Stages of Colonialism in India

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  • Changing pattern of Britain’s position in the world economy led to changes in the nature of British colonialism.
  • Rajni Palme Dutt, identified three overlapping stages in the history of imperialist rule in India.
First Stage
  • Period of Merchant Capital, Monopoly Trade and Direct Appropriation (Period of East India Company’s Domination, 1757-1813)
    1. Acquire a monopoly of trade with India, against other English or European merchants or trading companies as well as against the Indian merchants.
    2. Directly appropriate or take over governmental revenues through control over State power.
  • No basic changes in administration, judicial system, transport and communication, methods of agricultural or industrial production, forms of business management or economic organisation.
  • Changes made in education or intellectual field, culture or social organisation.
  • Indian civilisation, religions, laws, caste system, family structure not seen as obstacles in colonial exploitation.
  • Only Changes made in
    • Military organisation and technology.
    • Administration at the top of the structure of revenue collection.
  • Drain  2-3%, it role in financing Britain’s industrial revolution.
  • No large scale import of British manufactures into India, increase in export of Indian textiles,
  • Weavers, forced to produce for the Company under uneconomic compulsions.
Second Stage
  • Colonialism of Free Trade, started Charter Act of 1813 till 1860s.
  • Newly emerging industrial capitalists began to criticise the East India Company and its exploitation of India.
  • Demanded that colonial administration and policy in India should now serve British capitalist interests which were very different from those of the East India Company.
  • Noe, India serve increasing output of British manufactured goods especially textiles.
  • New capitalists, needed from India exports of raw materials.
  • India could buy more British goods only if it earned foreign exchange by enhancing its exports.
  • Phase the following dominant features were visible.
    1. India’s colonial economy was integrated with the British and world capitalist economy, introduction of free trade, import duties totally removed or drastically reduced.
    2. Free entry to develop tea, coffee and indigo plantations, trade, transport, mining and modern industries, British Indian help to such capitalist.
    3. Permanent Settlement, Ryotwari system transform traditional agrarian structure into a capitalist one.
    4. Administration more comprehensive.
    5. Personal law was largely left untouched, changes related to criminal law, law of contract and legal procedures were overhauled to promote capitalist commercial relations and maintain law and order..
    6. Modern education, to provide cheap manpower to the vastly expanded administration, Aim to transforming India’s society and culture.
      • Create an overall atmosphere of change and development.
      • Give birth to a culture of loyalty to the rulers.
    7. Taxation and the burden on peasant rose sharply.
    8. India absorbed 10 to 12 per cent of British exports, After 1850, engine coaches, rail lines and other railway stores were imported into India at large scale.
    9. Indian army was used for British expansion of colonialism in Asia and Africa.
Third Stage
  • Era of Foreign Investments and International Competition for Colonies.
    1. Britain’s industrial supremacy challenged by Europe, the United States and Japan.
    2. Pace of industrialisation increased sharply.
    3. World market became more unified means of international transport.
  • Efforts to consolidate its control over India. Liberal imperialist policies got replaced with reactionary imperialist policies.
  • Strengthening of colonial rule over India, keep out the rivals as well as to attract British capital to India and provide it security.
  • Notion of training the Indian people for self government vanished.
  • Aim of British rule was declared as permanent ‘trusteeship’ over the Indians.
  • Geography, climate, race, history, religion, culture and social organisation were all cited as factors in making the Indians unfit for self-government or democracy, name civilising a barbaric people—“the White Man’s burden”

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