Introduction of Railways in India: A Connected History
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Keywords

Railways
Industrial Revolution
Guarantee System
East India Company

How to Cite

Introduction of Railways in India: A Connected History. (2025). Journal of Asiatic Society for Social Science Research, 7(2), 98-106. https://asssr.in/index.php/jasssr/article/view/156

Abstract

Advancements in the field of scientific enquiry made possible a series of inventions in the eighteenth century onwards in Europe. Railway was one such invention, which not only revolutionised but also integrated society economically. There was a concurrence of the scaling up of production due to the mushrooming of factories and the emergence of the mass market with the breakthrough of railways. This ultimately led to the economic boom in Britain, which is known as the Industrial Revolution. These technologies were soon transported to colonies. This transforms the colonies as well, with both degenerative and regenerative implications. However, historians often look at this problem from the ‘nationalist’ framework. This paper attempts to explore the onset of railways in India beyond the national boundaries.  Using the ‘connected history’ lens, the study highlights how Britain introduced the Railway and monopolised its technology in India.

DOI: 10.46700/asssr/2025/v7/i2/156

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References

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