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Unit 12: Processes of Change

They point to the existence of institutional impediments to productive activities that retard the rate of Notes
investment. A few examples of such institutional impediments are land tenure systems that deny
peasants the gain from increasing productivity, taxes that slow the flow of goods from one part of the
country to another, and an elaborate bureaucratic regulations.
Impact of the West and Modernization in India

The impact of the West on India, following Alatas (1972: 121), can be discussed in five phases. The
first phase is that of hostile contact with the conquest of Alexander, etc., followed by contact of peaceful
inter-change as the result of trade and commerce of successive centuries. The second phase began by
the end of the fifteenth century when Vasco da Gama arrived with his ships at Calicut in 1498 A.D.
Within a few years, the Portuguese occupied Goa. But the effect of these westerners was relatively
restricted. The third phase began when East India Company established its rule in the beginning of
the eighteenth century and later on the British rule was established in the country by the middle of
the eighteenth century. This was the first step in the expansion of western culture in India. The fourth
phase commenced with the beginning of the nineteenth century following the industrial revolution.
With the economic exploitation of India by the British as source of raw materials, began the spread
and dominance of western culture in social and cultural fields too. The fifth and the last phase began
after the political independence of the country in 1947.
What has been the impact of the western culture on our society in terms of effect on our culture and
our social systems? The impact may be briefly described as follows:
1. Western institutions like banking system, public administration, military organization, modern
medicine, law, etc., were introduced in our country.
2. Western education broadened the outlook of the people who started talking of their rights and
freedom. The introduction of the new values, the rational and secular spirit, and the ideologies
of individualism, equality and justice assumed great importance.
3. Acceptance of scientific innovations raised the aspirations of raising the standard of living and
providing material welfare for the people.
4. Many reform movements came into being. Several traditional beliefs and practices dysfunctional
to society were discarded and many new behaviour patterns were imbibed.
5. Our technology, agriculture, entrepreneurship and industry were modernized leading to the
economic well-being of our country.
6. The hierarchy of political values has been restructured. Accepting the democratic form of
government, all native states who had been under a monarchic form of government have been
merged into the Indian State and the authority and domination of feudals and zamindars has
been demolished.
7. There have been structural changes in social institutions like marriage, family and caste, creating
new forms of relations in social life, religion, etc.
8. The introduction of the modern means of communication, such as railway and bus travel, postal
service, air and sea travel, press, and radio and television have affected man’s life in varied
respects.
9. There is rise in the feeling of nationalism.
10. The emergence of the middle class has changed the dominant values of the society.
The impact of western culture has also been described by Alatas in terms of four types of changes in
our culture and social system: eliminative changes, additive changes, supportive changes and synthetic
changes. The eliminative changes are those which cause the disappearance of culture traits, behaviour
patterns, values, beliefs, institutions, etc. As an illustration, we can cite the example of total change in
weapons used in fighting wars, abolition of sati, and so forth. The additive changes refer to the adoption
of new culture traits, institutions, behaviour patterns and belief systems covering diverse aspects of
life. These additions were not present earlier in the culture of people. Introducing divorce in the
Hindu society, giving share to daughters in father’s property, introducing election system in
panchayats, etc. are a few examples of this type of change. The supportive changes are those which

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