England in the 1960`s

Impact of British Rule on India During 1857-1867

In Politics as in physical science , when one body impinges upon another the effect of the impact is determined not only by its force but also by its duration . The improbability becomes greater when we have regard to the highly developed and complex civilization with which the British came into contact . That civilization is an amalgam of two elements , one Hindu and one Muslim and at first sight the Islamic element might seem to offer the greater resistance to outside influence

The romising character

of Islam is obvious , and in consonance with it the Muslims in India for a considerable time resisted the impact of Western education , took but little to science or industry , and hardly allowed their beliefs or their way of life to be influenced by the newcomers . Hinduism , on the other hand , has protected itself throughout the centuries by its flexibility and its absorptive capacity

In the British period European thought has profoundly affected the Hindus , with their great sensitivity to new ideas and spiritual influences . They have become steeped in the Western scientific spirit they have so absorbed European political ideals as to forget their foreign origin and they have allowed even their conception and understanding of their own history and philosophy to be transformed by Western learning . Nevertheless , modern India is essentially a Hindu country and during the latter half of the British period Hinduism itself , after centuries of stagnation , has experienced a mighty resurgence . Thus it is that independent India is today governed in the main , not by Westernized intellectuals , but by men who regard themselves first and foremost as Hindus

Both the main elements in Indian life and thought are in fact highly self-protective and it might therefore have been thought that the relatively brief impact of British rule would leave little permanent mark . Nevertheless , some of the evident effects of that rule have at least the appearance of permanence . In the first place , a strong and ubiquitous Central Government , administering a uniform system of law with a high degree of efficiency , relentlessly imposed homogeneity unknown in Indian history . The Tamil , the Bengali , and the Gujarati for the first time obeyed the same law and observed the same forms in their dealings with authority and in the process they were insensibly drawn closer together

Secondly , the introduction of English education brought the upper middle classes under the influence of Western thought at a time when nationalism was the most vital factor in the life of Europe , whilst at the same time the English language provided them with a common medium of communication . In the third place , the Press , which was called into being by British example and influence , furnished Indians with a means of voicing their political aspirations , and so developing a common consciousness and knowledge of their growing strength

In all these ways , British rule fostered the growth of national feeling and built up a political unity not wholly dependent on the cohesive force...