As many know, imperialism has shaped the culture and customs of the world. Imperialism is the domination of one country over another on a political, economic or social level. Western culture can be seen in all parts of the world; from Asia to Africa, to the Indies and to the Americans. The downside of having bits and pieces of Western culture all over the world is how they got there. Western influence has been imposed on places in Asia, especially India and Indonesia, at a hellish cost; lives and poverty. In 1600 the English took advantage of the decadence of the Mughals. In 1757, Robert Clive led an indisputable victory against Indian forces at the Battle of Plassey. After that battle, the East India Company was the main force in India. Eventually, the company directly or indirectly ruled areas that included modern-day Bangladesh, much of southern India, and nearly all of the territory along the Ganges River to the north. Until the 19th century, the East India Company ruled with little or no interference from Britain. The company had even created its own army. The company staffed its army with British and Indian soldiers, or Sepoys, with the Sepoys eventually outnumbering the British soldiers ten to one. Mountstuart Elphinstone, the governor of Bombay, called the Sepoy Army “a delicate and dangerous machine, which a little mismanagement could easily turn against us.” (British Imperialism in India.) On May 10, 1857, Elphinstone was proved right when the Sepoys rebelled against the British starting the Sepoy Rebellion. Before this rebellion, there had been other epidemics led by Sepoys. The difference is that all of these were quickly and brutally eliminated by the British. The final "spark", as Maria Elde says...... in the center of the paper......w A way to share documents online. Network. May 30, 2011. .Muhlberger, Steven. "NU HIST 2805: The Dutch in Indonesia." Nipissing University. Nipissing University, 1999. Web. May 30, 2011. Wilson, Tim. “Memo to Indonesia: Eliminate the Red Tape.” Sydney Morning Herald - Business and world news Australia | Smh.com.au. May 31, 2011. Web. May 30, 2011. Sala, Allan. "World War I officially ends - Telegraph." Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph - Telegraph. 28 September 2010. Web. 30 May 2011. .