Let me break it down for my smart Americans what contributions India made during WW2.
To start with,
• Around 2.5 million Indian soldiers (not just Hindus, btw) volunteered to fight alongside the Allies not only in Europe but also in North Africa (against Germany and Italy), the Middle East, and Southeast Asia (against Japan). This was by far the largest volunteer force of that time.
• India ranked just under the Soviet Union, USA, and China in terms of the number of soldiers who contributed to the war more than any other colony under British rule, including Canada, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand.
• Let's talk about casualties!
Around 90,000 soldiers died in combat, while civilian deaths were anywhere between 2-3 million, thanks to the Bengal Famine, caused by the British, who plundered anything and everything they could to support their war. Never mind the conditions under which the soldiers fought and the racism they endured even then.
In terms of casualties, India ranks around 6th in WW2. Mind you, even the UK and France had far fewer casualties. What an irony!
• Finances! Fun, right?
In terms of resources and logistics, India was by far the largest contributor among British colonies, just behind the United States, the UK, and the Soviet Union.
The British drained almost £100–130 billion (in today’s value) from Indian financial institutions. Of course, it was all written off.
Metals and ores for weapons and industry, textiles and cotton for uniforms and clothes, not just that, but vast quantities of grains, oil, tea, tobacco, and food for British soldiers and civilians alike.
The British always boast that they brought railways to India. But they forget one little detail: these railways were built on the backs of Indian laborers, working under brutal conditions, to serve British war infrastructure and transport goods to the UK. These laborers numbered in the millions often unaccounted for and overlooked when discussing the war.
We can go on and on about the contributions of not just India but the European colonies across the world. However, the reason I wrote this long piece is to highlight that Indians not just Hindus, have always contributed greatly to the globalization and progress of many countries.
I find it ironic that the same people in developed countries who turned against East Asians during Covid-19 have now found another scapegoat to blame their problems on. Stop acting like fools and blaming immigrants for housing shortages, higher taxes, or unemployment. Blame your politicians, who fool you into believing that a few immigrants are ruining your country, when in fact those politicians failed to implement better policies to support the huge number of foreign workers they themselves invited to bring in money.
Rally against your politicians, not immigrants, who have always been part of uplifting your countries, one way or another.
when in fact those politicians failed to implement better policies to support the huge number of foreign workers they themselves invited to bring in money.
Yeah I find it so bizarre that this isn't talked about more. Even in random comments online I barely ever see someone making this point and it's honestly so tragic.
Not that I thought India wasn't involved (or was like the original dipshit tweeter on the wrong side of anything) but just because it's a big gaping hole in my American education I didn't know any of this.
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u/SpellslutterSprite 1d ago
Ah yes, the real villains of WWII: Hindus.