India Dbq

                                                        Francesca Mariani

                                                        Period 3 Global Issues

                                                        India DBQ

                                                        April 28, 2015

When the British first gained the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century their main concern was profit. The men who administered the territory for the East India Company were more motivated in exploiting India rather than attempting to establish an effective government. By the beginning of the 19th century this type of attitude had began to change. The men governing British India in the 19th century were creations of the society that they had left behind in Britain. That society had become increasingly enthralled with techniques of social management and economic improvement. Moreover, as the 19th century progressed, it progressively appeared that the British were destined to lead the world, as they viewed themselves as superiors. British influence in India left different waves of reaction between the upper and lower classes, due to the ongoing modernization, civilization, and exploitation that occurred over the course of a century under British rule.

During their time in India, British administration and bureaucracy were efficient, as was the education system established. With new industries, railroads, and telegraphs, however progressive they may have seemed in the eyes of the British, they disrupted the traditional culture and economy of India. Although a sense of their culture was taken away through modernizing, it would have been foolish to denounce the education being introduced by the British, when it could only help those acquire knowledge to further advance themselves in a society now classified by classes based upon political and economic factors as reasoned by Syed Ahmad Khan, a Muslim educator. (Document 4) But Western education was not open to everyone. Only upper elitist Hindus were given a fair shot at succeeding financially, while only small assemblies of the lower caste Indians were given the opportunity to study the British material. As said by Romesh Dutt two years after Khan’s viewpoint, he declared the British gave India something they had never had the chance to pursue before, which was a strong and efficient education system that opened their eyes to modern thoughts, sciences, and life. (Document 4) With an intention to modernize India through advancements industrially and educationally, however efficient the bureaucracy was there were still large gaps between the higher ranking British and lower ranking Indians. The British ruined India's previous economy and industries as a result of forcing them to import their goods from Britain and not allowing them to buy their own goods from India. Industries like handmade cloth, fell drastically in the ranks since cloth was made of better quality for a cheaper price in Britain due to mass production. India was left unable to support themselves on their own because of British interference with trade and businesses. Gandhi believed the only way to denounce the British ways brought upon themselves was to reform India by conscientiously living a more simplistic life, with hope to reach salvation from the British interference. (Document 6) The modernization of India under British rule projected both positives and negatives, in doing so, India became up to date and today they still use what the British left behind, but remain nowhere near as dominate as Britain. Upper elitist Indians benefited most from the modernization of India, while the lower caste Indians had the short end of the stick.