Technology and Colonialism: Public Infrastructure Development in the Punjab during British India

Abstract

Britain was the first country to complete the industrial revolution in the early 19th century, and its mastery of advanced science and technology. Britain's industrial productivity made a quantitative and qualitative leap. Influenced by geostrategy, India became a bridgehead for Britain to expand its colonial power. In order to benefit from India and maintain Britain's own interests, British began to develop India in various methods. This paper focuses on Punjab with the construction of irrigation and railroads by British in the second half of 19th century. It emphasis that new technologies was used in colonial period, which contributed to the development of the colony, at the same time it had a colonial characters.