Assignment: Shashi Tharoor’s Book review

EMB101

Submitted By

Name: Ohidul Hossain

Code: 23101500

Section: 53

Summer 2024
 Summary

"An Era of Darkness" shows the horrible things the British did when they invaded India and how
they were able to to crush India from within. The Indian Empire, which had been abused and
exploided from for more than two hundred years, was about to fall apart because of widespread
poverty and famine.There are many British people today who say that India would not be the country
it is today without its "Parent" nation. Some people, like Shashi Tharoor, strongly disagree with this
idea. He says that India was basically robbed and deprived of its resources during the British rule.
Will Durant, an American historian, said that British colonialism was "the greatest crime in all
history."

1. The Looting of India:

First, Shashi Tharoor describes how the British East India Company went from trading to ruling
India and exploiting its resources. The British exploitation of India was not just a side effect but a
central feature of colonial rule. India's share of the global economy fell from 27% in 1700 to just
over 3% when the British left in 1947 due to systematic looting. After earning the permission of
Dewaani from the Mughal Empire , British East India Company replaced its revenue officer in
Bangla, Bihar and Orissa in 1765. Company officials who was corrupted to get rich were called
"nabobs".On his first trip back to England, Plassey battle hero Robert Clive brought £234,000 from
his Indian exploits. Tharoor highlights the Bengal Famine of 1770, when British policies prioritised
revenue over people's lives, killing millions. The 1793 Permanent Settlement, which sought to
stabilise revenue collection by forcing farmers to sell their produce at low prices to meet tax
demands, caused widespread poverty and destroyed India's agricultural economy. The Indian
economy lost diamonds and other precious stones to Britain. British also abolished century-old land
ties and added Ryotwari and mahalwari systems. Before the British invasion, India led the world in
textiles, agriculture and metallurgy. Tharoor describes how the profit-driven company destroyed
India's textile industry. Indian textiles, known for their quality, were devastated by British policies
that prioritised raw material export to Britain and flooded Indian markets with British-made goods.
British ruthlessly destroyed India's shipbuilding industry. They stole Indian steel and tried to ruin the
industry. The British Industrial Revolution relied on Indian steel and other resources while India
struggled economically and technologically. One of the worst British policies was forcing indigo,
opium and cotton cultivation. Growing these crops over food crops caused frequent famines. British
merchants profited from monopolising these cash crops while Indian farmers suffered. Tharoor
emphasises that the British saw India as a cash cow.The looting of cultural artefacts and economic
resources further deprived the country of its heritage.
2. British Contributions to Political Unity:
Tharoor challenges the British claim that they provided political unity to India. Before the British,
India had a sense of cultural, political and civilizational unity, Tharoor says. There was a possibility
that an Indian ruler would have accomplished what the British did in their tenure.After the Sepoy
Mutiny of 1857, the British divided India by religion and caste using 'divide and rule', throwing
question into their political unity goals..Britain established a Civil Service in India which is
acknowledged by Johral Nehru, 'neither Indian, not civil, nor a service'.Indians got more involved in
government, but they were limited in how they could do so because of the horrible racism of the
British.The 1905 Partition of Bengal was meant to create communal divisions and weaken the
nationalist movement. Also they wanted to break down the indian nationalism and unity. After the
first world war Britain was denied to give India promised self-governance,the British offered the
fraudulent Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms in 1918 which left all power in British hands. The Indian
nationalist then understood freedom could never be obtained by legal means from perfidious Albion.

3. Democracy, the Press, the Parliamentary System and the Rule

of Law:
The British introduced certain legal frameworks and often manipulated the rule of law, but these were
heavily biased in favor of British interests. At the beginning of press some editors were arrested for
criticism of the company and the British made Press Act 1835 which closed down the actual
Independence of press. Also the Vernacular Press Act of 1878 restricted Indian-language newspapers,
which often voiced dissent. Despite these obstacles, "Kesari" and "Amrita Bazar Patrika" mobilized
public opinion against colonial rule, helping the nationalist movement. The British parliamentary
system retained real power for colonial authorities. Colonial rulers also replaced our more older and
civilized law instead of their own British law.British legal system was full of discrimination to the
natives. They introduced 'Sedition Law' and the Rowlatt Act as an instrument to terrorize Indian
nationalists.Even Indian judges suffered racial discrimination.Imperialism was mostly seen as an
ethical campaign to free Indians from what were called "ignorance, idolatry and vice." Indian
Councils Act of 1892 and Government of India Act of 1919 introduced limited reforms, but the
British retained power. The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms and Simon Commission showed British
hesitancy to empower Indians. Tharoor says these measures satisfied Indian self-governance
demands while maintaining British rule.
4. Divide et Impera:

