Indian Economic Development Explaining the colonial rule from 1863-1945.
It is very much clear that a general model of colonialism and underdevelopment cannot explain the variations in India’s growth trend during the colonial period from 1863 to 1947. However, there are three structural features that define the entire colonial period. Structural features which include the importance of natural resources and labour to economics growth and welfare . Land intensive agriculture, Labour -intensive handicrafts, and modern industry in natural resources, were the main livelihoods throughout this period and beyond. Global features which saw a more open Indian economy and the fact that India took part in the first globalisation of the 19th century, which saw a rapid integration of world economy in terms of commodity trade, capital flows, and labour migration. Due to the opening of Suez canal in 1867 India also witnessed the revolution in transport and communication, Railways and telegraph which were introduced in this phase. There were Colonial fea...