How Did Historical Events Influence Crime And Punishment In Modern Europe?

Between 1750-1900, the world rapidly underwent significant changes. The ubiquitous Enlightenment ideas in today’s governments have begun to develop in Europe. In the United States, the Industrial Revolution profoundly impacted the distribution of the population. The invasion and colonization of India by the British East India Company allowed them to assert rule throughout the subcontinent. As societies adapted to the times, the definition of crime and punishment also changed. Historical events influenced crime and punishment in modern Europe, the United States, and colonial Africa because of the Enlightenment, industrialization, and colonization. The emergence of Enlightenment ideas in Europe affected methods of crime and punishment. Before

However, this form of policing was relatively informal, lacking the organization and structure of modern law enforcement departments. Throughout the Industrial Revolution, a massive influx of immigrants seeking work and better opportunities fled to the United States. A majority of them found themselves in factories in growing, urbanized cities and as these centers of industrialization began to swell with people (as seen to the right), crimes increased dramatically. Because of these crowded centers, cities couldn’t use the traditional groups of watchmen to enforce the law. To combat the surge in crime, councilmen turned to the organization of hired policemen who were on duty around the clock (Lane 9). The creation of an organized police department immediately had significant benefits, as cities were able to maintain order effectively. However, the surge of convicts did have some drawbacks. Initially, the main purpose of jails was to temporarily hold convicts before trial or to serve as waiting rooms for impending corporal punishment

During the 17th century, the British East India Company began to set up numerous hubs in India with the permission of the Mughal Empire. These trading hubs served as gateways for the Company to extend its influence in regions called Presidencies. In 1772, Warren Hastings, who was the governor of the Bengal Presidency, proposed a reform of the judicial system called the Adalat System. The reform aimed to establish small courts throughout the Presidency with two supreme courts called the nizamat sadr adalat and the diwani sadr adalat in Calcutta (Tiwari 59). Through these courts, British councilmen began to reform the precolonial law codes used in the Bengal Presidency such as the Islamic sharia. The influence of British courts and laws significantly influenced the sharia which was in effect at the time, as they purged punishments that were contrary to Enlightenment values such as humanity, justice, and reason. For instance, the punishment for robbery in the Presidency at the time was the amputation of the right hand and the left foot (Mitra