What The British Really Did To India | The Bastani Factor

From famine to deindustrialisation and paying for the world's largest army, there were no advantages in being part of the British Empire.

Aaron Bastani on what the British really did to India.

Correction: Graphic at 03.18 should say "1700" not "1800".
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[johnoriordan]

Divide and conquer, that's what the brits do best, Ireland still paying the price

[yanwinaung]

Crediting British Empire for all those benifits is like praising WWII for creating United nations, instigating invention of computers.

[vetiarvind]

This video doesn't touch the 1000's of famines and millions of lives lost in India, not to mention the atrocities and racism that they inflicted on the Indian people. This India may forgive, but will never forget what they did.

[Indian-uqvf]

Some facts to be corrected. The Mogul Enpire had virtually collapsed and controlled no more than the area of Delhi fort. The Maratha empire ruled most of the continent and had full control over the continent and the Mugal emperor was just another vessel under the control of Marathas. The British essentially took over the power in India from the Marathas after they weere weakened after 3rd battle of Panipat (14 January 1761- between Afgan Ahmed Shah Abdali and the Marathas). After the 3rd battle of Panipat the Marathas were weakened but still had enough fire power. They were weakened only due to infighting between Maratha chieftains. British took benefit of this and took control of India after defeating the Marathas after the 1857 Mutiny. So it was almost a 100 yers betwen collaps of Mugal empre and takeover of India by the British.

[ironskej]

As an Englishman, this video is very eye opening and sad. But what I would point out, which most people don't appear to understand in the comments, is that most of this wealth went to a very very very small minority of the upper class in Britain. Most Brits, like my ancestors, were working from the age of 4 in terrible poverty stricken conditions in workhouses, Mills, factories, docks and farms. And then forced to live in slums. So really, the common people share the common enemy.

[oqrkepf]

Rest all aside, I like how younger Brits actually are brave enough to question their own past and are conscientious enough to admit the mistakes rather than make excuses like the oldies.

[rishikduttagupta]

"The Sun never set in the British Empire. Even the God could not trust them in the dark" 🤣

[sps]

My grandma when she was a child remembers her village being raided by British soldiers looting away the grains… what atrocities happened in hinterlands never came out for world to see

[libshastra]

One of the greatest myths ever perpetuated is that Britain gifted democracy to India. It wasn't a gift, Indians fought for it through non violent means while other dominions like Canada, New Zealand and Australia already had democracy. Even when Britain "gifted" democracy, they poisoned it with reservations along religious line. This was the seed that lead to the violent and ethnic cleansing of the Partition that followed 22 years later

[fizzliebob]

Thanks for making this video. My dad's family lived in India at the time and they have stories of small business owners waking up to find all their goods looted/stolen by the East India Company. It's important to balance out the stories of the empire we learned in school with the truth.

[tim]

People in the UK have this idea that Empire was a long time ago, and doesn't apply to them now at all. We're feeling the effects globally of the decisions of empire, from rampant capitalism and ecocide to soaring inequality. I had teachers at school who were administrators and settlers from Kenya, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea to name a few. Friends grandparents were stationed in the Indian Army, the Mao Mao etc. The empire was incredibly recent, we need to have better and more frank conversations about what we as a nation did to the rest of the world.

[newforestpixie]

Ten or so years ago I sat with my work boss in a 90 year old blokes’ kitchen whilst he recounted his days “ in Malaya when in the British Army” . With glee he spoke adventures during their occupation then one particular incident of “ lads chasing the **** out of their huts and bayoneting them then having the women & children away “
I sat there in total fucking disbelief that a so called civilised human being would be prepared to admit to playing any part in this horrendous event . He’d be dead by now the bastard 😐

[DeadWhiteButterflies]

Once again, Novara doing what my GCSE history course SHOULD have done, and told me the truth.

[rajeshinterpretations]

Question: What British really did to India?
Answer: Looting!

[cocoacoolness]

I remember a friend once telling me that India used to be quite a rich country, but it never recovered from the British colonisation. I'm guessing this is what she was talking about.

[sunilthakore]

Britain did not set up the institutions that are in India. Education was the foundation of Indian culture for thousands of years, We had the oldest universities in the world, and every village had schools, in fact, primary education was learned by the British which is used by the British today. Democracy was something in India, but shortly before the British left we had to fight for this right, again not given. Oh, you mention the Mughals, they were not the only rulers of India, we had Hindu rulers as well, but this is never mentioned and their wealth was also vast. India in a way was ruled by invaders and varied kingdoms it was always united by culture, and that is why India was always known as Bharat or Hindustan from ancient times. It was like what the United States is today. England did not give anything to India without making a profit from it and bled it dry, and did not care if Indians died because of their looting of resources. It is a story that England just portrays wearing rose-tinted glasses.

[wkdwiz]

Don't believe I heard the word genocide being mentioned, because that what it was in both the Irish and Indian famines

[jessed]

This is pretty much just a summary of 'Inglorious Empire' by Shashi Tharoor, which goes into more detail.

[ihatemyself]

No hate to brits tho. Just teach your children about their ancestors' sins. It is not too much to ask for

[ToyotomiHideyoshiGre]

I am Japanese and I am proud of my Japanese history and ancestry. I heard that one Japanese man planted many trees in Indian mountains after the war and saved Indian people.