National Law Institute University, Bhopal

PROJECT- HISTORY-II

Social Impact Of British Rule In India

Submitted to : Prof.(Dr) Uday Pratap Singh.

Submitted by: Ransher Vikram Singh

Roll number -2016 BA LLB 85

Enrolment id – A-1730
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank Prof. (Dr.)Uday Pratap Singh for his unstinted support and encouragement
without which this project would not have been possible.

I would also like to extend my gratitude towards the library official of National law Institute
University, Bhopal for assisting me with reference material and books.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Why British Influence was lasting?........................................................................................................4
II. Prompting Religious and Reformation Movement:...............................................................................5
III. Rule of Law:...........................................................................................................................................6
IV. Constitutional Development:................................................................................................................6
V. Reorganization of Indian Civil Service:..................................................................................................6
VI. Social Sphere:........................................................................................................................................6
VII. Education:.............................................................................................................................................6
VIII.Charter Act of 1813:..............................................................................................................................7
IX. Rediscovery of India’s past by the British:.............................................................................................8
X. Social changes and reforms under the British:......................................................................................9
XI. Impact in the area of transport and communication:...........................................................................9
XII. The telegraph and postal systems:......................................................................................................10
XIII.The Permanent Settlement (1793 A.D.):.............................................................................................11
1. Mahalwari System:.........................................................................................................................12
2. The Ryotwari System:.....................................................................................................................12
3. Drain of Wealth:.............................................................................................................................12
Bibliography...............................................................................................................................................13

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 Impact of Colonial Rule on Indian society

The establishment of British rule in the late 18th century prompted British officials, missionaries
and scholars to acquire knowledge of the classical languages of India, of the structure of Indian
society and of values and manners of her people.

The economic base was primarily agricultural, the tools and implements did not register any
remarkable change through time, and arts and crafts mostly connected with poorly developed
production grew. Socially the framework consisted of comparatively self-sufficient village
communities in groups of contiguous villages. Caste was the typical Indian institution to
accommodate various socio-economic strata and nascent classes, binding them together in
groups and ensuring such constituents an occupational protection as well.

The British rule introduced the railways, the press, and the western system of education, clubs
and associations all of which shook the prevalent socio-economic order. But the processes of
exploitation unleashed by them destroyed the possibilities of development of industries and a
modern economic system in India. The British rule rather systematically destroyed the native
industries of India for the benefit of the industries in Britain and their market in India. Even
though it sought to tie down the people it ruled to colonial backwardness, it released new
historical forces within the Indian fold by throwing the traditional economic system and socio-
cultural order out of gear. It gave birth to the desire of material advancement and better amenities
and living conditions of individuals. Also it gave birth to a spirit of inquiry in the minds of
Indian intellectuals who came in contact with western education. Both the social reformists and
the conservatives took a fresh and critical look at their own society and culture as a reaction to
western interpretation of the same.

The Britishers were instrumental in introducing Western culture, education and scientific
techniques. Through those means, they gave traditional Indian life a jolt and galvanized the life
and culture of its people.

Undoubtedly, the Seventeenth Century marked the zenith of Indian medieval glory. It gave way
to the Eighteenth century, which was a spectacle of corruption, misery and chaos leading to
political helplessness. Right from 1498 when Vasco da Gamma set his foot on Indian soil, the
European powers entered into Indian scene one after another.

The Portuguese power had no comparison to French and English. Ultimately in the conflict
between the French and English, the latter became successful and planted the victorious banner
of England in India in 1757 with the victory of Robert Clive.

I. Why British Influence was lasting?

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 Western influence became effective in India mainly through the British who were the pioneers of
a new technological and industrial civilization. They represented a new historic force, which was
later to charge the world, and thus were the torchbearers of a revolutionary change.

India accepted the suzerainty of the British authority coming under its iron grip. Intellectually
indifferent, spiritually subdued and psychologically weak at that time, India had to adopt with the
British authorities. That is why the British impact was abiding and lasting on the Indian people.

