1. British Imperialism in India

2. India

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

4. British East India Company
● controlled British trade in India

5. 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

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

7. “Jewel in the Crown”
Great Britain considered India its most precious jewel (colony) in its Imperial crown

8. “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

9. “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

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

11. Raw Materials Taken from India
Coffee
Cotton

12. Positives for India
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

13. Negatives for India British held all political and economic power
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

14. Indians Rebel
Indians were angry at attempts to forcefully convert them to Christianity
By 1850 most Indians hated 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

15. 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)

16. 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; because they were sick of British harassment
East India Company took more than a year to regain control of the country

17. Ram Mohun Roy ( )
Leader of movement to make changes to India so they could be free from Britain.

18. Amritsar Massacre (Spring 1919)
alliance of Hindus and Muslims scared the British
10,000 Hindus and Muslims went to the city of Amritsar to pray and hear political speeches

19. 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

20. Mohandas Gandhi ( )
Amritsar Massacre set the stage for Mohandas Gandhi to become leader of the Indian Independence Movement

21. Mohandas Gandhi ( )
Gandhi preached/practiced Civil Disobedience-deliberate and public refusal to obey any unjust law
Also he told people not to buy British products.

22. Great Britain Grants India Self-Rule
1935 Government of India Act
■ British Parliament allows India some self- rule
Gandhi and his campaign was successful
This was the first step in full independence for India
India does not get full independence till after WWII