Which of the following statements are 'true' for colonialism?

A. The shared experience of colonial domination helped unify and energise different sections of our society
B. Colonial interventions crystallised religious and caste based communities
C. Colonial rule brought in forces of modernisation and capitalist economic change
D. Colonial rule led to industrialisation and urbanisation in Indian Society

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

A, B, C only

The correct answer is Option 4: A, B, C only

D. Colonial rule led to industrialization and urbanization in Indian Society: This is incorrect as the colonial rule led to de-industrialization and decline of old urban centres.

Broadly speaking, it was in the colonial period that a specifically Indian consciousness took shape. Colonial rule unified all of India for the first time, and brought in the forces of modernisation and capitalist economic change (C). By and large, the changes brought about were irreversible – society could never return to the way things were before. The economic, political and administrative unification of India under colonial rule was achieved at great expense. Colonial exploitation and domination scarred Indian society in many ways. But paradoxically, colonialism also gave birth to its own enemy – nationalism. Historically, an Indian nationalism took shape under British colonialism. The shared experience of colonial domination helped unify and energise different sections of the community(A). The emerging middle classes began, with the aid of western style education, to challenge colonialism on its own ground. Ironically, colonialism and western education also gave the impetus for the rediscovery of tradition. This led to the developments on the cultural and social front which solidified emergent forms of community at the national and regional levels. Colonialism created new classes and communities which came to play significant roles in subsequent history (B). The urban middle classes were the main carriers of nationalism and they led the campaign for freedom. Colonial interventions also crystallised religious and caste based communities.