According to the views of most European politicians, the rule of one country over another has no purpose other than the draining of the latter’s wealth to the ruling country. This can best be done by exploiting the resources of the subject-country.
So many methods were evolved and adopted for the exploitation of India’s resources in the interests of England (before and after 1947), some of them under the guise of “development”. Main purpose of so called ‘Development’ is to provide benefits to ruling country and if there are any benefits to local, they are minuscule by-products.
For example, Railways.
Railways. These were constructed and run with the money collected by the English from India in various ways and a large part of it was spent in England. “It has been computed,” declared Swift MacNeill in the House of Commons, on August 14, 1890, “that out of every shilling spent in railway enterprise, 8d makes its way to England.” So the Railways, through various channels and thus indirectly filled the pockets of English capitalists.
The Railways were intended and used chiefly for cheap and quick transport of wheat, cotton. and other raw materials to the ports of embarkation for being shipped to England, and for similarly transporting the goods made in and exported from England to every nook and corner of India. They also provided fast-moving transport for the army whenever it became essential to move its contingents within the shortest possible time from one end of the vast .. country to another. This facility was a sine qua non for keeping intact the British hold on the country. The benefit to India, if any, was only a by-product of the railways.
So when British apologists argue with you on this line, shut their mouth with this proof.
