At its zenith, the British Empire was the largest empire to have ever exist in history, stretching nearly 13,012,000 sq. miles and governing a populace of 458-million people. The sun never sets on the British Empirewas attributed for a reason.
Coming back to the charge-sheet on British Empire, its inept management and indifference to its colonial subjects is simply unparalleled. It distorted its colonies with boundary conflicts, failed to suppress civil strife, caused deliberate famines and siphoned off economic wealth, inter alia. It left behind a trail of ashes, burying nations in coffins before they gained independence.

1. Impact on India
Before the British Empire stumbled on to the Indian shores, the region was the 2ndbiggest global economy. However, its growth rate stagnated to 0% during British colonialism. As Industrial Revolution revamped a Europe coming out of the medieval ages, the imperial power purposefully kept technological advancements at an arm’s length from the natives. Infrastructure and institutions build under the colonial rule prioritized the exploitation of resources rather than aid local development, disempowering the natives.
The nefarious Indian famineswere all preventable, mostly occurring due to incompetent British management and the corrupt civil servants under her employ. In his inevitable frustration, the then Governor General of India stated about Winston Churchill:Winston’s grasp of India is as ghastly as that of George Washington about America.
The British departed from India leaving it in tethers and smithereens, its border disputes unresolved, it’s institutions underdeveloped, it’s economy dependent and civil strife rife, as nascent founded nations were leftto pick up the pieces.
Playing the divorced wife, British Empire drained India dry from its financial wealth, shipping it off to London. It purposefully withheld domestic investments to eliminate local competition, which would have conflicted with British commercial interests.
In essence, British Empire crashed, burnt and plundered during its heydays, with its aftereffects still resonating half a century later.