http://gracieb.instablogs.com/ Comments - Latest Popular Stories powered by Instablogs Community. http://www.instablogs.com/site-img/insta-slogo.gif http://gracieb.instablogs.com/ en-us Instascript 2.0 http://www.instablogs.com Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:25:13 +0000 http://mchaik.instablogs.com http://mchaik.instablogs.com Ravinder Makhaik
The fact that China fought two opium trade wars with the British too is well documented. The nation that has a history of building large projects such as the Great Wall and the Three Gorges Dam was shaken up to dealing with an addicted population in the early part of the 19th century.

So was the British Empire funded by the Opium Trade?

The fact that Opium is still a potent commodity that leads nations to war, with the producers and the consumers struggling to keep the trade alive, does give credence to Amitav Gosh’s argument that British administrators encouraged trade in this contraband to offset trade balances.

Gosh’s take may appear loaded with subtle nationalism but the line advanced needs to be further researched because history has mostly been assimilated from the ruler’s point of view.

Collapse of the opium trade leading to the collapse of British occupancy of India appears to simplistic to be true.

Global wars, in which the old order buckled and newer powers emerged too had their share in shaping much of history that followed.]]> Opium constituting 17-20% of India’s revenues during the British rule may be contestable but the fact that just 50 years after the country outgrew the Raj days, it is emerging from the dark days that it went through fighting poverty, famine, illiteracy and disease.



The fact that China fought two opium trade wars with the British too is well documented. The nation that has a history of building large projects such as the Great Wall and the Three Gorges Dam was shaken up to dealing with an addicted population in the early part of the 19th century.



So was the British Empire funded by the Opium Trade?



The fact that Opium is still a potent commodity that leads nations to war, with the producers and the consumers struggling to keep the trade alive, does give credence to Amitav Gosh’s argument that British administrators encouraged trade in this contraband to offset trade balances.



Gosh’s take may appear loaded with subtle nationalism but the line advanced needs to be further researched because history has mostly been assimilated from the ruler’s point of view.



Collapse of the opium trade leading to the collapse of British occupancy of India appears to simplistic to be true.



Global wars, in which the old order buckled and newer powers emerged too had their share in shaping much of history that followed.

]]> Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000 http://gracieb.instablogs.com http://gracieb.instablogs.com Grace
I’m not sure if the British Raj was a harsh time or if India had a Golden Age after a colonial rule.

But as far as we can see, any colonial rule is harsh, and any post-colonial time is better. That much I can shout from a mountaintop here in the Philippines.


One thing I know, India has proven to be one of the success stories known in this world - no matter what people say.

Heck, it produced my two biggest idols of all my lifetime - Ghandi and Amartya Sen!]]> True, Ravinder. And in most histories of greater civilizations, a Golden Age follows the harshest of times. In that Golden Age, the best of culture flourishes.



I’m not sure if the British Raj was a harsh time or if India had a Golden Age after a colonial rule.



But as far as we can see, any colonial rule is harsh, and any post-colonial time is better. That much I can shout from a mountaintop here in the Philippines.





One thing I know, India has proven to be one of the success stories known in this world - no matter what people say.



Heck, it produced my two biggest idols of all my lifetime - Ghandi and Amartya Sen!

]]> Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000