Indian Economy On The Eve Of Independence — Economics STD 12 Humanities & Commerce — Question
Rajasthan BoardEnglish MediumSTD 12 Humanities & CommerceEconomicsIndian Economy On The Eve Of Independence6 Marks
Question
Give the negative effects of the British rule in India.
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Answer
The negative effects of the British rule in India are as follows:
Colonial exploitation through trade malpractices: The Britishers exploited India by following the given trade practices:
They collected raw material for British industries from India.
They sold finished goods of British industries in India. To encourage the above trade, no duty was charged on imports from Britain and subsidy was given for exporting raw material to Britain.
Use of British capital to exploit country's resources: The Britishers used their capital and entrepreneurial skills to exploit India's natural resources and cheap labour resources. The Britishers invested in mining and plantation industries and paid very low wages to the workers inspite of unsafe working conditions.
Development of industries which complemented the British industries: The Britishers invested only in those industries which complemented the growth of their industries back home. So, they invested in developing railways, post and telegraphs, rubber, tea and coffee plantations, etc. They totally neglected the development of key and basic industries like iron and steel, machine making industries, etc. Jute and cotton textile industries, were also discouraged as they could have been a threat for the textile factories of Britain.
Economic drain: The Britishers drained the country economically. They took away various wealthy possessions that India possessed, e.g., the famous Kohinoor diamond. According to an estimate, approximately a trillion dollars were looted by the Britishers, in addition to the gems and jewels.
Partition of the country: This was the most diastatic consequence of the British rule in India; the effects of which we still face in the form of cross-border terrorism. The Britishers fuelled the Hindu-Muslim dispute for their own benefit, which led to the partition of the country.
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