Other great advancements that were made to India were the building of schools, universities, factories, and the telegraph. Many schools and universities were being built to introduce Indians to a westernized language and include democracy ideas. The British wanted the people of India to have a modern mind and not think like ancient natives. The development of the telegraph was another technological advancement The telegraph had 14,000 miles of line in the year 1866 (Charlesworth 59). India themselves saw many great developments and improvements to their country. When the British first took control of India, India had nothing at all and when they left, they left India with many advanced technology that changed their economy.
Besides the technology, Britain changed the agriculture system in India as well. From 1890s to the nineteenth century, agriculture was at the highest peak. According to the scholar Ambirajan, investing in agriculture was by far the biggest benefit in the economy (Ambirajan 216). Britain helped India’s agriculture by allowing some interest in cash crops. The Britain developed agricultural policies such as extending the market and allowing assets grow by an economic system. According to schlor Rothermund,there was a huge degree of manufacture of cash crops which provided great benefits (Rothermund 114). Before the British rule there were a lot of ups and downs in India’s agriculture. Britain came and changed India’s agricultural system. Besides just producing cash crops for the family, the Britain showed them how to produce crops for other to gain profit. Britain changed India’s thing from being ancient to thinking like business men.
The Britain helped advance farming techniques and helped Indians with irrigation. They helped them grow many crops that would bring them more income and have food grains exported to markets. Britain also helped improve productivity to produce things like cotton, tea, coffee, and many other cash crops. Scholor Charlesworth states that cash crops brought many benefits. He states that India became one of the biggest producers of things such as cotton, rice, opium, wheat, and tea (Charlesworth 24). Having a boost in the agriculture was a very good economic change that became beneficial for the people in India. Farming methods improved tremendously when the Britain built canals in Inida. By building canals the agriculture was flourishing. Canals provided as much water need to water the fields.
The British in many ways increased employment opportunities for many people in India which increased the economics. According to Ambirajan, employment opportunities were the greatest attraction for the Indians (Ambirajan 52). Agriculture opened job opportunities for many farmers. Jobs such as producing cash crops and exporting them provided good income for the family. Sixty-five percent of the population of India was working on agriculture either as a handicraft worker, labourer, shopkeeper or a trader (Charlesworth 20). Besides agriculture, textile industries provided many jobs for Indian’s as well. Handicrafts of textile machines increased rapidly. Both agriculture and textile jobs created as much as 12 million jobs. Having opened up many employment opportunities increases India’s economy dramatically. The building of the railroads provided many jobs opening. Government jobs were also opened up to Indians. According to the scholar Charlesworth, the British companies created up to 10,000 jobs in the early 1800s giving a lot of opportunities for the Indians. Householders got part-time jobs as well as landless natives. (Charlesworth 26). By providing employment, India’s economy advance even higher.
Employment in India helped the economy in many ways. By providing jobs many people had the opportunity to work and make money for their family. It also kept the country out of recession. Before the Britain rule there were not a lot of jobs open to the country. When Britain entered India there were many jobs opened with new developments. School teachers were needed when the Britain built schools and universities. Factory workers were needed when new factories were built. Britain made the economy better than it was before.
The economy of India was enlarged due to world trade. Raw materials including cash crops such as cotton, iron, and silver were being traded outside the country. Trade in India started slowly and by the 18th century trade developed rapidly. Transactions grew at a rapid rate and exports along increase five times (Charlesworth 48).
By allowing world trade India became economically powerful. Although Britain’s main purpose of world trade in India was mainly to profit from their deals, India benefited as well. India became known worldwide by agricultural trade.
India would be a very different country if the British had never ruled India. India would not be India today if it wasn’t controlled by the Britain. If India remained under the Mughal Empire, India would have been small countries instead of one unity country. It would also not have been too modernized. India would not have new built schools, railways, and factories as it had under British Raj. India’s education, though and way of life would have still been ancient and native. Anything and everything that the British did was done to help themselves and to make a lot of profit but India had many benefits in the long run. India would not have known too much of education and English language. The British introduced English language to India, the common language which is shared with the rest of the world. The British took India and transformed it into a new generation where India’s economy is also modernized.
British made many changes to India over the 18th century. Many change has to do with modernizing India’s economic system. Constructive changes such as technology, agriculture, employment opportunities, and introduced the country to world trade made India’s economy very modern. India was introduced to new developments such as railways, roads, canals, schools and universities, and machines and companies. Many of these developments created jobs for native Indians. The agriculture system grew by improving productivity of cash crops which eventually led to India’s world trade. All of the changes that were made to India by the Britain had huge effects on India. With some of the changes India’s economy increased dramatically and had made lifelong changes. If it wasn’t for Britain, India would not have been how it is today.
