British Imperialism in India

India

Great Britain in India 1600’s Great Britain set up trading posts through out India

Various Paths to Colonial Status India and Indonesia = colonial conquest grew out of earlier interactions with European trading companies India = became controlled by Britain Indonesia = became controlled by the Dutch Neither country had a clear-cut plan for conquest Conquest evolved slowly as local authorities and European traders made and unmade a variety of alliances Acquisition of India and Indonesia = fairly easy because both were fragmented territories with no political unity British authorities meeting with Mughal leaders

British East India Company ● controlled British trade in India eventually the company gained political control over Bangladesh, Southern India, and Northern India (along Ganges River)

British East India Company 1800’s: company operated in India with no regulation by British government company had its own army Company army led by British army officers

Sepoys Indians who joined British armies in India Resented by other Indians

Sepoy Mutiny 1857 gossip spread amongst Sepoys (Indian soldiers for the British) the seals of their ammunition had to be bitten off they believed the British dipped the seals of their ammunition in beef and pork (Hindus can not eat beef/ Muslims can not eat pork) “ Whenever the grease around the bullet appears to be melted away, or otherwise removed from the cartridge, the sides of the bullet should be wetted in the mouth before putting it in the barrel; the saliva will serve the pupose of grease for the time being.-Endfield Rifle Field manual”

“Jewel in the Crown” Industrial Revolution turned India into a major supplier of raw materials to Great Britain 300 million Indians were a large market for British products Document 1 The colony benefited from imperialism because it received food and manufactured goods. Roads, canals, railways, and schools are additional “blessings of civilization” that the colony receives. The colonizer received tropical produce from the “garden spot.”

“Jewel in the Crown” British forbade India from trading on its own with other countries India was forced to produce raw materials for only Britain and to buy finished products from only Britain Document 2 This Indian speaker referred to the British colonial rule as a “knife of sugar.” India enjoyed peace and order but they suffered from material poverty. In the second extract, the author pointed out that the British held all the high government positions and lived off of India. Indian competition with British finished products was forbidden

Raw Materials Taken from India Tea Indigo (dye for clothing)

Raw Materials Taken from India Coffee Cotton

Raw Materials Taken from India Jute (fiber for making rope) Opium (plant that heroin is made from)

Raw Materials Taken from India Britain relied more on raw materials from India as wars around the world cut off British supplies from other places example: American Civil War (1861-1865) made Indian cotton more important to Great Britain because cotton supply from America was cut off

Positives for India ■ Telephone and telegraph lines Great Britain laid the world’s third largest railroad network in India Railroads brought unity to disconnected regions in India Modern road network ■ Telephone and telegraph lines Dams, bridges, canals Sanitation and public health improved Schools/ colleges founded Truces between local warring rulers in India Document 4 This author believed that British money and brains brought many benefits—communication and transportation systems and an irrigation system that increased farmland and agricultural production. India also had an improved sanitary system and a social welfare system. As a result of British rule, Indians enjoyed a higher standard of living Document 3 This Indian, Romesh Dutt, pointed out several benefits enjoyed by India—Western education and modern science. The British also built a governmental bureaucracy that was efficient and provided law and order as well as judicial system.

Purpose? Audience? Document 5 This British author identified the “standards of humanity” that the British brought to India. These included the end of female infanticide, slavery, and slave trade

Negatives for India British restricted Indian-owned industries British held all political and economic power British restricted Indian-owned industries Cash crops made it impossible for small farmers to produce enough food for themselves Racist attitudes of most British officials and missionaries threatened Indian traditional life

Indian Nationalists( Purpose? Audience?) Document 6 Nehru points out the negative effects for India of being a “colonial economy” for the British. Indian economic development was disrupted when the British broke up old Indian industries. India supplied raw materials and agricultural products for England, and India was a market for British industrial products. As a result of imperialism, unemployment and poverty rose in India.( Will become the firsat independent political eader of India in 1947) Document 7 Gandhi complained that Indians were not allowed to develop the skills needed for self – Government( He wll serve as the spiritual leader for Indian Independence)

Indians Rebel Indians were angry at attempts to forcefully convert them to Christianity By 1850 most Indians resented that Great Britain owned their country ■ Indians were angry at the constant racism expressed towards them by the British Indians were angry Britain controlled all useful land in their country

Sepoy Mutiny British commander was outraged when 85 Sepoys refused to accept the ammunition The Sepoys were jailed for disobeying orders May 10, 1857 Sepoys rebelled; marched on Delhi (Indian capital) rebellion spread into northern and central India

Sepoy Mutiny British government sent troops to help them Fierce fighting between British and Sepoys (aided by other Indians) East India Company took more than a year to regain control of the country British government sent troops to help them

