British Imperialism in India - Section 4

Chapter 11
Section 4
 As the Mughal Empire
declined, Britain seized
Indian territory and soon
controlled almost the
whole subcontinent.
 India, the second most
populated nation in the
world, adopted some of
its modern political
institutions from the
British.
 British economic interest began in
India in the 1600s, when the British
East India Company set up trading
posts.
 At first, India’s ruling Mughal Dynasty
kept European traders under control.
 By 1707, the Mughal Empire was
collapsing.
 Small states broke away from Mughal
control.
 East India Company became the
leading power in India.
 The area controlled by
the East India Company
grew over time.
 It eventually governed
modern Bangladesh,
most of southern India
and nearly all the
territory along the
Ganges River in the
north.
 The British government
regulated the East India
Company’s efforts both in
London and in India.
 Before the 19th century,
the EIC ruled India with
little interference from
the British government.
 EIC even had its own army.
 Staffed
by Indian soldiers -
Sepoys.
 Britain’s economy was
booming due to the Industrial
Revolution.
 India was a great source of
raw materials.
 Its 300 million people were a
large potential market for
British-made goods.
 British considered India the
brightest “jewel in the
crown” - the most valuable of
the British colonies.
 The British set up
policies that forced
India to give Britain raw
materials and buy
British goods.
 Competition was
prohibited.
 Indian’s textile industry
was almost put out of
business.
 After the railroad
network was
established in India, it
became even more
important to Britain.
 India could now
transport raw
materials from the
interior to the ports.
 India both benefited and was
harmed by British colonialism.
 Negative – British had too much
political and economic power.
 Emphasis on cash crops resulted
in loss of self-sufficiency for many
villagers.
 Reduced food production and caused
famine.
 Positive – India now had the 3rd
largest railroad network.
 Ledto the development of a
modern economy and unity among
the regions.
 By 1850, British
controlled most of India.
 Indians were discontent.
 They believed that the
British were also trying to
convert them to
Christianity.
 They also resented the
constant racism that the
British expressed toward
them.
 As the economic problems
increased for Indians, so did their
feelings of resentment and
nationalism.
 Rumors spread among the sepoys
that their gun cartridges were
greased with beef and pork.
 To use the cartridge the soldiers
had to bite off the ends.
 Hindus do not eat cows.
 Muslims do not eat pork.
 They were outraged.
 Eighty five out of ninety
sepoys refused to accept the
cartridges.
 British jailed the soldiers
who disobeyed.
 Next day, the sepoys
rebelled.
 Known as the Sepoy Mutiny.
 Spread over northern India.
 Fighting was intense.
 Took over a year for the
British to regain control.
 Indians could not unite
due to weak leadership
and splits between the
Muslims and Hindus.
 Hindus did not want the
Muslim Mughal Empire
restored.
 Many Hindus preferred
British rule to Muslim
rule.
 As a result of the
mutiny, the British
took direct control
of India.
 The term Raj
referred to British
rule after India
came under the
British crown
during the reign of
Queen Victoria.
 In the early 1800s, some
Indians began demanding
more modernization and a
greater role in governing
themselves.
 Traditional Indian practices –
arranged child marriages
and rigid caste system.
 Many felt Indians needed to
change their traditional
practices.
 Indians hated being
second-class citizens in
their own country.
 They were paid less for
the same jobs that
Europeans performed in
their country.
 Ex. European engineers
made 20 times the
amount of Indian
engineers.
 Growing nationalism led to the
founding of two groups: Indian
National Congress (1885) and the
Muslim League (1906).
 By the early 1900s they were
calling for self-government.
 British divided Bengal into two
sections: Muslim and Hindu.
 Harder for them to unite.
 This infuriated the Indians.
 British recalled the order and
divided Bengal differently.

British Imperialism in India - Section 4

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

British Imperialism in India - Section 4

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

British Imperialism in India - Section 4

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Chapter 11

You might also like