Colonialism & Imperialism
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Summary
A common question is whether Thailand would be more developed had it been colonised. The talk suggests looking at India before answering.
India once held 24% of the world economy. After two centuries of British rule it held 4%.
The wealth extracted is estimated at over $45 trillion, alongside the deliberate destruction of local industry.
Key points
24% to 4% answers the question by itself
If colonisation brought development, the share of the world economy should not have moved that way.
Local industry was destroyed deliberately
Indian textiles were once the best export in the world, until tariff policy dismantled them.
What remained gets counted as progress
The railways and administration left behind are cited as benefits, though they were built to move resources out.
The price included lives
The famines under that administration belong on the ledger too.