Write a theme statement based on the three documents I provided
Document one:
“Modern progressive nations, European colonizers seek to control garden spots in the tropics. Under their direction these places can yield the Tropical produced that their citizens need. They develop the territory by building roads, canals, railways, and telegraphs. The progressive nations can establish schools and newspapers for the people of the colonies. They can also give these people the benefit of other blessings of civilization, which they have not the means of creating themselves.
Document 2:
To sum the whole, the British rule has been—— morally, a great blessing; politically peace and order on one hand … on the other, materially, impoverishment… The natives call the British system … “the knife of sugar.” That is to say there is no oppression, it is all smooth and sweet, but it is the knife, nevertheless…
Europeans (the British) occupy almost all the higher places in every department of government …. Natives, no matter how fit, are deliberately kept out of the social institutions Started by Europeans …. All they (the Europeans ) do is live off India while they are here. When they go, they carry all they have gained.
Document 3:
Enlightenment has given the people of India, the greatest human blessing peace. They have introduced Western education. This has brought an ancient and civilized nation in touch with modern thought, modern sciences and modern life. They have built an administration that is strong and efficient. They have framed wise laws and have established courts of justice.
Document 4:
This process continued throughout the nineteenth century. Other old Indian industries——shipbuilding, metalwork, glass, paper——and many crafts were broken up. Thus the economic development of India was stopped and the growth of new industry was prevented …. A typical colonial economy was built up. India became an agricultural colony of industrial England. It supplied raw materials and provided market’s for England’s industrial goods. The destruction of industry led to unemployment on a vast scale… The poverty of the country grew. The standard
Document 5:
Every native that appeared in sight was shot down without a question, and in the morning Colonial Neil sent out parties of regiment (military men)…. and burned all the villages near where the ruins of our bungalow stood, and hung every native that they could catch, on the trees that lined the roads.
Document 6:
British brains British enterprise and British capital have changed the face of India. Means of communication has been developed. There are great numbers of bridges more than 40,000 miles of railways and 70,000 miles of paved roads. These testify to the skill and industry of British engineers. Irrigation works on a very large scale and has brought 30,000,000 acres under cultivation . This has greatly added to the agricultural wealth of the country. Industrialization has also begun. India now has improved sanitation and a higher standard of living. It has a fine transport system, and carefully thought out schemes for relief work. Because of these things famines have now almost disappeared.
Create a thesis now: start your sentence structure like this:
During the late 19th century and early 20th century, British imperialism affected India by…
