Question

What were the changes in British policy after the struggle of 1857?

Answer 1

The revolt of 1857 made changes in every field of life, and the Britishers were determined to take necessary actions not to repeat such an uprising thereafter. The following are the major changes:

1. Commercial Policy:
   

   1. The British tried constantly to open new markets for Indian goods in Britain and other countries. Thereby, it improved the export of Indian manufacturers and thus encouraged their production.

   2. As a result of such excessive import duties and the development of machine industries, Indian exports to foreign countries fell rapidly.

   3. There was a steep rise in the burden of taxation on the Indian peasant. It is geared to the collection of land revenues. A major part of the agricultural produce was gone as land revenue to the British by the farmers.

2. The loss of Wealth Policy:
   1. The British exported to Britain part of India’s wealth and resources. India didn’t get any adequate economic or material return. This made an ‘economic drain’ in India and was strange to British rule.
   2. By the end of the eighteenth century, the drain formed nearly 9% of India’s national income. The real drain was even more, as a large part of the salaries and other incomes of English officials.
   3. The drain took the form of an overload of India’s exports over its imports, for which India got no return.
   4. British colonial rule did huge damage to India’s economic system. The changes in the policy were actually to take away the wealth of India at the earliest. The revolt of 1857 made the Britishers frightened about the chances of being kicked out of India, the country that they had been invading and ruling brutally.