Did India lose or gain from the British Empire?

L/O – To evaluate whether India benefited from the British Empire and to organise responses into an essay

Starter – Are empires good or bad for the countries they control?

Thinking about….Empires• We usually assume that empires exist to

give money and power to the mother country.

• That is true but they can also benefit the countries and individuals they rule over.

• This lesson is all about reviewing whether the British Empire was good for India – or bad…

• Think back to Year 7 - Did the Roman Empire benefit Britain in any way? Was it bad for Britain?

1. Which Historian do you agree with the most?2. Which rocks could each historian use to support his argument?

3. Can you think of other pieces of evidence that each historian could use to support his point of view?

4. Why do people disagree about whether empires are a good or bad thing?

Empire was basically the exploitation of one race by another for the

purpose of gaining wealth. Lasting

damage was often done to the cultures

and economies of the countries that were

taken over and became part of an

empire.It is true that there were many

unacceptable things done in the name of empire but we cannot judge the past by

the standards of the present. Many of the countries and individuals taken over did

benefit it some ways from becoming part of an empire.

‘The greatest force for good the world has ever seen’

Despite what we think about the British Empire, the Victorians thought that their empire was the successor to the Roman Empire. Look at the statements from British politicians. How did they view:5. The Empire – did they think it was a good thing?6. India – did they think that the Indian people were winning or losing from being part of the Empire?

Did India lose or gain from the British Empire?

• Asking British politicians of the time whether empire was good for India is obviously going to result in a biased answer (why?)

• So what about the majority of the Indian people? Were they winners or losers of the Empire?

• You will be looking at brief summaries of the lives of Indian people or groups who experienced British rule in India.

• For each individual or group, fill in a section of your ‘experience chart’↓

Name of personPositive experiences under and resulting

from British rule

Negative experiences under and resulting

from British rule

Indian person’s likely overall judgement –

what would they have thought at the

time?

My overall judgement

1. Dadabhai Naoroji

Doing History: Diversity & Interpretations• The impact that the British Empire

had on India still causes a lot of controversy and debate amongst historians. One reason is the diversity of people’s experiences →

• Whether or not people living in India benefited from British rule depended on a number of factors:– Where they lived– When they lived– Whether they were rich or poor

Can you think of any other factors?

REMEMBER!People’s lives are different even if they

live in the same country in the same period of history.

REMEMBER!People’s experiences vary during their

lifetime. We need to look at their whole lives, not just one episode.

REMEMBER!The diversity of people’s experiences means that historians can select from the past to support their own point of

view.

REMEMBER!Their interpretation of the past may

depend on where they have looked for evidence and what case study they

have chosen.

HISTORIAN A -INDIA SUFFERED

FROM THE BRITISH EMPIRE

‘Individuals did not benefit from

British rule. Duleep Singh had

his land stolen from him and he died in poverty. Lasting damage was done to the Indian economy.

Look at all the people who died

as a result of famine.’

HISTORIAN B –INDIA GAINED

FROM THE BRITISH EMPIRE

‘It is true that there were many

unacceptable things that

happened but we cannot judge the

past by the standards of the present. Many individuals did

benefit. Naoroji and Ambedkar

received a good education and the Indian economy benefited from

British investment in railways and new buildings.’

Which historian do you agree with the most? Why?

Develop more arguments to support historian A & B. Make a

list in your book, making sure you give specific examples from the evidence cards to support

your arguments.

Did India lose or gain from the British Empire?

Now use your notes to start writing your essay. Use the following essay plan to structure your answer:

Introduction – Give some interesting facts about the British Empire in India. State what you will be investigating. Summarise your argument (Overall, did India lose

or gain?). Link to the next section.

Ways in which India gained – Explain how India gained from the British Empire. Give specific examples to support your arguments. Conclude by summarising and

referring back to the essay question. Link to the next section.

Ways in which India lost out – Explain how India suffered from the British Empire. Give specific examples to support your arguments. Conclude by summarising and

referring back to the essay question.

Conclusion – Summarise the two sides of the debate again. State your main argument with reasons. Overall, did India lose or gain from the British Empire?

Plenary1. What did the Victorians think about their

Empire in India?2. Did all Indians have the same experience of

empire?3. How did India gain from the British Empire?4. How did India lose from the British Empire?

5. Overall, was the British Empire good or bad for India?

Did we meet our learning objective?L/O – To evaluate whether India benefited from the

British Empire and to organise responses into an essay