BRITISH RULE IN INDIA

British East India Company Early British imperialism in India was carried out by a trading company, not the British gov’t – The British East India Company was created to control trade between Britain, India, and East Asia While the Mogul Empire remained strong, the Company was limited to coastal trading cities – The Empire started to break apart in the mid-1700s into small states – The leaders of the East India Company began to manipulate the rulers of these new states, creating chaos

– The East India Company then came in with its own armies and took over much of India, claiming to restore order and rule in the name of Great Britain Now in control, the British East India Company began to make changes – Introduced a new education system, British laws, and the English language – Hired Indian soldiers, known as sepoys, to protect the company’s interests

The Sepoy Mutiny Starts in 1857 due to a new type of rifle that involves the soldiers having to bite off the end of an ammunition cartridge before inserting it into the rifle – The problem is that the bullets were greased with pig and cow fat Cows are sacred to the Hindus and pigs are taboo to Muslims Feel that the British are plotting to make them give up their religions A group of sepoys at one of the army posts refuses to load their rifles

– These sepoys were arrested and punished, leading sepoys everywhere to rise up against their British officers Revolt spread quickly – first War of Independence – Violence was horrible and both sides committed atrocities Sepoys not only killed their officers, but British women and children as well The British burned entire villages and were extremely brutal with captured rebellious sepoys – The sepoys outnumbered the British, but rivalries among Hindus and Muslims kept them from working together – After two years of fighting the British regain control

British Raj The British gov’t, as a result of the mutiny, ended the rule of the British East India Company and transferred power directly to the British gov’t – Rule of Britain in India was often called the British Raj = a Hindu word meaning “rule” – 1876 Queen Victoria took the title of Empress of India – India was Britain’s most important colony – the “jewel in the crown” of the British Empire – Ruling India brought lots of pride and wealth to the people of Britain

India was ruled directly through a British official known as a viceroy – Viceroy = a governor who ruled as a representative of a monarch Was assisted by a British civil service staff – Most of the administration was carried out by a gov’t agency called the Indian Civil Service – Most of these officials were British and employed very few Indians Many educated Indians were frustrated at having no say in the gov’t The British felt the Indians were incapable of ruling themselves – 3,500 officials ruled 300 million people

Costs of British Rule British rule was degrading and humiliating – Felt they were superior and the British received the best jobs and housing – The Indians never considered as equals – The British also destroyed some Hindu temples Taxes were collected to pay for administration and military costs The introduction of British manufactured goods, especially textiles, destroyed local industries in India – Britain closed these industries to eliminate competition with British goods

Encouraged farmers to switch from growing food to cash crops, such as cotton – As a result, food supplies could not keep up with the growing population – Between 1800 and million people died of starvation

Benefits of British Rule Brought order and stability – Divided by civil war previously, now had a relatively honest and efficient gov’t New school system – Taught Western ideas, however it only served upper- class Indians Built infrastructure – Built railroads, telegraph lines, canals, roads, and postal service – British did this to aid the selling of British products and to move troops easier

Rise of Indian Nationalism First Indian nationalists were upper-class and English- educated, usually trained in English law – Most preferred reform to revolution – However the slow pace of reform convinces many Indian nationalists that they can’t rely on the British The first Indian nationalist organization, the Indian National Congress, was founded in 1885 – Was established by English-speaking Hindu Indians – Wanted more positions for Indians in the gov’t and a share in the governing process

A small revolt happened when the British planned to partition Bengal into two provinces – This led to the Indian National Congress calling for the boycott of British goods – They vowed to only wear Indian-made clothes and publicly burned British cloth – The British make concessions to end the boycott Religious differences led to a split – Many of the leaders of the Indian National Congress were Hindu and reflect Hindu concerns – Muslims created a separate Muslim League 1915 Mohandas Gandhi returns from South Africa, had studied law in London – Calls for non-violent resistance

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