Why do you think Dadabhai Naoroji means by 'un-British rule in India'? (Hint: he was an MP in the House of Commons in 1892.)
Dadabhai Naoroji, who was a Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons, used the phrase 'un-British rule in India' to highlight the contradiction between the values Britain claimed to uphold and the actual exploitative practices of colonial rule in India.
He argued that the drain of India's wealth, oppressive taxation policies, and economic exploitation were contrary to true British principles of governance. Britain claimed to uphold values like justice, fairness, and liberty, but colonial practices told a different story.
By calling it 'un-British,' Naoroji strategically appealed to British sense of justice while documenting how colonial rule was systematically impoverishing India through wealth extraction estimated at many billions of pounds.
His work 'Poverty and Un-British Rule in India' (1901) compiled evidence from British reports to demonstrate this exploitation.
Explanation
The chapter mentions Dadabhai Naoroji in the section 'The drain of India's wealth': 'Dadabhai Naoroji, a respected political figure, authored in 1901 Poverty and Un-British Rule in India, in which he compiled from British reports the wealth estimated to have been drained out of India.' The hint that he was an MP in the House of Commons in 1892 is significant because it shows he was working within the British system to advocate for Indian interests, using terminology that would resonate with British values while critiquing colonial practices.
Solution Steps
Dadabhai Naoroji was a Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons in 1892
The phrase 'un-British rule in India' highlighted the contradiction between British values (justice, fairness, liberty) and actual colonial practices
Naoroji documented the drain of India's wealth, oppressive taxation, and economic exploitation
The term 'un-British' strategically appealed to British sense of justice while critiquing colonial rule
His book 'Poverty and Un-British Rule in India' (1901) compiled evidence from British reports