Indians Did Not Fully Unite During Sepoy Mutiny serious splits between Hindus and Muslims unclear inconsistent leadership Many Indian princes did not take part in the rebellion (made alliances with British) Sikhs (Indian religious group) remained loyal to the British

Sikhs

Sikhs Minority Indian religious group Sikhs feared Muslims would regain control of the country during Sepoy Mutiny ■ Muslim Mughals ruled India before Britain

Sikhs Mughals did not allow religious freedom Sikhs replaced Sepoys in Britain’s Indian army after the Sepoy Mutiny Great Britain allowed some religious freedom in India

Turning Point 1858 British government took direct control over India (because of the Mutiny) Raj (time period when India was under Great Britain’s control: 1757-1947)

Raj India was divided into 11 Provinces and 250 districts sometimes a handful of officials would be the only British amongst millions of Indians in a district Mutiny increased distrust between British and Indians: it fueled more British racism towards Indians

Ram Mohun Roy (1772-1833) well-educated Indian who began a campaign to modernize India he was opposed to India’s caste system (social class system that ties a person to the social class they are into for life: based on Hindu beliefs) opposed to child marriages and widow suicides believed these practices needed to be changed if India wanted to be free from rule by outsiders

Ram Mohun Roy (1772-1833) other Indian writers picked up on Roy’s ideas and called for changes Indian resented being second-class citizens in their own country Indians were paid 20 times less than British Indians could not hold top jobs in government

Indian National Congress 1885 Made up of Hindus; called for self-government upset that Britain segregated Bengal (Indian city) into Muslim section and Hindu section in 1905 INC led acts of violence against British in Bengal 1911 Britain changed the order of segregation

Muslim League 1906 Made up of Muslims also called for self-government also upset about segregation of Bengal in1905 also participated in acts of violence against British in India

Indian Nationalism Grows Indian National Congress (Hindus)/Muslim League (Muslims) Found Common Ground Both worked together towards Indian Independence

World War I Great Britain got 1 Million Indians to enlist in the British army to fight in World War I Britain promised Indians self-government in exchange for them enlisting in the British army 1918 Indian troops returned home: expected Britain to fulfill its promise

Rowlatt Act (1919) instead Indian troops were treated as second class citizens again by Great Britain many Indians committed acts of violence against British in India in response Great Britain passes Rowlatt Act (1919) in response

Rowlatt Act (1919) allowed British gov’t to jail protestors for 2 years with no trial violent protests by Indians in Punjab (province with most Indian World War I veterans)

Amritsar Massacre (Spring 1919) alliance of Hindus and Muslims scared the British 10,000 Hindus and Muslims went to Amritsar (capital of Punjab Province): festival to pray and hear political speeches

Amritsar Massacre (Spring 1919) Britain had earlier banned public protests: Britain issued the ban without informing most Indians! British General Reginald Dyer ordered his troops to fire on the unarmed crowd without warning Shooting lasted 10 minutes: 400 Indians Killed; 1200 wounded news of the massacre spread rapidly across India: Indians demanded independence

Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948) Amritsar Massacre set the stage for Mohandas Gandhi to become leader of the Indian Independence Movement his teachings blended ideas from all major world religions (especially Hinduism, Christianity, Islam)

Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948) Gandhi preached/practiced Civil Disobedience deliberate and public refusal to obey any unjust law rebellion without violence 1920 Indian National Congress officially adopts Gandhi’s policy as a means to push for independence

Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948) Gandhi’s Plan for Civil Disobedience: Refuse to buy British goods Refuse to attend British schools Refuse to pay British taxes Refuse to vote in elections Indians weave their own cloth (to put British cloth out of business)

Civil Disobedience 1922 Indian rioters attacked a police station and set officers on fire! Many British businesses went out of business in India British arrested Indians who protested and boycotted

Salt Acts 1930 These laws required that Indians buy salt only from the British government (without refrigeration, salt was crucial to keeping food from spoiling) Required Indians to pay a sales tax to British on salt as well

Salt March 1930 In protest Gandhi and his followers walked 240 miles to the coast to make their own salt demonstrators marched to a British salt processing plant to protest made salt by evaporating sea water

Salt March 1930 British police attacked protestors with steel clubs Protestors refused to defend themselves: marching peacefully International newspapers covered the event: won worldwide support for Gandhi’s movement British arrested 60,000 peaceful protestors (including Gandhi)

Great Britain Grants India Self-Rule 1935 Government of India Act ■ British Parliament allows India some self- rule ■ Allowed for local self- government (mayors) and limited elections (regional representatives) This was the first step in full independence for India Gandhi and his campaign was successful

Internal Conflict Hindus far outnumbered Muslims in India India does not get full independence until after World War II (after 1945) Hindus far outnumbered Muslims in India Hindus and Muslims had conflicting views for India’s future Leads to more internal conflict