BACKGROUND INFORMATION• BRITISH POWER IN INDIA WAS INCREASING

• THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAD A TRADING COMPANY - THE BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY HAD POWER

TO BECOME ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN INDIA’S POLITICAL AND MILITARY AFFAIRS

• THE COMPANY HAD ITS OWN SOLDIERS BUT IT ALSO HIRED INDIAN SOLDIERS CALLED SEPOYS TO

PROTECT THE COMPANY’S INTERESTS IN THE REGION

EVENTS LEADING TO REBELLION

• THE INDIANS STARTED TO DISTRUST THE BRITISH WHICH LED TO A REVOLT

• THE BRITISH CALLED IT THE REVOLT OF THE SEPOY MUTINY WHILE THE INDIANS CALLED IT THE FIRST

WAR OF INDEPENDENCE…….

• IT ENDED UP BEING CALLED ……. THE GREAT REBELLION

CAUSES OF THE REVOLT

• THE TROOPS’ NEW RIFLE CARTRIDGES WERE GREASED WITH COW AND PIG FAT

• THE COW WAS SACRED TO THE HINDUS AND PIG WAS TABOO TO MUSLIMS

• TO LOAD THE RIFLE, SOLDIERS HAD TO BITE OFF THE END OF THE CARTRIDGE – THIS MEANT THEY WERE

POLLUTED

CONT.

• THE GROUPS REFUSED TO LOAD THE CARTRIDGES AND THE BRITISH CHARGED THEM AND IMPRISONED

THEM

• THIS ENRAGED THE SEPOY AND THEY ROSE UP AND KILLED 50 EUROPEANS

• EVENTUALLY, TROOPS LOYAL TO BRITISH AND FRESH BRITISH TROOPS WERE ABLE TO CRUSH THE

REBELLION

EFFECTS OF THE REBELLION

• THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT TRANSFERRED THE POWERS OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY TO THE BRITISH

GOVERNMENT

• BRITAIN’S QUEEN VICTORIA BECAME EMPRESS OF INDIA AND INDIA BECAME HER “JEWEL IN THE CROWN”

• THIS SPREAD INDIAN NATIONALISM

BRITISH COLONIAL RULE

• AFTER THE REBELLION, THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT BEGAN TO RULE INDIA DIRECTLY

• THEY APPOINTED A BRITISH OFFICIAL KNOWN AS A VICEROY – GOVERNOR WHO RULED AS A

REPRESENTATIVE MONARCH

• A CIVIL SERVICE STAFF ASSISTED THE VICEROY

• 3,500 OFFICIALS RULED 300 MILLION PEOPLE

BENEFITS OF BRITISH RULE

• IT BROUGHT ORDER AND STABILITY TO A SOCIETY BADLY DIVIDED INTO MANY STATES WITH DIFFERENT

AND OPPOSING POLITICAL SYSTEMS

• IT ALSO LED TO A FAIRLY HONEST AND EFFICIENT GOVERNMENT

NEW SCHOOL SYSTEM

• GOAL: TRAIN INDIAN CHILDREN TO SERVE IN THE GOVERNMENT AND ARMY

• PROBLEM: IT SERVED ONLY ELITE, UPPER-CLASS INDIANS – 90% OF THE POPULATION REMAINED

UNEDUCATED AND ILLITERATE

BENEFITS OF BRITISH RULE• THE BRITISH HIRED INDIANS TO:

• BUILD ROADS

• CANALS

• UNIVERSITIES

• MEDICAL CENTERS

• A POSTAL SERVICE WAS INTRODUCED AND – THE FIRST RAILROAD WAS OPENED

• LASTLY, HEALTH AND SANITATION IMPROVED

COST OF BRITISH RULE• THE GREATEST COST: ECONOMICS

• BRITISH AND A SMALL NUMBER OF INDIANS REAPED FINANCIAL BENEFITS FROM BRITISH RULE

• BRITISH MANUFACTURED GOODS DESTROYED LOCAL INDUSTRIES

• BRITISH TEXTILES PUT THOUSANDS OF WOMEN OUT OF WORK AND SEVERELY DAMAGED THE INDIAN

TEXTILE INDUSTRY

TAXES, TAXES, TAXES

• BRITISH USED LOCAL OFFICIALS TO COLLECT TAXES BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT IT WOULD MAKE IT EASIER