I. Prompting Religious and Reformation Movement:

Indian response to Western impact was a first noticed in the field of religion. Of course,
Christianity was not a new thing in India before the arrival of the British. During rule of East
India Company, the Christian missionary activities in India became wide-spread.

As complicacies in Vedic religion gave way to the rise of heterodox religion and the impact of
Islam had given encouragement to the Bhakti Movement in medieval times, the advent of
Western civilization caused the growth of reform movement in modem times.

The first torch-bearer of Indian cultural renaissance was Raja Rammohan Roy. With the
foundation of ‘Brahmo Samaj’, in 1828 began a new chapter in the Indian reformation
movement. It was the synthesis of some of the main elements in Hinduism and Christianity. To
synthesize the culture of East and West, it encouraged rationalism and social reforms.

Besides a religious reformer, Rammohan was known to all as an ardent social reformer, staunch
patriot, pioneer of modem education and above all the father of modem Indian renaissance. He
was followed by Keshab Chandra Sen who established ‘Pratthana Samaj’.

In the middle of the Nineteenth century, a reaction set in and thoughtful men began to wonder if
they stayed too far from the traditions of their ancestors. Swami Dayanand Saraswati, the chief
apostle of this new school of thought, founded ‘Arya Samaj’ and gave a clarion call to all – “Go
back to the Vedas”.

He advised people not to be influenced by religions like Islam and Christianity but to return to
the pure teachings of the Vedas where lies the essence of Indian culture. The religious reaction
against surrender to Western and Christian influence was to go still further. Rama Krishna
Pramahansa and his great disciple Swami Vivekananda preached the purest form of Hinduism.

Vivekananda was a novel blend of East and West and his words – “Arise, awake and stop not till
the goal is reached” definitely instilled nationalism into the nerves of the people. Aurobindo,
Vidyasagar, M.G. Ranade etc. were other social reformers. In this way the Western influence
was largely felt so far as the religious and social reformation movements were concerned.

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 II. Rule of Law:

The political instability of India was put an end to by the establishment of an orderly and
centralized government by the British. It demolished the traditional personal rule and later
brought about the development of ‘Rule of Law’. The multiplicity of governmental functions
gave rise to an organised bureaucracy which eclipsed the self-governing village Panchayats.

The new concept of India introduced by the British authorities was ‘Equality before Law’. This
idea was definitely in variance with the Hindu thought The insistence of British courts on dealing
equally with a Brahmin and an outcaste was at first resented by the Indians and accepted in the
long run. A Brahmin, a Muslim, a Christian and a member of any sect – all became equal before
the law. A hierarchy of judicial officers was created to impart justice to one and all.

III. Constitutional Development:

In the sphere of constitution, the idea of human equality, human rights and liberty were the gifts
of British influence. It leased a nation coughed, chocked and groaned under the British
hegemony which got soothing balm in the form of liberty in speech, action, religion and so on
and so forth. Even the Indians could criticize the activities of the British government. The
Government Acts of 1919 and 1935 were pointers in these directions.

IV. Reorganization of Indian Civil Service:

The Indian Civil Service was carefully built up during the British rule into a powerful and
efficient bureaucratic force. In the last decade of Eighteenth Century, Cornwallis set himself to
purity and reorganized the administration and filled all the key posts with men from Britain.

With the gradual march of time, other more specialized services were established and the Public
Works Department, Indian Police Service, Indian Forest Service, Indian Medical Service
followed each other in succession. Thus, the British authorities undertook the process of
converting India into a modem state. The present Indian administrative system is a legacy of the
British rule.

V. Social Sphere:

In the social sphere British impact proved to be beneficial. The prohibition of Sati, abolition of
child-marriage, introduction of widow remarriage, checking of infanticide, polygamy,
untouchability etc. eradicated age-old social evils from the Indian society.

Further, the undermining of caste and sex distinctions were certain other commendable measures
of the British, which encouraged the Indians to incorporate all these ideas while framing their
constitution. Thus, many social evils had come to their logical end long before India became
independent. Thus, catholicity was introduced to Indian society by the British authorities.

