What happened?
They were once the pinnacle of human civilization, and now they literally shit in the streets.
What went so wrong?
Caste system makes sure innovation is suppressed as only the opinion of the selected individuals will ever be heard.
>>24756
>overpopulation (this is the big one)
>failed socialist government "five-year plans"
>too much bureaucracy and red tape
>they were prevented from industrializing under the British
>adoption of democracy in areas where the locals were not ready
We all shit in the street before industrialization. Most of the world shat in the street seventy years ago. I regularly piss on the street, because I live in a small rural community. So?
I've been to India. I saw no one shitting on the street. I did see people shitting near the railway though, but nowhere near as many people walk on the railway. It's poverty, stupid. They were virtually enslaved by their own caste system, national divisions and European imperialism invited in for the purpose of sheer greed -- self interest at the expense of another here being the first cause of their own misery. Secondly, they became independent at a time when Socialism was really in vogue, and we all know how that ends up.
Ever since they've been moving towards free trade, things have been looking up. They will surpass China one day, undoubtedly sooner than you would think.
>>24813
The caste system has been outlawed in India since 1947.
In fact, they have affirmative action for lower caste Indians.
Not saying discrimination exists, but still.
>>24862
Affirmative action is a thing that cripples the country still, so I think you can say he's right in a way.
>>24756
There was a suprisingly good article at Return of Kings by an Indian American, which I will briefly summarize:
India was never a country until ejecting the British. India was cobtinuously a civilization with many governments, some simtaneous, and massive cultural influence through what is now China, Thailand, Indonesia and all its neighbors. So thinking of it as one state that lost its way is inaccurate, that better describes USA. It is entirely foreseeable that the present government could be surpassed, and "India," which is not a government, would be unharmed.
the British
>>24979
britain did nothing wrong
>once pinnacle of human civilization
when?
>>24756
Overpopulation.
GDP doesn't mean shit when you're per capita is so shit your people have to shit in the streets.
I predict the same thing is going to happen to EU. Infrastructure and economical development can't keep up with the insanely large population spurge.
License Raj set India back decades.
>>25000
Britain prevented India from industrializing by force.
Worse, they did away with tariffs while maintaining heavy tariffs of their own, allowing their goods to be dumped on Indian markets at cheap prices, stifling local Indian industries.
They built railways, sure, but those were to move cash crops from the Indian interior (where Indians worked on British owned plantations, while getting to keep none of the profit) to the ports where they would be shipped out of India and sold (again, Indians would share in none of the profit).
>>25070
At two points in human history: the Indus valley civilization and the Gupta Empire
>yfw the Indus valley civilization had flushing toilets in every house
Massive corruption. Democracy isn't for everyone.
>>25114
This is a surprisingly good argument, but I still believe all the Indian states would have been far worse off under the rule of one of the many muslim empires cropping up in the north.
Today, India is a united nation of economic growth and the envy of their northern neighbors. How is this a bad end result?
>>25217
What are you smoking? India is not the envy of anyone. More than half the population does not half access to a toilet. Majority of the people there live on less than $2 a day.
Yes, they have "economic growth" right now if you look at the statistics, but that is to be expected in a poor un-industrialized nation of this enormous size. It's just basic economics.
>>24756
What happened is that their population expanded faster than the development of the country could care for them.
Less people = better lives for everyone
More people = shittier lives for everyone
>>25327
Compared to Afghanistan, Tibet and everyone else in the region they're an industrialized powerhouse. Toilets are overrated, a hole in the ground serves most of humanity.
>>25217
>the Indian states would have been far worse off under the rule of one of the many muslim empires cropping up in the north.
Not really.
Those states (i.e. Mughals, Lodhis) reinvested the wealth they gained from India back into India, because that is where their political power base was.
The British on the other hand took wealth out of India and mostly reinvested it back in Britain.
>>25408
They don't even have holes.
>>25167
>every house
thats rather impressive if true
even urban romans had to use communal latrines
>>24850
>I regularly piss on the street
I think your opinion might be a little bit biased.
>>25411
If economy was everything, how come the middle east is in complete and utter chaos?
>>24756
>>25448
Proxy wars by regional countries and superpowers wanting their resources.
>>25508
And why is this not a thing in the Indian region?
>>25448
The rich Gulf states, Iran, and Saudi Arabia are doing fine.
It's the other countries, the ones that were colonized, used as proxy battlegrounds for the Soviets and the Americans during the Cold War, and are now being used as proxy battlegrounds for the Saudis and Iranians today, that are in chaos.
>>25480
>the french
>>25539
Iran is not doing fine, they have the second highest execution rate in the world. And they have all been involved in devastating wars while the last time India was sacked, human rights were still considered a joke.
>>25524
No important resources.
>>25611
And why are all the important resources gone?
>>25605
>second highest execution rate in the world
That doesn't mean anything, all they are doing is keeping Iran gay free.
>>25605
Iran’s HDI value – for the year 2012 – is 0.742. This puts the country in the “high human development” category.
Source: http://www.ir.undp.org/content/iran/en/home/countryinfo.html
nobody gives a fuck about your executions. the US has the highest incarceration rate in the world, and we're doing fine.
>>25627
Britain took everything there was to take.
>>24756
>What happened to Chartage
>What happened to the Persian Empire
>What happened to Athens
>What happened to the Incans
Things change, history moves on.
>>25441
I don't know much about it, but the evidence of flushing toilets in every house would surely go from evidence in stone dwellings. Since not everyone would be living in stone dwellings (pure economics) it would probably be more accurate to say every wealthy and powerful person had a flushing toilet in their house.
This is where all the cleanliness stuff came from for modern India, anyway, so an instance of Noble Morality here wouldn't be surprising.
>>25627
Everyone got enough curry.
>>24756
Yeah, Rome used to be an empire and now it's faggots on scooters. Persia used to be a seat of learning and now it's Iran. China used to invent loads of wonderful things and now they're gommies with no imagination.
Things change.
>>25480
That's pretty banterous.
I love how all these retards blame the British. As if the British were the ones who made them not use toilets
>>25167
But Indus valley is in Pakistan you idiot
>>28592
It was in both countries desu sempai.
>>24756
Does anyone have a comprehensive history resource about India during and after english colonisation? Seems like an interesting subject to me.
>>25327
>More than half the population does not half access to a toilet
they have "economic growth" right now if you look at the statistics, but that is to be expected in a poor un-industrialized nation of this enormous size. It's just basic economics.
Retard spotted
>>24826
>>overpopulation (this is the big one)
India isn't overpopulated.
>>28771
haha, what
>>28771
It really is.
Alright, there are some parts of it which aren't, but most of it absolutely is.
t. India visitor
