CHAPTER 24, SECTION 4

The British Take Over India

East India Company and Rebellion

The Mughal Empire had ruled India for almost 200 years, but by the 1700s, it was weakening due to weak rulers

Britain then began to get interestedAs the Mughal Empire weakened, the

different cultures in the region fragmented England took advantage of this to encourage

competition and disunity Also used weapons

British East India Company

Main goal: MAKE MONEY Also worked some to improve roads, preserve peace

and reduce crime

British officials also worked to spread Christianity, end slavery and the caste system, and improve the lives of women (banned sati)

Growing Discontent

In the 1850s, the British did several things that upset Indians Required sepoys (Indian soldiers) to serve anywhere,

which went against their religion Allowed Hindu women to remarry. Many Hindus

viewed both of these things as Christian conspiracies to undermine their beliefs

In 1857 the British issued new rifles to the sepoys, that needed the tips of cartridges off before loading them into the rifles. The cartridges were greased in animal fat (cows or pigs). When the troops refused they were sent home without pay.

Rebellion and Aftermath

Angry sepoys rose up against the British officersThe rebellion spread across India, and they tried to

recognize the last Mughal ruler as their leaderIn some places, the sepoys brutally murdered British

families and childrenBritish quickly stopped the revolt and sought revenge

by burning villages and killing thousands of unarmed Indians

Result: Hatred on both sides, as well as major changes in British policy Pariament put India directly under British rule, and ended the EIC. Raised taxes, sent more troops, and slowed reforms

Impact of British Colonial Rule

After 1858, British Parliament set up colonial rule, called the British Raj A British viceroy governed in the name of the Queen

of England British officials held the top positions, while Indians

had most other jobs

British policy tried to incorporate India into the overall British economy, while also trying to get India modernized to Western culture

An Unequal Partnership

Britain saw India as a market and a source of raw materials, so they improved Indian transportation to help move their factory-made goods across the land

The telegraph and Suez Canal also gave British more control

British factories ruined India’s hand-weaving traditions

Forced nomadic farmers to settle, and pushed farmers to grow cash crops like cotton, which led to deforestation

continued

The British introduced medial improvements and new farming methods which led to a population boom

This put a strain on the food supplies, especially as more land was being used to grow exports such as cash crops

In the late 1800s, famines swept India

Benefits of British Rule

Revised the legal system in India to promote justice for Indians regardless of caste

Railroads helped Indians move across the country

Telegraph and postal service helped communication, and better communication helped bridge regional differences and develop a sense of national unity

The upper classes of Indians sent their kids to British schools, and some grew rich

Different Views on Culture

Some educated Indians were impressed by British power and technology, and wanted the Indians to follow

Others felt that change should come from their own Hindu and Muslim cultures

In the early 1800s, a man named Ram Mohun Roy thought that India should learn from the West but also reform their own culture Condemned some traditions such as the caste system, child

marriage, sati and purdah. Also set up educational societies that helped renew pride in

Indian culture He is often considered the founder of Indian nationalism

British Attitudes

The British could not decide on how to feel about Indians, either

Some admired Indian philosophy and cultureBut most British knew almost nothing about

Indian culture, and dismissed itMost people did not bother to get to know

Indian culture or traditions, they just assumed it was not necessary

Indian Nationalism Grows

The British educated some Indians for high positions, assuming that it would encourage British power Had the opposite effect: it had led to a nationalist movement

based on Western ideas of democracy and equalityIn 1885 nationalist leaders organized the Indian

National Congress. They believed in peaceful protest and hoped for self-rule with Western-style modernization

Muslims and Hindus worked together some, but Muslims resented Hindu leadership in the congress, and in 1906 they created their own Muslim League to follow their own goals Some even talked of a separate Muslim state