British Colonialism And The Push Towards Indian Independence
In 1853 Karl Marx wrote, "'England has to fulfil a double mission in India: one destructive, the other regenerative.' This double mission consisted in the annihilation of the old Asiatic society' and the laying of the material foundations of a Western society in Asia,'" (Kruger 40). Though some of the world thought that Britain was just spreading western ideals, Marx realized the exploitation that would occur under the British colonization of India. Under colonialism, Britain used economic, political and cultural exploitation to serve the interests of the crown. These imperialistic functions, however, would lead to the rise of nationalist ideology and the road to independence in India.
A huge factor in the rise of anti-colonial India was the economic exploitation of Indian in the interest of the British Empire. Although colonialism sometimes brings economic gain to subordinate countries, it is usually short-lived and it the case of India it primarily benefited Britain. "The traditional village system in India rested primarily on the combination of agriculture and the [domestic] crafts," (Kruger, 41). With the advent of Industrial Revolution in England, the expanding textile industries needed raw materials and markets for their finished goods, so India was robbed of its wealth for the production and exportation of cotton and other raw materials. Not only did Britain drain India of its raw materials, but also annihilated Indian handicraft industries by exposing them the competition of cheap machine products coming from Britain, in no way could there be an accumulation of capital for India. The de-industrialization of India into an agricultural economy left millions jobless and eventually accounted for widespread famines and increasing poverty in the 19th century.
Though Britain was to fulfill a mission of creating a stable India, she developed no economic infrastructure in India. "There took place no emergence and...
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