Colonial Exploitation: India vs. Congo

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, European powers expanded their empires into Africa and

Asia, including India and the Congo, to gain raw materials, new markets,

and more global influence. India came under British control slowly,

first through the British East India Company and later directly by the British government

after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Under British rule, India’s traditional industries,

like handwoven textiles, struggled because of cheaper British-made goods. The British focused

on growing crops like cotton, tea, and indigo for export. They also built

railways, telegraphs, and introduced Western education to help control the country.