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  Does Britain owe reparations to her former

Colonies

In recent years, there has been an increase in the international pressure fromformer colonies for reparations from their former colonial rulers !irst "frican"mericans, now "frican Caribbeans #eman# reparations for the treatment theirancestors su$ere# #uring the time of sla%ery !ew &uropean countries ha%eac'nowle#ge# the fact that in(ustice was in)icte# upon the local people #uring theircolonial rule an# ha%e pai# reparations as well In *00+, ermany o$ere# to paymillions of euros to the -amibian o%ernment to compensate for the erman"rmy.s genoci#e against the /erero tribe in the early *0th century In *010, Britainformally apologie# for its army.s con#uct in the infamous Bloo#y Sun#ay2 'illingsin -orthern Irelan# in 137* Italy has formally apologie# for its past in(ustices#uring its 40 year reign in ibya early last century, an# agree# to pay 65 billion in

reparations to ripoli Britain agree# to compensate 5,**8 Kenyans who weretorture# an# abuse# while #etaine# #uring the 9au 9au rebellion of the 1350s

In 

9ay, *015, the :;for#

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In#ia was Britains biggest cash>cow at the en# of the 13th Century, this means thatthe worl#s biggest purchaser of British e;ports an# the source of highly pai#employment for British ci%il ser%ants > all was at In#ias e;pense /e conclu#e# hisstatement by saying that we literally pai# for our own oppression2

In#ians were not allowe# to #o free tra#e an# force# to buy cheap nishe# goo#sfrom Britain his le# to #e>in#ustrialiation of In#ia he #e>in#ustrialiation of In#iais 'nown as the Britains In#ustrial @e%olution that inclu#es the #estruction of thein#igenous te;tiles an# their replacement being facilitate# by manufacturing in&nglan#, using In#ian raw material li'e cotton an# sil' an# e;porting the nishe#pro#ucts bac' to In#ia an# the rest of the worl# at a much higher price

 he han#loom wea%ers of Bengal ha# pro#uce# an# e;porte# some of the worl#smost #esirable fabrics, especially cheap but ne muslins, some light as =wo%en air=Britains response was to cut o$ the thumbs of Bengali wea%ers, brea' their loomsan# impose #uties an# tari$s on In#ian cloth, while )oo#ing In#ia an# the worl# withcheaper fabric from the new satanic steam mills of Britain

 hus our ne wea%ers became beggars, our manufacturing collapse#J thepopulation of Dha'a, which was once the great Centre of muslin pro#uction, fell by30E

 his cause# a great e;porter of nishe# pro#ucts, In#ia, to transform into animporter of British goo#s, while its share of worl# e;ports fell from a high of *7E toless than *E he repercussions of this were felt beyon# in#epen#ence in theicense @a( era In#ia.s foreign policy is still conser%ati%e which can be inferre# asan after e$ect of the colonial rule

British imperialism has since long (ustie# itself with the pretense that it wasenlightene# #espotism, con#ucte# for the benet of the go%erne# Bengal famine is

one e%ent which pro%es this belief wrong Some four million Bengalis #ie# in thereat Bengal !amine of 13F4 after Ginston Churchill #eliberately or#ere# the#i%ersion of foo# from star%ing In#ian ci%ilians to well>supplie# British sol#iers an#&uropean stoc'piles -o !amine has ta'en place since, as free #emocracies #on.t lettheir citiens star%e to #eath he British colonial perio# is full of such inhumaneacts li'e by blowing rebels to bits from the mouths of cannons, massacring unarme#protestors at Aallianwala Bagh

 he British ne%er treate# In#ians as their euals Larious &nglish>a#ministere#buil#ings ha# signs rea#ingH Dogs an# In#ians not allowe#2 In#ians were sla%e#an# sent to other countries to wor' as sla%e wor'ers In#ians were #enie# theirpolitical rights he &nglish #eci#e# the laws, they #eci#e# the punishments, an#they #eci#e# the number of breaths an In#ian shoul# breathe in a minute

Some British argue that it woul# be uite wrong to create a myth of a peaceful9errier In#ia2 in the pre>British perio# In#ia has been sub(ecte# to imperialformations for much of its history In each case, people ha%e been #ominate# for thebenet of the rulers 9uch of the In#ian wealth was creame# o$ for the benet of the rulers his may ha%e enriche# a tiny elite, which in turn certainly use# militarypower an# bloo#she# to maintain their power British might be true to some e;tentbut In#ia was )ourishing before the British came In#ian rulers #i# not sla%e In#iansIn#ians were gi%en political rights

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 he construction of the In#ian @ailways is often pointe# to, as a benet of Britishrule, ignoring the ob%ious fact that many countries ha# built railway systemswithout ha%ing to be colonie# for that facility his became all the more criticalwhen it was announce# that it ha# not been lai# to ser%e the In#ian public heywere inten#e# to help the British get aroun#, an# abo%e all to carry In#ian rawmaterials to the ports to be shippe# to Britain

 he mo%ement of people was inci#ental an# use# when it ser%e# colonial interestsJno e$ort was ma#e to ensure that supply matche# #eman# for mass transport Infact the In#ian @ailways was a big British colonial scam British sharehol#ers ma#eabsur# amounts of money by in%esting in the railways, where the go%ernmentguarantee# e;tra%agant returns on capital, pai# for by In#ian ta;es In hisargument, Shashi haroor also than'e# the British rapacity, for each mile of In#ianrailways that cost #ouble that of a mile in Cana#a an# "ustralia

In#ia contribute# more sol#iers to British forces ghting the !irst Gorl# Gar than

"ustralia, Cana#a, -ew Mealan# an# South "frica combine# Despite su$eringrecession, po%erty an# an in)uena epi#emic, In#ias contributions in cash an#material amount to N8bn

 wo an# a half million In#ians also fought for British forces in the Secon# Gorl# Gar,by the en# of which N1*5bn of Britains total N4bn war #ebt was owe# to In#ia,which was merely the tip of the iceberg that was colonial e;ploitation It still hasntbeen pai#

 he British #i# o$er &nglish as a unifying language but it is uite silly to belie%e thatthe &nglish language #i# us goo# De%elope# an# )ourishing countries li'e Aapan,China an# !rance continue to follow their own languages, an# ha%e shown no nee#

for the &nglish languageIn#ians were oppresse#, ensla%e#, 'ille# an# plun#ere# by British for *00 yearsIn#ia has a ma(or contribution to Britain.s present success an# that contribution #i#not come willingly he wrongs committe# on In#ians shoul# be put right Inconclusion, I woul# li'e to say that Britain #oes owe reparations to In#ia *00 yearsof in(ustice cannot be compensate# by any specic amount, howe%er a gesture inthe #irection of atonement will be a goo# start