Ap World History Research Paper

467 Words2 Pages

Great Britain not only had colonies in the western hemisphere and the America’s, in fact they had colonies all over the world. One of the most important of these was India. India was a very important part of the economy of the Kingdom for a long time, only becoming self-ruled in 1947 (India). The main export of India before the Napoleonic wars was cotton (Maddison). Cotton was a huge source of income for India and the British Empire. Cotton can be converted into clothing, blankets, and many other things. “They (cotton exports) reached their peak in 1798, and in 1813 they still amounted to £2 million, but thereafter they fell rapidly (52). Thirty years later, half of Indian imports were cotton textiles from Manchester. This collapse in India's main export caused a problem for the Company, which had to find ways to convert its rupee revenue into resources transferable to the UK. The Company therefore promoted exports of raw materials on a larger scale, including sugar, silk, saltpetre and indigo, and greatly increased exports of opium which were traded against Chinese tea.” (Maddison 16) …show more content…

The British were quite ruthless and only intended on advancing their economy and power. The empire levied heavy taxes on many of its’ colonies and this caused great stress. Taxes on items such as tea, sugar, bread, and paper. This infuriated many people as it kept them from ever “getting ahead” economically because the price of everything was so high. Due to these taxes, there was a rebellion in Boston in which crates of tea were thrown off a ship, and this today is known as the Boston Tea Party there was a rebellion in Boston in which crates of tea were thrown off a ship, and this today is known as the Boston Tea Party. It occurred on December 16,