A Study Of The Effects Of Britain Building Railway In India Before The First World War

It was an important event in India history before the First World War that Britain built the railway in India. It was also important for the history of British colonization. The article focused on analyzing the influence of building railway in India, including the positive and negative effect to India and the effect to Britain. From macroscopic view, the influence of building railway in India should be sustained based on the objective achievement. It discussed the railway which guided the industrialization of India and the improvement of society. With the control of Britain, we studied how the railway to hinder the development of Indian capital market, result in outflow of India treasure, impact Indian national industry,the effect of agriculture and ecology. Britain colonized India more than other colony and semi — colony because of building and controlling advanced railway system. So, Britain could make India be an agricultural colonization, the supplier of raw material and purchaser of industrial goods from the country of agriculture connecting with industry. So, it forced Indian national capitalism to improve abnormally. A lot of foodstuff and agricultural products exported to Britain with the railway from India. It made Indian agriculture structure convert to be a single structure of economic crop soon. The ability of supporting population and defense disasters weakened obviously. The course of building railway destroyed the Indian forests and resulted in non—reversed ecologic loss.As for Britain, we analyzed from the view of industry improvement, foodsafety, finance capacity, the transfer of the surplus of railway productivity.Britain owned huge market of steel and equipment manufacture industry because of the railway building in India. It assured the improvement of British industry continuously. Lots of cereal was transported from India to Britain. It made enclosure Movement carry out. British were pleased to invest in the railway building in India and gained huge bonus. It made Britain be financial centre.