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Q20 (IAS/2015) History & Culture › National Movement (1857–1947) › Colonial economic impact Official Key

Who of the following was/were economic critic/critics of colonialism in India? 1. Dadabhai Naoroji 2. G. Subramania Iyer 3. R. C. Dutt Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: D
Explanation

Dadabhai Naoroji, known as the 'Grand Old Man of India', was the foremost economic analyst who put forward the theory of economic drain in his work "Poverty and UnBritish Rule in India"[2]. He argued that India had exported an average of 13 million pounds worth of goods to Britain each year from 1835 to 1872 with no corresponding return[3].

G. Subramaniya Iyer was among the other economic analysts[5] who critiqued British colonialism alongside figures like Gokhale and Prithwishchandra Ray. R. C. Dutt (Romesh Chandra Dutt), author of "The Economic History of India", was also identified as a prominent economic analyst[2] of the colonial period.

These early nationalists carefully analysed the political economy of British rule in India and put forward the "drain theory" to explain British exploitation[6]. They argued that nineteenth century colonialism transformed India into a supplier of foodstuffs and raw materials to Britain, a market for British manufacturers, and a field for investment of British capital[5]. All three individuals were therefore economic critics of colonialism in India.

Sources
  1. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 28: Economic Impact of British Rule in India > Nationalist Critique of Colonial Economy > p. 548
  2. [2] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 28: Economic Impact of British Rule in India > Nationalist Critique of Colonial Economy > p. 548
  3. [3] History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 1: Rise of Nationalism in India > 1.6 Naoroji and his Drain Theory > p. 12
  4. [4] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 28: Economic Impact of British Rule in India > Nationalist Critique of Colonial Economy > p. 549
  5. [5] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 28: Economic Impact of British Rule in India > Nationalist Critique of Colonial Economy > p. 549
  6. [6] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 11: Indian National Congress: Foundation and the Moderate Phase > Economic Critique of British Imperialism > p. 250
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Q. Who of the following was/were economic critic/critics of colonialism in India? 1. Dadabhai Naoroji 2. G. Subramania Iyer 3. R. C. Dutt Se…
At a glance
Origin: From standard books Fairness: High fairness Books / CA: 10/10 · 0/10
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This is a 'Sitter' category question. It targets the core intellectual contribution of the Moderate phase, explicitly detailed in every standard Modern History text (Spectrum/Bipin Chandra). Missing this indicates a gap in reading the foundational chapters on the 'Economic Impact of British Rule'.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Was Dadabhai Naoroji an economic critic of British colonialism in India?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 28: Economic Impact of British Rule in India > Nationalist Critique of Colonial Economy > p. 548
Presence: 5/5
“The early intellectuals of the first half of the nineteenth century supported British rule under the impression that it would modernise the country based on latest technology and capitalist economic organisation. After the 1860s, disillusionment started to set in among the politically conscious and they began to probe into the reality of British rule in India. The foremost among these economic analysts was Dadabhai Naoroji, the 'Grand Old Man of India', who after a brilliant analysis of the colonial economy put forward the theory of economic drain in Poverty and UnBritish Rule in India. Other economic analysts included Justice Mahadeo Govind Ranade, Romesh Chandra Dutt (The Economic History”
Why this source?
  • Identifies Naoroji as the foremost early economic analyst among Indian intellectuals.
  • Specifies he formulated the 'drain theory' and criticised the colonial economy in Poverty and Un-British Rule in India.
History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 1: Rise of Nationalism in India > 1.6 Naoroji and his Drain Theory > p. 12
Presence: 5/5
“His major contribution to the Indian nationalist movement was his book Poverty and Un-British Rule of the British in India (1901). In this book, he put forward the concept of 'drain of wealth'. He stated that in any country The tax raised would have been spent for the wellbeing of the people of that country. But in British India, taxes collected in India were spent for the welfare of England. Naoroji argued that India had exported an average of 13 million pounds worth of goods to Britain each year from 1835 to 1872 with no corresponding return.”
Why this source?
  • Describes Naoroji's major contribution: his book Poverty and Un-British Rule in India.
  • Explains he developed the 'drain of wealth' argument with quantitative claims about exports to Britain.
Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 12: Growth of New India—The Nationalist Movement 1858—1905 > Economic Reforms > p. 209
Presence: 5/5
“In the economic field, the early nationalists complained of India's growing poverty and economic backwardness, and the failure of modern industry and agriculture to grow; and they put the blame on the policies of the British rulers. Thus Dadabhai Naoroji declared as early as 1881 that British rule was "an everlasting, increasing, and every day increasing foreign invasion" that was "utterly, though gradually, destroying the country".”
Why this source?
  • Records a direct, strongly critical statement by Naoroji (1881) characterising British rule as an increasing foreign invasion.
  • Shows his explicit attribution of India's poverty and backwardness to British policies.
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SIMILAR QUESTIONS

IAS · 2008 · Q74 Relevance score: 2.93

Who among the following used the phrase ‘Un-British’ to criticize the English colonial control of India?

NDA-II · 2013 · Q42 Relevance score: 0.63

Consider the following statements : 1. Dadabhai Naoroji first put forward ‘the theory of drain of wealth’. 2. The Indian National Congress adopted a resoultion to criticize the drain of wealth in its annual session at Calcutta in 1896. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

CAPF · 2016 · Q108 Relevance score: -0.21

Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the code given below Lists: List I (Author) a. Dadabhai Naoroji b. Prafulla Chandra Ray c. Mahadev Govind Ranade d. R.C.Dutt List II (Book) 1. Essays on Indian Economics 2. Poverty and UnBritish Rule in India 3. Economic History of India 4. The Poverty Problem in India

CAPF · 2017 · Q6 Relevance score: -1.00

Statement I : Dadabhai Naoroji argued that what was being drained out was ‘potential surplus’ that could generate more economic development in India if invested in India Statement I : Imperialists believed that India was brought into the large capitalist world market and that was in itself a progress towards modernization

IAS · 1996 · Q75 Relevance score: -1.84

Who among the following leaders did not believe in the drain theory of Dadabhai Naoroji ?