Question

Colonial powers controlled India for nearly two centuries. The colonisers impoverished the nations they ruled. Similarly, various other countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America were exploited by colonial powers.

Which of the following rationales was/were given by colonial powers to justify their conquests?

• A. They stated that they had the right to take over the land and culture of indigenous people.
• B. They considered the colonies as uncivilised, barbaric, and savage.
• C. They argued that they acted in the best interests of indigenous people.
• D. They claimed that the indigenous people had invited them to settle in their lands.

Answer 1

Answer: (A), (B), (C)

They argued that they acted in the best interests of indigenous people.

The colonial powers justified their conquests by asserting that they had a legal and religious obligation to take over the land and culture of the indigenous people. They argued that they acted in the best interests of people. Colonial governments invested in infrastructure and trade and disseminated medical and technological knowledge. However, coercion and forced assimilation often accompanied those gains. Colonialism was also associated with environmental degradation, economic instability, ethnic rivalries, and countless human rights violations.