The Misuse of Wealth in Colonial India: A Historical Study

Abstract

The British came to India as a merchant. Before his arrival in India, Indian trade was dominated in the world. Initially, the British used to trade spices from India, but gradually they established a monopoly on the trade of India. After establishing their kingdom in India, the British started exploiting Indian wealth and wealth. They would buy raw materials from India at cheap prices and take them to Britain and make big profits by selling the goods made in the factories there at a higher price. Even as a ruler, the British were exploiting money from India. First of all, Dadabhai Naoroji raised his voice against the exploitation of this Indian estate. He followed Dadabhai Naoroji's statement in which he criticized the withdrawal of India's money by England and said that England was sucking the blood of India. The Nationalist Congress leaders also criticized the land revenue system of the British and held the land revenue system responsible for the poverty of the farmers of those areas where there was no Istamurari settlement. In his letters to Lord Curzon in 1901, R.C. Dutt attributed the country's poverty and famines to the Ryotwadi system and the excessive burden of revenue on the ryots. Thus, the British exploited India through economic exploitation. Due to this economic exploitation, India, which was once called the golden bird, lagged behind economically. As a result, millions of people lost their lives due to famine and starvation in India.