TO COLLECT TAXES FROM PEASANTS

• THE LOCAL OFFICIALS TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THIS AND INCREASED TAXES AND FORCED POOR PEASANTS

TO BECOME TENANTS OR LOSE THEIR LAND

COTTON PRODUCTION

• THE BRITISH ENCOURAGED INDIAN FARMERS TO SWITCH FROM GROWING FOOD TO GROWING COTTON

• RESULT: FOOD SUPPLY COULD NOT KEEP UP WITH THE GROWING POPULATION – 30 MILLION INDIANS

DIED OF STARVATION

THOSE MEAN BRITS…

• BRITISH RULE WAS DEGRADING……

• ONLY THE BEST JOBS WERE RESERVED FOR THE BRITS

• BRITISH ARROGANCE AND RACIAL ATTITUDES CUT DEEPLY INTO INDIAN PRIDE AND LED TO THE RISE OF

AN INDIAN NATIONALIST MOVEMENT

INDIAN NATIONALISTS

• MANY INDIAN NATIONALISTS PREFERRED REFORM TO REVOLUTION

• HOWEVER, IT WAS A SLOW PROCESS..

• A SMALL GROUP CALLED THE INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS CALLED FOR A SHARE IN THE GOVERNING

PROCESS

INDIAN NATIONALISTS

• THE INC HAD DIFFICULTIES DUE TO RELIGIOUS ISSUES – THEY CALLED FOR INDEPENDENCE OF ALL

INDIANS BUT THERE WAS CONFLICT BETWEEN THE HINDUS AND MUSLIMS

INDIAN NATIONALISTS

• THE RETURN OF A YOUNG HINDU FROM SOUTH AFRICA BROUGHT NEW LIFE TO INDIA’S STRUGGLE FOR

INDEPENDENCE

• MOHANDAS GANDHI – BORN IN WEST INDIA, STUDIED LAW IN LONDON, AND WORKED IN SOUTH AFRICA

• LEARNED THE RACIAL EXPLOITATION OF INDIANS LIVING IN SOUTH AFRICA

INDIAN NATIONALISTS

• GANDHI BECAME ACTIVE IN THE INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT

• BEGAN A MOVEMENT BASED ON NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE

• AIM: FORCE THE BRITISH TO IMPROVE THE LOT OF THE POOR AND TO GRANT INDEPENDENCE TO INDIA

• ULTIMATELY: GANDHI’S MOVEMENT LED TO INDIAN INDEPENDENCE

COLONIAL INDIAN CULTURE

• FROM THE BEGINNING, THE BRITISH SHOWED DISRESPECT FOR THE INDIAN CULTURE

• THE TAJ MAHAL WAS BUILT AS A TOMB FOR THE WIFE OF AN INDIAN RULER

• THE BRITISH USED IT AS A FAVORABLE SITE FOR WEDDINGS AND PARTIES

• PARTYGOERS BROUGHT HAMMERS TO CHIP OFF PIECES AS SOUVENIRS

COLONIAL INDIAN CULTURE

• TEXTBOOKS AND DICTIONARIES IN VARIOUS

INDIAN LANGUAGES

• NOVELISTS AND POETS WROTE ROMANCES AND

EPICS IN NATIVE TONGUES

• NEWSPAPERS WERE USED TO SUPPORT

NATIONALISTIC CAUSES

• RABINDRANATH TAGORE WROTE A BOOK THAT

PORTRAYED THE LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP OF

INDIA TOWARDS ITS COLONIAL MENTOR

• THE NOVEL REFLECTED INDIAN PEOPLE WHO

ADMIRED AND IMITATED THE BRITISH BUT

AGONIZED OVER HOW TO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN

NATIONAL IDENTITY