The British wanted to build a strong army. The reasons for the same are as follows: When people rebelled in different pockets of the country, army was used to suppress those revolts. …

The British government in India needed a large army for the following reasons: To suppress the internal revolts: they needed a large army to suppress the internal revolts of the country. The British army worked under a Commander General. They had advanced weapons.

By 1856, the British had established their rule on nearly the whole of India. The discontent had risen to such a level that it was now taking the form of a rebellion. The Indian soldiers were merely losing their religion and age old customs by travelling to distant lands, which was considered against their customs.

The British government meanwhile sent Indian troops to fight in West Asia and northern Africa against the Axis. India also geared up to produce essential goods such as food and uniforms. The 4th, 5th and 10th Indian Divisions took part in the North African theatre against Rommel’s Afrika Korps.

35 million Indians

Mike Davis in his book “Late Victorian Holocausts” estimates the number of deaths to be 29 million [1] in 19th century famines in India alone.

At its height it was the largest empire in history and, for over a century, was the foremost global power. By 1913 the British Empire held sway over 412 million people, 23 per cent of the world population at the time, and by 1920 it covered 35,500,000 km2 (13,700,000 sq mi), 24 percent of the Earth’s total land area.

On the downside, people living in countries taken into the Empire often lost lands and suffered discrimination and prejudice. Countries in the Empire were also exploited for their raw materials. Slavery was another negative because despite the enormous profits made, the suffering of the slaves was terrible.

Italy and Greece rank behind the land of the Nile with the second and third richest histories, respectively, and Turkey rounded out the top 10….10 Countries With the Richest Histories.