VI. Education:
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 Initially, the East India Company did not think that it was its duty to impart education to Indians.
It allowed the old system of education to continue. Pathsalas, which imparted a special type of
education geared towards meeting the requirements of a rural society, were open to all. Sanskrit
education was imparted in tols. Muslims attended Madrasas. Higher education was confined
primarily to upper castes. The British eventually changed this system of education.

Around the beginning of the 19th century, the Company became aware of the need for
introducing Western education in India. However, Christian missionaries, who were interested in
spreading Christianity through education, had already established several educational
institutions, which were attached to their churches.

VII. Charter Act of 1813:

The Charter Act of 1813 directed the Company to spend one lakh rupees on the education of
Indians. But even this meagre amount could not be utilised because of a raging debate over the
medium of instruction. Orientalists advocated the traditional Indian learning through the medium
of the classical languages of Sanskrit and Perisan. The Anglicists, on the other hand, argued that
Western education should be imparted through the medium of English

Thomas Macaulay, the first law member in the Governor General’s Council, promoted the
English language as a tool for educating the people in Western thought and ideals (Macaulay’s
Minute of 1835). William Bentinck supported Macaulay’s views. In 1835, the government
passed an Act declaring that educational funds would be utilised for imparting Western
education through the medium of English.

In 1844, English became the official language and it was declared that people having knowledge
of English would be preferred for public employment. This helped the spread of English
education in India. In 1854, Charles Wood, the President of the Company’s Board of Control,
worked out a plan for educational reorganisation. Through the Wood’s Despatch the Government
declared its intention of “creating a properly articulated system of education from the primary
school to the university”.

In accordance with the Wood’s Despatch universities were established in Calcutta, Bombay and
Madras (1857). In 1858 Charles Wood Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, the famous Bengali writer
became one of the first two graduates of Calcutta University.

The Government’s educational policies educated a limited number of people. English education
was promoted in keeping with Macaulay’s Minute though, eventually, vernacular education and
mass education were both give importance. The traditional Pathsalas withered away as a new

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 system of elementary education was put in its place. However, the emphasis was on higher
education. English education, too, continued to flourish.

It must be remembered that the need for low- ranking English-knowing Indian clerks was one of
the main reasons that prompted the government to take steps to spread Western education.
Employing educated Indians was necessary because of the need to man an expanding
bureaucracy.

Employing Englishmen at all levels of the administration was both expensive and difficult.
Above all, the idea was to create a class, which would be “Indian in blood and colour, but
English in tastes, in opinions, in morals, in intellect.” Besides, Western education was expected
to reconcile the people of India to British rule particularly as it glorified British rule.

Western education, however, influenced Indian society in a way that the British could never have
imagined. Theories of philosophers like John Locke, Jeremy Bentham, Adam Smith and Voltaire
instilled in the Indian mind notions of freedom, liberty, equality and democracy. As a result of
the exposure to such ideas, Indians began to recognise the need for change.

The imposition of English in the education system was a blessing in disguise. Indians from
diverse regions speaking different languages could now communicate with each other through
the medium of English. English thus united the educated Indians and brought about a feeling of
oneness among them. A spirit of nationalism gradually emerged.

VIII. Rediscovery of India’s past by the British:

In order to rule India effectively, an understanding of her past traditions and culture was
required. Sanskrit was promoted and several educational institutions were set up for that purpose.
Many European scholars and government employees became increasing interested in Indian
languages.

William Jones founded the Asiatic Society. Jones himself was a great scholar of Sanskrit. He
translated some ancient Indian works like the Manu Smriti. Many of Jones’ scholarly articles on
Sanskrit and Indian past were published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal.
Charles Wilkins translated the Bhagavad Gita into English. Max Mueller translated the Rig
Veda. The Archaeological Survey of India was set up due to the efforts of Alexander
Cunningham and John Marshall. James Princep deciphered the Ashokan inscriptions, which
were written in Brahmi.

