‘British rule in India combined self interest with arrogant attitude of racial superiority towards the native population’
Assess the validity of this view with reference to the years 1857 to c1900 [25 marks]

In order to assess the validity of the above statement, we must consider a number of factors that contributed to the effects of British rule in India. Subsequently, this essay will explore some disadvantages faced by the native population due to British self-interest and arrogance during their rule in India. However, we must also consider other factors that aided and had a positive impact on them such as the coming of the railway.

One way British rule was indeed based upon self-interest and arrogant racial superiority was the lack of authority and voice given to Indian nationals. Native rulers had minimum influence in central government, including at a local level. Although the Indian Raj had been selected by the British to fulfil the notion of ‘fairness’, the legal system still provided the British with more power and control. This resulted in harmful effects on the native population, as they had no self-rule, which led to policy and decision-making lying with the British. The relationship between the British ruler and the Indian ruled had been damaged after the rebellion of the Indian Mutiny 1857. This was heavily due to the reporting it received within Britain, which highlighted the brutality of the Indians while ignoring the savagery of the British. The treatment of the native population deteriorated as the British no longer ‘admired’ or were interested in their culture but sought to be separated from it. Therefore, racial superiority led to the British favouring the white man and marginalising the native ruler whereby democracy only applied to the British rulers alone.

British rule in India had caused India’s indigenous textile industries to become destroyed by London’s high tariffs and the import of cheap British manufactured products, impoverishing millions of town dwellers, who were forced into the countryside to compete for dwindling land. This is an example of the self-interest Britain possessed, as they had no regard for native industries rather began utilizing their advantage over cheap goods to drive out the need for native industries. Overall, India became a branch of the British economy as cotton textiles depended heavily on poverty stricken domestic markets.

However, British rule in India did bring positive changes in the form of education and sports. Universities were established in Bombay, Madras and Calcutta, which resulted in 60,000 Indians entering universities, overwhelmingly in Arts. By 1882, of the graduates of the three universities, 1100 were appointed to government service. This displays the interest the British had in improving the native population and providing them with an education so that they could be literate. There remained drawbacks with the introduction of education as only the privileged benefited from it, as illiteracy remained heavily widespread. The jobs also provided to the Indians by the British such as on the railways, in the army and civil service were only granted to a minority of Indians. The British did also provided the sub-continent with a unifying common language as well as a national game of cricket.

The British also helped the native population in removing immoral traditions and provided social reform. One of which included the abolishment of sati. This was a former Hindu practice where a widow would throw herself on to her husband’s funeral pyre. William Bentinck was responsible for the abolishment, as he had gathered data showing that 800 had died in sati in Bengal in one year alone. The British had also banned female infanticide thus demonstrating their desire to make India better socially and provide equality and justice.

In conclusion, although many British believed their ‘benign rule’ in India was a genuinely liberating experience for the Indians there were very few who benefitted from their provisions. In reality, the British dominated the subcontinent and used the excuse of ensuring the Indians became ‘English in taste, in opinions, in morals’ to justify their actions. The drawbacks of their rule in India heavily outweighed the benefits as the Indian minority and British were able to experience provisions such as the railway and universities. The British rule in India was motivated by their racial superiority towards the native population and self interest to benefit them.