this post was submitted on 29 Jan 2025
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[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 26 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Explanation: Britain, at one point, managed to leverage itself into a position of control over all of India. In part, this was because the India-based Mughal Empire, one of the wealthiest and most powerful countries on the face of the earth, chose to fall apart at a very inopportune time, splitting India into a hundred different opposing states just as the Brits started sniffing around for colonial concessions.

The other reason is that the Brits REALLY wanted that newfangled tea - first by routing trade from China through the British East India Company, and then by growing tea directly in India itself in the 19th century.

[–] jadelord@discuss.tchncs.de 18 points 1 year ago

Actually it started with spices, like black pepper.

Then they came with guns and did the "divide and rule" thing, by letting the kings fight each other.

[–] Albbi@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Were there a billion people in India at the time of British colonization?

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

It highlights the entire subcontinent, but I think even considering that, you're right, the population was considerably less.

[–] Trainguyrom@reddthat.com 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

This is a very timely post as I've been listening to The Steam House by Jules Vern on LibriVox and it takes place in mid-19th century India having been written in the late-19th century and has entire chapters and passages devoted to the history of Indian colonization to give context. It's also neat because the book imagines RVs long before RVs were invented and characters correctly predict future technological advances that were still 30-50 years off at the time the book was published

[–] Mokopa@lemmy.world 22 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Hold on, hold on, don't lump Ireland in with the colonists, they were over here taking what didn't belong to them long before they made it to India...

[–] milicent_bystandr@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Because the Irish definitely didn't go out to be colonists....

[–] Mokopa@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah, good point! The sun never set on the... Irish empire? And all those countries around the world that celebrate independence from Ireland. And gaelige, that worldwide language, spoken in all the former colonies. The Irish museums, full of antiquities rescued from the locals around the world.

They're really just a shower of bastards with good PR!

[–] milicent_bystandr@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

Well at least a good few of them went off to colonize America. And didn't give that one back, either, unlike India and friends.

[–] Worx@lemmynsfw.com 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You could say the same for Wales and Scotland too

[–] milicent_bystandr@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Basically it's all on the French. Us lowly Anglo-Saxons wouldn't have gone taking over someone else's country

...

[–] Worx@lemmynsfw.com 3 points 1 year ago

And uh, how did the Angles and Saxons get here when the Celts were already living here? It's probably all the Roman's fault for setting a precedent

[–] SkybreakerEngineer@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago
[–] Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 14 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Desire for leaf juice can be very strong when what you have is British cuisine.

[–] Hagdos@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

There's three reasons the British conquered half the world:

  • British food
  • British women
  • British weather
[–] Swarfega@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago

Without this invasion the world wouldn't have IPA I guess...

I, I am gonna win! Viva Ragusa!