How did Great Britain have so much power and influence considering how small it is? How did they manage to colonise the entirety of India so easily?

Question

How did Great Britain have so much power and influence considering how small it is? How did they manage to colonise the entirety of India so easily?

In: 167

Answer 1

By building and controlling the railway system the Brits could move troops and supplies incredibly fast. Also it was very profitable of course to move people and good around the many Indian states. Those profits were then used to “hire/train/arm” local troops.

Often those states were hostile to each other and British diplomats were quick to exploit local squabbles for alliances.

Also, extreme violence.