A map of Great Britain, its colonies, and the products from each provides a way of analyzing the relative contributions of each, as well as the impact of British imperialism in faraway colonies. For example, in looking at the economies of Great Britain and its colony in India, it is clear that that Great Britain had all of the advantages of the situation, with India failing to benefit from a transfer of technology, or the development of social welfare structures to support communities. Perhaps Britain did not feel the same responsibility for the people of India as it did towards its trading partners who sought the goods that they produced there, such as rice, cotton, silk, seeds, tea and coffee.
The types of products being produced in the British Empire were mostly renewable and non-renewable resources with minimal processing. Examples include food stuffs such as coffee, sugar and partly processed products such as butter, as well as raw materials such as wood, and non-renewable resources such as gold and diamond. This indicates that the manufacturing and production was occurring in Great Britain and other parts of Europe. Further analysis and reflection also reveals insights about Great Britain, and likely other European nations, at this time. Wood, wood pulp, and furs were being produced in many of the colonies for consumption. This would indicate, given the willingness to invest in the far flung venture required, as well as the challenge of transportation, that Great Britain did not have sufficient forest and wild animal resources to support its fur and pulp industry needs. This might have resulted from the rapid industrialization which was already transforming British society, increasing migration to cities and increasing the urban area relative to rural and undeveloped areas.
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"The Impact of British Imperialism".
All of the manufacturing also had a negative environmental impact, which may have reduced the quantity and quality of trees and animals. The impact of the British Empire in Europe would be increased demand for the products from its colonies, which it is able to produce more cheaply than can be accomplished with small-scale agriculture and production throughout much of continental Europe. Suddenly the people of Europe had greater access to raw materials, as well as exotic materials. It also provided increased raw materials for the rest of Europe, which fueled their own productivity in the industrial age. It is therefore likely that the economic influence of the British Empire included increased trade with European nations as well as contributing to their industrial and economic growth. In the colonies, the impact would be increased resource production or harvesting/mining. This must have been a great difference from traditional practices of the colonial people of Britain, that were not accustomed to development on a great scale. Something else which increased with the success of Imperial Britain was the interest of European nations in colonizing underdeveloped parts of the world.
The difference between the profits of Great Britain and India were vast in terms of volume, but also in terms of the infrastructure, service and lifestyle that the economy of each was able to maintain. The infant mortality rate and death rate were dramatically higher in India than in Great Britain, while the life expectancy and the gross domestic product (GDP) were dramatically lower. This was despite the fact that India was producing a great quantity of goods, while Britain was mostly transporting and brokering them. The graph suggests that Britain is attempting to maintain control of India through economic means by continuing to ensure that it is underdeveloped. If the people of India rebelled against the British taking their resources, then Great Britain would have not only a political problem, but a great economic one as it would be disruptive to trade.