India’s rich and glorious history, as revealed by Western scholars, helped Indians to regain their
lost pride and confidence and contributed to the development of nationalism.
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IX. Social changes and reforms under the British:

The demand for social and religious reform that manifested itself in the early decades of the 19th
century partly arose as a response to Western education and culture. India’s contact with the
West made educated Indians realise that socio-religious reform was a prerequisite for the all-
round development of the country.

Educated Indians like Raja Rammohan Roy worked systematically to eradicate social evils. A
period of social reforms began in India during the time of Governor General Lord William
Bentinck (1828-35) who was helped by Rammohan Roy.

In 1829, Sati or the practice of burning a widow with her dead husband was made illegal or
punishable by law. Female infanticide was banned. However, even today, infanticide is practised
in backward areas in India.

Slavery was declared illegal. With Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar’s assistance, Lord Dalhousie
passed the Widow Remarriage Act in 1856. Vidyasagar also campaigned against child marriage
and polygamy. The cruel custom of offering little children as sacrifice to please God, practised
by certain tribes, was banned by Governor General Lord Hardinge.I t is important to note that
since the reform movement started in Bengal, its impact was first felt here. It took time to spread
it allover India.

X. Impact in the area of transport and communication:

The East India Company was primarily a trading concern. Commercial interests guided British
policy in India. Though the Company’s political domination increased, its trading interests were
never lost sight of. As the Industrial Revolution gained momentum, the manufacturing class
became very powerful in England.

They now wanted the government to promote the sale of machine- manufactured British goods,
especially British textiles. At the same time raw materials were imported from India to feed the
growing needs of British industries.

Instead of exporting manufactured products, India was now forced to export raw materials like
raw cotton and raw silk and plantation products like indigo and tea, or food grains, which were in
short, supply in Britain. The demands of an industrialised England necessitated better
communication facilities in the colonies.

Up to the middle of the 19th century, the means of transport in India were backward. Goods were
transported by road mainly by bullock-carts, mules and camels. Riverine transport by boats was
also prevalent. Due to poor communication and slow transport the volume of trade was
restricted.

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 The British rulers soon realised that a cheaper, faster and more efficient system of transport was
necessary if British manufactured goods were to flow into India on a large scale and her raw
materials were to be secured for British industries.

They introduced steamships on the rivers and set about improving roads. Work on the Grand
Trunk Road from Calcutta to Delhi was begun in 1839 and completed in the 1850s. A network of
roads and canals connected important commercial centres and areas rich in raw materials. But
the most dramatic improvement in transport came with the introduction of the railways.

A railway system had rapidly developed in England during the 1830s and 1840s. Pressure soon
mounted for its introduction in India. British manufacturers hoped to open up the vast and
hitherto untapped market in the hinterlands for their finished goods and to facilitate the import of
Indian raw materials to feed their ever-hungry machines.

British bankers and investors also looked upon the development of the railways in India as a
channel for the safe investment of their surplus capital. British steel manufacturers regarded it as
an outlet for their products like rails, engines, wagons etc. The first railway line from Bombay to
Thana was opened to traffic in 1853.

Lord Dalhousie, in particular, stressed the importance of railways for trade and for the
maintenance of law and order. The railways would enable the government to administer the
country more effectively. The railways would also enable the government to mobilize military
troops. In 1853, Lord Dalhousie outlined an extensive programme of railway development. The
interiors were to be linked with big ports and the ports were to be connected. The end of 1869
had laid over 4000 miles of railway track.

However, in their planning, construction and management, there is nothing to suggest that
India’s own interest and well-being were taken into account. The primary consideration was to
serve the economic, administrative and military interests of the British people. The railway travel
of Indians between the important city centres grew only as a by-product.

XI. The telegraph and postal systems:

The introduction of the railways, telegraph and postal system linked different parts of India and
promoted an exchange of ideas among the people, especially among her leaders. The first
telegraph line from Calcutta to Agra was opened in 1853. The Post and Telegraph Department
was also established in the same year. A half-anna postage stamp would carry a letter from one
part of the country to another.

