BRITISH RAJ

Legacy of the British Raj on State Formation in South Asia



Legacy of the British Raj on State Formation in South Asia

Introduction

In South Asia, the British Raj extended to various nations such as Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. At different times, the British Raj also extended to Aden Colony, Lower Burma, Upper Burma, British Somaliland and Singapore. The British Empire originated in the 16th and early 17th centuries and considered as the largest empire in the history.

Commercial trade zones and managerial practices as mercantile interests were the main reasons of the British Raj entrance into the India in the 16th century.

Discussion

Until 1600, the Britain was trading in India, but it did not try to seize large sections of land after the Battle of Plassey. Since from the beginning, the Britain had a strong economic interest in the South Asia mainly in the Indian economy. Therefore, massive cultural changes were observed by Indians imposed through the British Rule. The history shows the British adopted the divide and rule policies through pitting the Hindus and Muslims against each other. The expansion of British Empire in South Asia becomes logical in the form of the East India Company.

The history shows that the British rule in South Asia provoked instabilities and reactive interventions. Few South Asian economies deny that the British Colonial concerned about the interests of the common people of the sub-continent. The British Rule in the South Asian economies brings new ways of trade, modernizations and standard of living. Therefore, the historian suggests that the British rule improved the modern medicine and life expectancy.

During the second half of the 19th century, the British Rule brought the industrial revolution in India. The Lord Curzon, in 1905 through the archaeological preservation and administrative efficiency divided the British India called as Bengal Presidency into ...