11.4 Imperialism in India

Setting the Stage British East India Company (BEIC) was the ruling for in India as early as the late 1700s.

British Expand Control over India British East India Company

East India Company Dominates British gov’t regulated the BEIC in London and India Until 1800s the BEIC ruled w/little interference in India’s gov’t Had its own army  British officers w/ sepoys Sepoys: Indian soldiers “delicate and dangerous machine, which a little mismanagement may easily turn against us”

Britain’s “Jewel in the Crown” India: Lots of raw materials to supply Britain’s industrial revolution 300 million ppl = a market to sell British goods to India = the “Jewel in the Crown” b/c it was Britain’s most valuable colony

Britain’s “Jewel in the Crown” How did the British ensure India would always be its jewel? Restrictions on India’s economy so it couldn’t operate on its own Indian competition w/ British goods prohibited India couldn’t produce the same good

British Transport Trade Goods India established a railroad = even more valuable to Britain now Able to bring raw materials from the interior of the country to the ports Significant crops: Tea (from China in exchange for opium) Indigo Coffee Cotton

Impact of Colonialism Negative impacts: Br held most of political and economic power in India Restrictions on Indian industries (textiles) Loss of self-sufficiency and famine for villagers b/c of cash crop plantations Missionaries and racism

Impact of Colonialism Positive impacts: World’s 3 rd largest railway constructed in India by British Allowed for modern economy and unity Modernization all around Roads, telephone and telegraph lines, dams, bridges and irrigation Improved sanitation and public health Colleges + schools founded and literacy increased Got rid of bandits + settled wars among local leaders

The Sepoy Mutiny 1850: British controlled most of India Significant amount of discontent b/c thought the British were trying to convert them to Christianity Resented the racism of the British

Indians Rebel As economic problems increased for the Indians they became more nationalistic and more resentful 1857: Gossip among sepoys that their cartridges were greased w/ beef + pork fat Had to bite off ends of the cartridge to use  Hindus consider cows sacred, Muslims (don’t eat pork) infuriated

Indians Rebel British commander shocked when over 85% of sepoys refused the cartridges British jailed all those who refused and the next day (May 10, 1857) sepoys rebelled

Sepoy Mutiny Rebel sepoys met w/ Indian soldiers + took the city of Dehli and spread across India Led to fierce fighting b/w the Indians and British Took 1+ year for the BEIC to regain control Indians had trouble uniting (serious splits b/w Hindus and Muslims) Sikhs remained loyal to the British and made up the new army in India

Turning Point B/c of the mutiny the Br took complete control of the colony Raj: British rule after India came under Br crown during Queen Victoria’s reign Br promised all loyal Indian princes that they would respect past treaties All independent state would remain so…unofficially though Br gained more control.

Nationalism Surfaces in India Early 1800s: some Indians began demanding modernization and self-government Ram Mohun Roy: Indian thinker who spoke out against traditional practices such as: Arraigned child marriages and the caste system Argued that if these weren’t changed then India would always be controlled by outsiders Many Indians also hated that they were 2 nd - class in their own country Paid less for the same work, couldn’t get all jobs

Nationalist Groups Form 1885: Indian National Congress 1906: Muslim League Both were called for self-gov’t In 1905 – British divided up Bengal into 2 parts (Muslim + Hindu) to keep them from uniting Enraged the Indians ∴ in 1911 the British divided them in a different way