The improvement in communications eventually helped to foster a sense of unity among Indians.
The concept of the country as a whole now took precedence over regional and provincial

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 isolationism. Books, journals and newspapers circulated widely and were now easily available to
educated Indians all over the country.

The introduction of the railways in particular helped to break down barriers of religion and caste.
People from different religions and social backgrounds, while travelling in a railway
compartment, mingled with one another thereby challenging the age- old orthodox notions of
untouchability, caste- based eating habits etc. These are the fundamental gains for the
development of Indian nationalism.

Land continued to be the main source of revenue for the British. Since tax on land formed the
main source of income for the Company, the British tried to introduce an efficient system of its
collection. In 1765, by the Treaty of Allahabad, the East India Company got the right to collect
revenue from Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.

In 1773, when Warren Hastings became the Governor General of India, he introduced the system
of auctioning the right of collecting revenue for a period of five years. The right was given to the
highest bidders but they were often unable to collect the stipulated revenue. In a bid to retain
their contracts, they tried to extract money from peasants.

XII. The Permanent Settlement (1793 A.D.):

To remove the defects of the revenue system, Lord Cornwallis introduced a new system of
revenue collection in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, known as the Permanent Settlement. Under this
system, the zamindar or the revenue collector of an estate became the permanent holder of the
land.

The zamindar gained hereditary rights over the land. He was required to pay a fixed amount of
revenue as tax to the Company by a fixed day of the year. If he failed to pay by the fixed day, his
zamindari would be confiscated and sold. The cultivators now became tenants of the zamindars.
They could be evicted by the zamindars for non-payment of their dues. Many of them lost their
land.

The Permanent Settlement benefited the landlords more than the government. The Company was
assured of fixed revenue at a fixed time no doubt, but it was deprived of a share of any additional
income of the landlords from increasing cultivation on land. The cultivators were also left at the
mercy of the zamindars who exploited them.

1. Mahalwari System:

The Mahalwari System was introduced in Punjab, parts of Madhya Pradesh and Western Uttar
Pradesh. It was a settlement with the village community because common ownership of land

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prevailed in these areas. (Mahal means group of villages.) The talukdar or head of the mahal was
responsible for collecting revenue from the villages.

2. The Ryotwari System:

In the Madras Presidency, Ryotwari System was introduced. In this system direct settlement was
made between the Government and the cultivators or the ryots. Land revenue was fixed for a
period of 30 years. Peasants had to pay about half of the total produce as tax.

3. Drain of Wealth:

The greatest impact of British policies was the drain of wealth from India. The Indian economy,
no doubt, was primarily a rural economy, but Indian artisans produced goods in bulk to meet the
demands of Indian and European buyers. Several towns had flourished as centres of trade. There
had been a great demand for muslin from Bengal and silk from Bengal and Benaras.

British merchants bought these Indian products in large quantities. But, at the beginning of the
18th century, Britain and other European countries passed laws prohibiting the entry of cotton
and silk textiles from India although there was a demand for it. After the advent of the Industrial
Revolution, India was forced to produce cotton, indigo and other products which British
industries required.

Indian markets were flooded with cheap, machine-made textiles manufactured in England.
Indian hand-made textiles could not compete with the cheap machine-made textiles. India was
transformed into a supplier of raw materials and a market for British manufactured goods.

While British goods were exempted from duties while entering Indian markets, Indian goods
entering England were burdened with heavy customs duties. Thus, the self-sufficient economy of
India collapsed under the impact of British colonial policies. With the decline of the cotton
industry, the towns that had flourished as centres of trade or industry also declined.

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 Bibliography

1. http://www.sociologyguide.com/indian-society/impact-of-colonial-rule-on-indian-
society.php
2. http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/society/indian-society/impact-of-british-on-indian-
society-and-culture/47607
3. http://cdn.historydiscussion.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/clip_image0082.jpg
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Raj
5. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-37094519
6. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-british-raj-in-india-195275
7. https://thediplomat.com/2017/08/the-british-rajs-social-and-institutional-impact-on-
indian-society/

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