British Imperialism

Throughout history, many nations have implemented imperialism to enforce their will over others for money, protection, and civilization. In many cases, England was the imperial, or mother country. In the 1700’s the British Empire invaded India and took control of the country. Although India was accustomed to invaders by the time the British arrived, British effectively did the most damage by arriving at a fragile time for the Indians. The Indians were suffering from the fall of the Mogul Empire, which had controlled most of India from 1526 until the death of Aurangzeb in 1707. As the empire collapsed, wars for power between Marathas, Persians, and Sikhs began. The British took advantage of these conflicts. Ultimately, the invasion of the British in India allowed them to thrive on the successes of trade in India, build a greater army with Indian men, and sabotage the Indian democratic government. Primarily, the British did not come to conquer the Indians: they came as traders. The British eventually took control over India to ensure security for the profitable resources found on the land. These resources included indigo, spices, grain, textiles, and land availability as well as gaining a strong military influence. While their

But finally, India was granted independence in August 1947 with the help of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi led the national freedom struggle against the British rule. This movement was any ordinary movement of protest: it was completely nonviolent. In the article Gandhi Leads Civil Disobedience, the author states that “on March 12, 1930, Indian independence leader Mohandas Gandhi begins a defiant march to the sea” as a way to end the monopoly of salt exportation for the British. Gandhi continued to lead these marches and the British leaders acknowledged him as a force they could not