Imperialism in India – India as a British Colony World History Unit Nine Day Three Student Edition

What did I learn today? One of the first examples of European Imperialism in Asia, the British rule over India changed Indian politics, economics, and society and led to the rise of Indian nationalism.

Colony Vocabulary: Colony  Protectorate  a territory that has its own government but is controlled by a foreign power Spheres of Influence 

Setting the Stage: Europeans had not had much success in colonizing Asia – Trading posted had been established in India, but no colonies were established

The British East India Company: Early Imperialism in India was carried out by British East India Company and not the government Their power was limited by the Mogul Empire

The British Take Control: The Mughal Empire had controlled India for a long period of time – The British knew that as long as the empire was in tact they would never have control over India – The British convinced local leaders that British support was necessary for them to stay in power The pitted rulers against each other and encouraged fighting between kingdoms

Changes in India: They enacted laws that limited many cultural traditions – Ex: Hindu widows would throw themselves in their husband’s funeral fires – this practice was outlawed Christian missionaries entered India and began to spread their religious beliefs Many Indian people were resistant to these changes and this created tension between British leaders and the Indian people

The Sepoy Mutiny : Sepoy – The rebellion started when the British introduced a new rifle – The end of the bullet had to be bitten of by the individual who was firing the gun – Many of the Sepoys were Muslims and Hindu – Hindus do not eat because they believe in reincarnation – Muslims do not eat pork because it is not kosher

Before this incident the Sepoys were already upset with other reforms that had taken place, the change in rifles added to the tension The Sepoy’s in Meerut refused to use the new weapons – This mutiny spread throughout the north The Sepoy’s soon were rebelling against British control – They soon gained control of Dehli – Including the killing of women and children – The British strapped those who were rebelling to cannons and shot them

The British removed some of the social restrictions the Indian faced – There was still a large amount of distrust between the two groups

India as a British Colony: India was the most important British colony – it was called the _______ ___ _________ ________ The colony in India was also a source of national pride

The Raj: The era of British rule in India is known as the Raj This word in Hindi means rule Most of these individuals were British, this left the Indians with little say in how their country was run Many British believed that they were superior to the Indians

Other officials believed that the Indian people were incapable of ruling themselves They built an extensive railroad system

The Vast Market of India: India also had a plentiful amount of natural resources The British also collected a large amount of taxes from the Indian people

The Rise of Indian Nationalism: The upper and middle class did not like the lack of voice they had in their government Indians wanted the same rights of Europeans This caused the movement to gain momentum

The Indian National Congress: Founded in 1885 Popular organization amongst English speaking Indians The movement became more radical when the British government planned to partition Bangladesh They thought it would be easier to govern if it was two countries

In protest the Indians enacted a ____________ (boycott) They boycotted all British goods

The Muslim League: Formed to represent the interest of Indian Muslims

Indian Independence