Final answer:
The British imposed economic exploitation on India by mandating the production of cash crops and imposing high taxes, which led to economic dependence on Britain. They tried to Westernize Indian society and education, which caused resentment. British rule saw significant atrocities, such as the Amritsar Massacre, and ultimately laid down administrative groundwork that survived post-independence.
Step-by-step explanation:
The British occupation of India involved various policies and actions that had profound effects on the Indian society and economy. The British forced Indian farmers to grow cash crops like cotton and tea to support British factories and households, while high excise taxes made English fabrics more affordable in India than domestic textiles.
Infrastructure such as railroads and telegraph lines was built mostly to benefit British economic interests, transporting goods and cash crops for British trade. Notably, the British East India Company set up exclusive trade rights and exerted control over local Indian populations, often with little regard for religious customs, such as in the case of the Sepoys whose cartridges were rumored to be greased with pork and beef fat, offending Hindu and Muslim soldiers.
Efforts to Westernize Indian society included attempts to abolish practices like sati and to introduce English language education. This cultural imposition often led to resentment among Indians. The British also administered India with the assistance of educated locals in various administrative roles, paving the way for indigenous participation in governance, albeit within the constraints of the imperial structure. The British rule culminated in direct rule through the British Raj after the Indian Mutiny of 1858, characterized by a series of revolts and the eventual transition to Indian self-rule upon independence in 1947.
One of the most significant atrocities was the Amritsar Massacre in 1919, where peaceful protestors were fired upon by the British Indian Army, leading to hundreds of deaths and further fomenting the push for Indian independence. The British legacy in India is a complex one, involving both exploitation and the unintentional laying of groundwork for modern administration systems and infrastructure that would later be used by the independent Indian state.