The British Empire in India

[curupira]

India was a heavily populated country, not technologically backwards like the Americas, Africa or Australia and New Zealand; it was not invaded and settled by Britons or European settlers either.

And yet it became a British colony. How could it happen?

[Tooting Carmen]

A disparate, divided population that did not have the military strength of Britain, even if it was highly advanced in other ways.

[RussiaPrussia]

India was a heavily populated country, not technologically backwards like the Americas, Africa or Australia and New Zealand. And yet it became a British colony. It was not invaded and settled by Britons or European settlers. How could it happen?

[DeaththeKid]

India was technologically as advanced as Europe but the British managed to play of Indians against each other.

[curupira]

Thanks for the posts, I have read some interesting explanations.

[curupira]

By country I was just referring to that area not to a nation state since it naturally did not exist that time. But as I said it was a densely populated large area, not technologically backwards, and yet the British came to rule it all, without even settlers.

[Graham]

Wealth & division of peoples, divide and rule. Playing Muslims and Hindus. Using the caste system.

[Tooting Carmen]

Wealth & division of peoples, divide and rule. Playing Muslims and Hindus. Using the caste system.

Precisely.

[curupira]

I'm not well informed about the details, but perhaps the struggle between the Islamic and the Hindu worlds has to do with it? Maybe the Hindu establishment was willing to bring in a foreign power so as to deter the Muslim expansion over them.

[rob211080]

Wealth & division of peoples, divide and rule. Playing Muslims and Hindus. Using the caste system.

The caste system was in place thousands of years before the british stepped foot on indian soil..