In the 17 and 1800s, Britain steadily pushed into India, until it became "The jewel in the crown". But what if the British never gained control of the region? What if the Indian nations could and successfully repulsed European influence?
Would the land be conquered by another nation? Would it stay fragmented? Or would India unit without imperialism?
A rather thought-provoking alternate history: 2015-12-06 22:41:47
Let's look at the history before: As the Mughal Empire declined, there was no local unified government that had a strong grip on its territory. The states that followed were weak, disunified and had lots of infighting, which allowed the British to step in and put the Indian states against each other and later unified India in order to "bring order." The most plausible way India would not be under British rule would be if the Mughal Empire remained strong or if another European power took most or all of India.
A rather thought-provoking alternate history: 2015-12-07 02:39:17
India was probably just a richer and Asian version of Africa.
^That's culturally offensive to Asians and Africans (just saying). If you want a better example of a region that's across the board a series of failed states with no hope then use the Middle East please.
Definitely true that the Indian states were not unified pre-British Empire nor under Mughal rule. The status quo would have likely prevailed where either Muslim invaders from the Northwest would have established dominance or Indian states would be in a constant state of economic and military contention. That being said the secondary effects on Britain would be tremendous. Most of the British wealth that spurred the Industrial Revolution was stolen from the coffers of India. Without the influx of wealth the British industrial revolution would have either been delayed or significantly reduced in size and scope. From this can be extrapolated all kinds of effects. If we assume that the Industrial Revolution went off in Britain without a hitch, we can assume that without a unified Asian front the Japanese would have broken through Bengal and conquered India.
A rather thought-provoking alternate history: 2015-12-07 03:15:45
Potentially the Allies would not have won World War II. And Britain would be much, much less rich and powerful today. Meaning that America would be as well. And possibly India would have sided with Japan in WWII. Equally possible is that subcontinental India would have split into multiple states.
The Mughal dynasty was arguably the richest dynasty in the world in the sixteenth century. Estimates of the amount that the British robbed from India, inclusive of jewels and other artifacts, range as high as 230 TRILLION sterling or 475 trillion dollars. Not only this, India supplied millions of soldiers for Britain in the world wars. It also supplied massive quantities of materials and food to the British war effort, at the expense of the natives' starvation. India's help was critical for Britain.
Edited 12/7/2015 11:25:08
A rather thought-provoking alternate history: 2015-12-07 20:04:14
Yes you're right. India did supply millions of soldiers for Britain in WWI and WWII. One of them was my great great uncle, who got ambushed by the Ottomans in Iraq. What did he get in return. A fucking medal and his country got 28 more years of forced occupation.
A rather thought-provoking alternate history: 2015-12-07 23:18:15
