The article analyzes the socio-economic consequences of British colonial policy in the nineteenth century in territories under the control of the British Empire. It examines the key directions of colonial governance, including the economic exploitation of colonies, the transformation of traditional social structures, changes in agrarian and industrial relations, as well as the formation of new models of economic development oriented toward the interests of the metropole. Particular attention is paid to the impact of colonial policy on the standard of living of the local population, the processes of deindustrialization and agrarian specialization, and social consequences such as rising inequality and the formation of a colonial elite.