How Britain is no different from Nazis - What British and their supporters should know

The Atrocities of British Colonial Rule in India: 1757–1947

The British Empire’s rule over India, beginning with the Battle of Plassey in 1757, was marked by a series of calculated policies and brutal actions that resulted in widespread suffering, economic devastation, and the systematic dismantling of India’s social and economic fabric. This article aims to educate especially those in Britain about the realities of colonial rule, challenging sanitized narratives and confronting the legacy of imperialism with historical facts.

The Deceptive Victory at Plassey and the Plunder of Bengal

The Battle of Plassey (1757) was not a straightforward military conquest but a result of political intrigue and betrayal. Robert Clive, representing the East India Company, secured victory by forging secret alliances with key insiders like Mir Jafar, Rai Durlabh, and Jagat Seth. In exchange for making Mir Jafar the Nawab, the British gained access to Bengal’s immense resources. The outcome was predetermined, and Siraj ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal, was defeated and murdered. This event marked the beginning of British dominance and the systematic plundering of Bengal’s wealth.

Following Plassey and the Treaty of Allahabad (1765), the British East India Company extracted enormous sums from Bengal, demanded indemnities, and secured the right to collect revenue from vast territories. The Company’s actions led to the economic bankruptcy of Bengal and the destruction of its political autonomy, setting the stage for decades of exploitation

Destruction of Bengal’s Economy and the Great Famine

British policies rapidly transformed Bengal from a prosperous region to one of poverty and famine. The Company’s focus on revenue extraction, export-oriented agriculture, and neglect of local welfare led to repeated famines. The infamous Bengal Famine of 1770, which claimed millions of lives, was exacerbated by the Company’s insistence on collecting taxes even as crops failed and people starved. Export crops like indigo, opium, and cotton replaced food crops, increasing vulnerability to food crises. Bengal, a once prosperous state, was reduced to utter poverty from which it never recovered.

Economic Loot and the Collapse of Indigenous Industry

The British systematically destroyed Bengal’s legendary textile industry to favor Manchester’s mills. Duties on Indian exports and tax breaks for British imports ensured that local artisans could not compete. There are accounts of weavers being coerced, tortured, and even having their thumbs cut off to prevent them from producing high-quality textiles. The result was mass unemployment, poverty, and the collapse of a once flourishing artisanal economy.

Kolkata, the heart of British India, became a hub for colonial trade, but the wealth it generated was funneled to Britain. Indigenous enterprise was discouraged, and the local mercantile community was marginalized as British merchants monopolized trade. The region’s wealth was systematically drained, leaving Bengal impoverished and dependent

Agricultural Destruction and Exploitation of Farmers

British rule forced Indian farmers into indigo and cash crop cultivation, often under oppressive conditions. The infamous indigo plantations, supported by coercion and violence, left farmers indebted and destitute. Exorbitant land taxes, the Permanent Settlement, and the draconian Sunset Laws (which allowed the British to confiscate land if taxes were not paid by sunset) drove countless peasants into ruin.

Doctrine of Lapse, Annexations, and Suppression of Rebellion

Policies like the Doctrine of Lapse enabled the British to annex princely states under dubious pretexts, further eroding indigenous sovereignty. When resistance arose-such as the Santal rebellion, led by Sidhu, Kanhu, and later Birsa Munda-the response was brutal suppression. Tribal leaders were executed in the most terrible and brutal manner like dragging their deadbodies with horses after flogging them to death, or imprisoned in despicable conditions, and entire communities faced reprisals. Womenfolk were raped and children were murdered.

Brutal Suppression of Freedom Movements

The 1857 revolt, India’s first major war of independence, was crushed with exceptional brutality. The British executed rebels, razed villages, and imposed collective punishments. Mutineers were executed as cannon fodders and their women and children were most brutally treated.

Subsequent freedom movements were met with similar repression. Revolutionaries were arrested, tortured, and sent to the notorious Cellular Jail in the Andamans, where many died under inhumane conditions. Indubhushan Roy committed suicide, Ullaskar Datta became a lunatic under the monstrous atrocoties of David Bary.

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre and British Impunity

In 1919, General Dyer ordered troops to fire on a peaceful gathering at Jallianwala Bagh, killing thousands of innocent men, women and children. The massacre shocked the world, but the British government exonerated Dyer and praised his actions, symbolizing the utter disregard for Indian lives.

Destruction of Education and Partition of Bengal

Lord Curzon’s policies undermined Indian higher education, and his 1905 partition of Bengal was designed to divide and rule, sowing communal discord. The move sparked a revolutionary movement and deepened mistrust between communities.

Encouragement of Communalism and the Two-Nation Theory

British policies often encouraged communal divisions. The open support for Islamic fundamentalists and the promotion of the two-nation theory deepened Hindu-Muslim rifts, leading to tragedies like the Malabar genocide, Direct Action Day, and the Noakhali riots, with horrific violence against civilians. British police officers like Hudson in Dhaka openly suported Goons and Islamic terrorists against hapless Muslims and Hindus alike. They had office

The Bengal Famine of 1943: Churchill’s Indifference

The Bengal Famine of 1943, caused by British wartime policies and the diversion of food supplies, resulted in the deaths of nearly four million people. Winston Churchill’s government refused to send aid, prioritizing British needs over Indian lives. Churchill’s actions, many historians argue, were comparable to those of Hitler in their callous disregard for human life