However, due to British trade laws the Indian industry declined. The economic benefits India reaped went straight to the British to benefit them. Many Indian farmers lost their stable supply of food because every farmer were prompted to grow cash crops rather than crops to feed themselves. Many people died due to a decline of food and famine struck. Since the British imposed high taxes on agriculture and were required to grow cash crops that didn’t help with their hungry needs, many looked for…

    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Imperialism of India was the total control of India through the British Empire which had created changes to spread through India. British colonization on India had benefits that helped the country grow. A benefit that was created from this imperialism was the end of slavery, a gain in education, and a higher standard of living. However this also created negative effects on India including unemployment rating increasing, poverty, and standard living fell. We can see the benefits of imperialism in an article written by Romesh Dutt in which he said,” They have introduced Western education.”…

    • 180 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    British imperialism in India mainly revolved around around the population. But the longer the british occupied india and were in control, their interest in the country shifted more towards the politics. Imperialist countries at the time had had the belief that it was their duty to save countries who didn't have the same government structure or ideology. But in Great Britain's case India’s resources and population threatened their powerful front.…

    • 70 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    India’s Glorious Past

    • 4932 Words
    • 16 Pages

    Similarly, by 300 BC, the reign of the Mauryan Empire over a large area of the Indian subcontinent proved all round economic development. The government encouraged commercial and industrial activity and stimulated its expansion. Agriculture was the mainstay. Megasthenes testifies to the existence of road systems and to the operation of waterways under government supervision. Trade by barter and against the currency was in practice and was taxed all along its way. There was progress in crafts and industrials arts.…

    • 4932 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Powerful Essays