British 'divide and rule' was a calculated strategy to control a diverse and populous nation. Specific
censuses based on religion and caste solidified and rigidified these identities, which created
caste,religious and linguistic differences. 1905 Bengal Partition was an example of divide and rule.
The British split Bengal into East Bengal, which was mostly Muslim and West Bengal, which was
mostly Hindu.The partition was reversed in 1911 after widespread protests, but the damage was
done.Tharoor discusses the 1909 Morley-Minto Reforms, which created Hindu-Muslim
electorates.The 1919 India Act established communal political identities by expanding this system.
This manipulation of identity politics was evident in the support given to the Muslim League, which
played a crucial role in the eventual partition of India and suppression of the INC. After the second
world war, when the British govt. Unable to rule India for post war economic problems,they decided
to give independence to India but they gave it with dividation.Tharoor claims that 'divide and rule'
weakened the Indian freedom movement and left a fractured society with communal tensions after
the British left.Tharoor also points out that British diplomats and soldiers used one princely state
against another to keep them weak and dependent. Long-term effects of "divide and rule" made it
hard for Indians to unite against British rule and later form a national identity. Tharoor claims that
decades of British communal separation policies caused India's 1947 partition, which created
Pakistan.

5. The Myth of Enlightened Despotism:

Tharoor claims that the British so called 'civilizing mission' was a cover for exploitation and control
based on economics, politics and racial.Famines were ignored or exacerbated by British
policies.Under the British Raj,between 30 to 35 million people died in British made starvation.In the
case of 1866 Orissa Famine,200 million pounds of rice exported to Britain at that time. The 1943
Great Bengal Famine saw millions of Indians starve while food was exported from India.Also, the
British turned down help from the US and Canada and did nothing to help the victims. British
economic policies favored exporting cash crops over food crops, disrupting local agriculture and
causing famines.British economic interests drove the construction of railways to transport raw
materials out of India and manufactured goods into India. Any dissent was brutally suppressed by the
British. The 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre of hundreds of unarmed Indians was killed. The Quit
India movement in 1942 Gang rape by the police was not uncommon; these examples represent the
British so called "ENLIGHTENED" in India. In math, science, architecture and other fields, India
excels from the past.As many believe, the British did not modernize Indian education. Tharoor's
critique shows that British rule was more about power and resource extraction than uplifting Indian
society.

6. The Remaining Case for Empire:

Tharoor critiques the claim that British rule improved India's politics, education, communication,
infrastructure and legal systems. Governor General Lord Hardinge said the railway would benefit "to
the commerce, government, and military control of the country." The British built the railway to
transport raw materials from the interior to ports for export to Britain, not to connect Indian
communities. Many nations have built extensive railway networks without colonial rule. In India,
only 1% of railway network was built in india’s land and in 1912, the British Parliament banned
Indian locomotive construction.The English language was promoted for colonial administration and
control before becoming a unifying medium after independence.Education was also a low priority for
britons because they just aimed to create a class of intermediaries who would assist in
administration, rather than to educate the large population.The British left India with only 16 percent
of literacy rate. Indian people used Cricket 'attacked the political and economic aspects of British
imperialism.' The legal and administrative systems introduced by the British were designed to
maintain control over a vast and diverse country. It was biased and discriminatory, based on English
common law. Tharoor also critiques the narrative that British rule was a civilizing mission. He says
that this story was just a cover to justify exploitation and control, hiding the fact that India was hurt
economically and socially. The benefits cited by proponents of the Empire, came at a significant cost
to India's economy, society and cultural heritage. Overall, Tharoor's analysis reveals that the
purported benefits of British rule were secondary to the overarching goal of economic exploitation
and political domination.

7. The (Im)balance Sheet: A Coda:

Tharoor talks here about India's performance during and after the empire . He also talks about recent
events that have made India a major military and economic power in world politics.After
independence,the electricity was reached more than 320 times as many villages as British
colonialism managed in a similar time span.Pre colonial period,India was the leader of Asiatic
civilization and a wealthier nation. Under the colonial rule it turned into a poor,third world
country.British economic policies deindustrialized and impoverished India, lowering its GDP share.
The British were different from other foreign rulers who stayed to rule because they didn't want to
become one with the land. Unlike the British, the Mughal emperor taxed the people,princely state,
looted from the royal families and emptied the war chests of those they defeated, but they spent or
saved the money they made in India instead of "repatriating" it to Samarkand or Bukhara like the
British did by sending their Indian profits to London. Overall, Tharoor concludes that British
colonialism left a legacy of economic hardship, social division and cultural disruption, refuting the
notion that British rule was a civilizing mission. He asserts that India's resilience and progress
post-independence highlight the potential that was stifled during the colonial period .

