Discuss the national movement started by Gandhiji
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History Of Colonialism in India
Prior to the colonial era in India, the country was a highly prosperous nation, divided into several kingdoms, ruled by powerful Hindu and Islamic dynasties. India was well known across the world as a rich nation and the grandeur of Indian kings, palaces, art and architecture were unmatched in the rest of the world. The country was also rich in natural resources with fertile lands, abundant water resources, and diverse wildlife. Thus, India had it all to attract the colonists of Europe to try to gain control of this "land of plenty".
Entry of Europeans to the country started with the establishment of the spice trade in the 1400’s when several European countries set up trading posts and colonial towns in the country. Portugal, the Dutch Republic, Denmark, France, and England all had a significant presence in the country beginning as far back as the 1400’s (Portugal). It was England, however, that held the longest power in the country. After 1858, the British held colonial power after taking it from the East India Company which had been ruling since 1757.
Using policies of "Divide and Rule," the British gradually gained control over the entire country. The British colonists emptied the Indian treasury and treated Indians with disdain. Some positive sides of the British rule, however, included the improvement of infrastructural facilities in India.
No one is ready to sacrifice their independence at any cost, and so the Indians started their 200 year-long fight against the British colonists. In a way, the British rule helped Indians unite together in a unified struggle for independence. Forgetting all differences of age, sex, religion, language, caste, the Indians from all corners of the country gathered together to fight the well-equipped and cunning forces of the colonists.