The Contribution of British Raj In Building India

India had been in the clutches of the British rulers for over 200 years. Many arguments have been voiced on the negative impact of British Raj on the economic, social and political life of Indians. However, there are a few who believe ardently that in spite of the negative impact British rule had on India, there is a hint of positivity, though involuntarily during their rule. The British were able to conquer India owing to the fact that at the time, the rulers of Indian states often fought against each other for power. This mutual mutiny was one of the major factors responsible for their defeat against the British.

One can argue that the economic stability of India was greatly disturbed by British Raj. At the same time, the changes that were brought about during their rule would not have seen the light of day if India were still in the hands of Indian Rulers. The fallacy of British rulers was that they would continue to rule India indefinitely.

For one, the administrative machinery that India till date follows to a large extent was established by the British. For a Country that was in tatters over 'power' and 'political' mutiny, a well laid out administrative device to aid in proper functioning of the government must have had some logical significance.

The British were also inadvertently responsible for building one of the largest Railway networks of the world. Although not initially built for transport of Indian passengers, the network served as a viable route for the Brits to transport troops for war as well as cotton and other supplies to mills in the UK. The growth of railroads also had a welcome side-effect of decreasing the impact of famine in India.

Also, Changes in the Intellectual level started percolating into the masses during the colonization. English education had brought about a change in the mindsets of Indians who were all-of-a-sudden richer intellectually. It was the intellectual strata of the middle class that led the fight for freedom in India.

Notably, a few other contributions of the British rule towards building India are worth mention. They brought in irrigation technologies into India which meant there was a rise in available land for cultivation of close to 8 times. The non-existent coal Industry was introduced, improved water quality and systems to treat patients suffering from malaria is believed to have resulted in better health and life expectancy in general.

Looking back at the suffering that India faced during their rule, the destruction of farmers, financial exploitation, Oppression, economic unrest has had a huge impact on the development of India as a country post Independence. However, on purely non-humanitarian basis, the modern India has had its share of roots originating from the changes brought about by British Raj.