8.THE MESSY AFTERLIFE OF COLONIALISM:

Here Tharoor argumented about Ferguson's model of the British Empire, Gandhism and why these
ideas are still so important in India today.Tharoor argues that colonialism any benefits were
incidental and outweighed by the extensive damage inflicted on India. In a main way, British colonial
rule was like Hitler's plans, according to British journalist Richard Gott. When Gandhi acclaimed
himself "I am a Hindu, a Muslim, a Christian, a Zoroastrian, and a Jew.", Jinnah argued that-'only a
Hindu could say that' .By putting principle against force, this quote shows the facist attitude that
destroyed the credibility of colonialism. Although Tharoor wants the British government to say sorry
for what they did in India concerning the Komagata Maru was similar to what Trudeau did.As an
apology, the British government should give Kohinoor back.Lastly, he wants a critical re-evaluation
of colonial history and its long-term impacts, advocating for a more specific understanding of how
colonialism has shaped the modern world.

In the end, Shashi Tharoor wants the reader to know how cruel the British Empire was in India and
how this time was one of chaos and violence. The book is a strong reminder of how important it is to
understand history in order to deal with its long-lasting effects and work for a more fair and just
world.Tharoor's meticulous research and compelling arguments challenge the romanticized narrative
of the British Empire, highlighting the profound and lasting damage it inflicted on India. The book
serves as an important reminder of the need to critically examine historical narratives and
acknowledge the full extent of colonialism's impact. Through this work, Tharoor contributes to a
more honest understanding of India's colonial past and its enduring legacy.
 Opinion and Lessons Learned from the Book:

In my opinion, the book is a powerful reminder of the importance of understanding history to address
its lasting effects and work towards a more equitable and just world.British Raj was so clever that
they were able to hold the crown of India for 200 years. They faced some major problem by
nationalist.But their well planned stratigies made them successful. ‘Divide and rule’ is one of the
greate example of it. They were able to hold the Indian nationalism among the people for so many
years.But many movement like sepoy mutiny, quit India movement etc made them uncomfortable in
the throne. Tharoor's meticulous research and compelling arguments challenge the romanticized
British Empire and show its lasting damage to India. The book emphasizes the need to critically
evaluate historical narratives and acknowledge colonialism's full impact. The book illuminates
colonial rule's exploitation and its lasting effects on India's socio economic fabric. The unprecedented
looting of India through unfair taxation, forced deindustrialization and resource drain is a key
takeaway. India was a major player in the world when the British took over. Its 23% share of the
world's GDP explains this. Falling to just 3% in 1949, that number showed the truth about Britain's
200-year rule.Tharoor describes how the East India Company and later the British Crown
orchestrated India's economic decline, resulting in widespread poverty and the destruction of local
industries like textiles and shipbuilding, which had thrived before British intervention. Here are some
point of view of mine about the book :

1. **Economic Exploitation**: The British goal was to extract India's wealth, causing
deindustrialization. The profit-driven East India Company destroyed Indian industries, especially
textiles, which were global leaders before British intervention. India suffered from poverty and
famine due to heavy taxation, raw material extraction, and labor exploitation.

2. **Cultural and Social Disruption**: I think British colonialism shattered Indian society.
Traditional industries collapsed. The British education system prioritized English and Western
knowledge over Indian cultures and languages, destroying cultural identity and heritage.
3. **Political Manipulation**: I strongly agree that the British succeeded in using "divide and rule"
to break Indian nationalism and prevent them from uniting. Western political institutions like the
parliamentary system were introduced to maintain British dominance, not empower Indians.

4. **Infrastructure Development**: I believe the British invested in railways, telegraphs for their
own economic gain rather than the benefit of Indians. Projects that facilitated resource extraction and
troop movements strengthened colonial control rather than India's development.

5.**Human Cost**:British rule saw atrocities and human rights abuses.British policies caused
millions of deaths from famines, showing the empire's disregard for Indian lives. British colonialism
was brutal, as shown by the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, which killed hundreds of unarmed Indians.

6. **Legacy of Colonialism**: To me, British rule left India economically poor, socially divided and
politically broken. The British's arbitrary borders caused partition-related violence. Colonial rule still
affects India's politics, economy and society..

Finally I can come to a decision that, "An era of Darkness" portrays British colonial rule as a period
of exploitation, repression and manipulation, debunking the myth of benevolent imperialism. The
book underscores the extensive and lasting damage inflicted on India, shaping its struggle for
independence and post-colonial development. At last I can finish by agreeing to the line used by
Shashi of Durant : “The British conquest of India was the invasion and destruction of a high
civilization by a trading company [the British East India Company] utterly without scruple or
principle, careless of art and greedy of gain, over-running with fire and sword a country temporarily
disordered and helpless, bribing and murdering, annexing and stealing and beginning that career of
illegal and ‘legal’ plunder which has now [1930] gone on ruthlessly for one hundredand
seventy-three years.”

References

Tharoor, S. (2016). An Era of Darkness. ALEPH BOOK COMPANY.