You can only appreciate where you are going only if you know where you have come from. History as a “subject” has been taught until high school but I never felt what it actually is till the recent times. Everything has a reason, but what’s the reason behind the way we are. This question spiked my interest in understanding the modern world.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind is an excellent start to understanding world history, it tried to explain various aspects of human journey of humans from Neolithic age to current era. Yuval Noah Harari not only explains the small differences that evolved in human species but also about the economic system and how it evolved. The book failed to give the detailed outlook I was looking for for example why world wars happened in the first place? Why only a few countries had contributed significantly to the technological advancements? However, the book does explain things in a lucid way and I hope to read it again when I get more time.
It is indeed a herculean task to put all of the modern histories into a reader understandable single text, hence I decided to take it up in bits and pieces starting with India’s Struggle for freedom.
I picked up Sashi Tharoor’s book who went viral for his debate in Oxford. “An Era of Darkness”, aptly titled book describes how India was transformed(deteriorated?) under the Empire. Colonialism affected India in myriad ways and this book helps one to get a basic idea what India went through 200 years.
He clearly explains why India a country which boasts of leading the numeric system through the invention of zero failed to lead/at least follow the scientific, cultural and economic renaissance going throughout the world.
Sahsi Tharoor puts some harsh points to refute the apologists view that British Empire actually helped India. Here are some of the notable points by him:
- Colonists never had any intention of bringing good to the natives but took up the role of the rapacious rulers ever ready to send whatever valuable things they could send back to their “home” country.
- India’s GDP was 23% when East India Company(EIC) first entered the country and when it left India’s contribution fell to less than 5%.
- The iniquities of the British rule mean economic explotation, destruction of native industries, flooding indian markets with goods from Britian, denying any major oppurtunities for Indians(later on this case.
India couldn’t get on the band wagon of industrial and economic advancements because british were busy pushing indians under it, satirically jokes Tharoor in his speech. He puts forth much darker points on how british has ruled with impunity, haughtiness, and arrogantly dispotic regime. Bluntly put, of the 200 years British rule in India it couldn’t establish any major political and educational system/institutions which led to the drastic reduction in the literature of the masses this in itself proves British had no intention of the betterment of its subjects.
He closes his book by explaining that history is neither for excuses nor revenge, and one should strive to make best use of it’s resources and India as a democratic country has grown far better than other colonized countries. There are still porblems that arised becuase of the hurried way British left India, nontheless democracy as system with people, governement and judicial system should work together to bring out a forward nation.
Further to explore:
- Raise and fall of Kingdom of Great Britain/ UK.
- How US/UN failed to take any action while Britain’s empire was throttling the democracy of various nations?