British India

Essay # 45257

History > Asian

British India

A look at the rule of the British over India.

1,514 words () | 12 sources | MLA | 2003 New Zealand

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses what the role of ?colonial knowledge? played in the construction of British authority in India between 1765 and 1858. It discusses the unique type of rule that the British instituted in India and why it was best suited for their society. It compares this type of rule to the other colonies that Britain controlled.

From the Paper:

"Knowledge of the history and practises of Indian states was seen as the most valuable form of knowledge on which to build the colonial state" . Therefore it played the key part in the construction of British authority in India, as it was such an integral part of British colonial beliefs at this time. Between 1740- 1858, the British ruled India economically, through the East India Company. "The merchants of the East India Company, in whose name British dominions in India were being founded and governed, seemed unprepared for the responsibility of governing India effectively."