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Britain was a huge part of India's history for many years. Their imperialism had both positive and negative effects on India. For example, the British helped irrigate 25% of arable land (suited for growing crops) and increased agricultural productivity. They established the Indian coal industry, which had produced 15 million tons of coal by 1914. The life expectancy, which was very low at the time, also grew from 21 to 32 from 1820 to 1947. India also adopted British parliamentary democracy, and became the largest democracy in the world.
But the British also left India in a state of underdevelopment with little industrialization. The Indians were stuck in a vicious cycle of low wages and low investment in education. In 1911, the literacy rate was only 6%, in 1931 it was 8% and in 1947 (year India gained independence) the literacy rate was still a shocking 11%. As a result, by the end of British rule, 50% of Indians lived in poverty and 88% couldn't read or write. In 2013, their literacy rate was as low as 73% across India and around 30% of Indians lived below the poverty line in 2014 . The World Bank quoted that around eight hundred and thirty million people in India- around 69% live on less than two dollars a day. This situation could be a direct result of the 40 famines India faced under British rule. To compensate, England had been sending over 439 million dollars per year in aid, but Indians are not happy. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee stated in an interview in 2012, “We do not require the aid.”
Another negative effect of British colonization was the disrespect with which Indian monuments were treated, and the vandalism that took place. Many forts at Agra and New Delhi were turned into military barracks, and gardens and statues were torn down and ruined. An excerpt from a book described the scene at the Taj Mahal: "..By the nineteenth century, its grounds were a favorite trysting place for young Englishmen and their ladies. Open-air balls were held on the marble terrace in front of the main door, and there, beneath Shah Jahan"s lotus dome, brass bands um-pah-pahed and lords and ladies danced the quadrille. The minarets became a popular site for suicide leaps, and the mosques on either side of the Taj were rented out as bungalows to honeymooners. The gardens of the Taj were especially popular for open-air frolics..." The Governor General of Bengal, Lord William Bentinck, announced plans to demolish the best Mogul monuments in Agra and Delhi and remove their marble facades, which would be broken up, shipped to London and auctioned off. There were also plans to dismantle the Taj Mahal and there was machinery moved into the grounds. Luckily, news from London stated that the auctions had not been a success, and it would not be worth the money to tear the Taj down.
Neighboring states, such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka suffered through civil wars and are still some of the poorest countries in the world.
But the British also left India in a state of underdevelopment with little industrialization. The Indians were stuck in a vicious cycle of low wages and low investment in education. In 1911, the literacy rate was only 6%, in 1931 it was 8% and in 1947 (year India gained independence) the literacy rate was still a shocking 11%. As a result, by the end of British rule, 50% of Indians lived in poverty and 88% couldn't read or write. In 2013, their literacy rate was as low as 73% across India and around 30% of Indians lived below the poverty line in 2014 . The World Bank quoted that around eight hundred and thirty million people in India- around 69% live on less than two dollars a day. This situation could be a direct result of the 40 famines India faced under British rule. To compensate, England had been sending over 439 million dollars per year in aid, but Indians are not happy. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee stated in an interview in 2012, “We do not require the aid.”
Another negative effect of British colonization was the disrespect with which Indian monuments were treated, and the vandalism that took place. Many forts at Agra and New Delhi were turned into military barracks, and gardens and statues were torn down and ruined. An excerpt from a book described the scene at the Taj Mahal: "..By the nineteenth century, its grounds were a favorite trysting place for young Englishmen and their ladies. Open-air balls were held on the marble terrace in front of the main door, and there, beneath Shah Jahan"s lotus dome, brass bands um-pah-pahed and lords and ladies danced the quadrille. The minarets became a popular site for suicide leaps, and the mosques on either side of the Taj were rented out as bungalows to honeymooners. The gardens of the Taj were especially popular for open-air frolics..." The Governor General of Bengal, Lord William Bentinck, announced plans to demolish the best Mogul monuments in Agra and Delhi and remove their marble facades, which would be broken up, shipped to London and auctioned off. There were also plans to dismantle the Taj Mahal and there was machinery moved into the grounds. Luckily, news from London stated that the auctions had not been a success, and it would not be worth the money to tear the Taj down.
Neighboring states, such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka suffered through civil wars and are still some of the poorest countries in the world.