The British loot from India became a subject of deep study ever since it came out in an article that they took away $45 trillion from India during two hundred years of their rule. The topic did feature in debates and TV talk shows, but no systematic study was undertaken in any educational institutions as a subject of research; it should be a subject of deep research, and let history spell out the amount looted.
India Gains Independence.
India gained independence from British rule on the 15th of August 1947. It was a peaceful transfer of power for the Britishers. Still, they divided the country into two and displaced the population they ruled, causing untold miseries and death—a parallel that has not been found in the annals of history till now. The Indian stalwarts were too kind-hearted, for they allowed them to depart peacefully and didn’t even ask for reparations from the Britishers.
Economist Established The British Of Loot
. At the turn of the twentieth century, Indian intellectuals like Dadabhai Naoroji were the first to claim the British loot from India. This idea survived in political discourses till 1970, and then it died, though not completely. The narrative the Britishers presented was at odds with their deeds in India. It cropped up again in many discourses: “What was the British loot from India? ” No concrete amount could be claimed.
A renowned economist, Utsa Patnaik, says that Britain took nearly $45 trillion from India between 1765 and 1938, which is 17 times Britain’s current GDP. Besides, Indian soldiers fought alongside the British Army in both World Wars. In a debate, Shashi Tharoor, the Member of Parliament, had declared that India was governed for the benefit of Britain. For 200 years, the British were financed by their depredations of India. In the 18th century, India’s contribution to the world economy was 23%, roughly equal to all of Europe put together, and this reduced to 4% when it left the country. Such is the example of their benevolence, which they proudly expostulate. Simply put, India was the Britishers’ cash cow.
BENGAL FAMINE
One of the great misdeeds of British rule was the creation of the Bengal famine. The Great Bengal Famine of 1943 occurred, and four million Bengalis died. It was because of the policies of Winston Churchill, for he had ordered the diversion of food from the starving people to the British soldiers. He argued, “The starvation of any underfed Bengalis is less serious than that of sturdy Greeks.” When it was pointed out that the scale of suffering his decision had caused, Mr. Churchill responded by asking, “Why hasn’t Gandhi died yet?”
Famine caused by the diversion of food from Bengal.
Lord Clive Also Looted From India
The British loot from India can be understood from the actions of Robert Clive, which show that corruption was rampant during British rule. Robert Clive, on his first return from India, took home £234,000 in spoils. So enthused was he with India that he could stay home for a long time and returned to India again in 1765; when he returned home two years later, he had a fortune of £400,000. He had a wonderful time in India, for he declared: “An opulent city lay at my mercy; its richest bankers bid against each other for my smiles; I walked through vaults which were thrown open to me alone, piled on either hand with gold and jewels…” The British called him “Clive of India.”
HEALTH CARE IN SHAMBLES
Life expectancy was approximately 25.4 years around 1800, 27 years at the time of India’s independence, and now more than 71 years.
Because of the loot, India remained an impoverished country. It would have been a different country if foreign powers had not invaded it.
Reference:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-33618621
‘An Era of Darkness’ by Shashi Tharoor