Imperialism in INDIA

Samantha Bent, Maddi Beer, Melissa Ribeiro, Jimmy Joseph

The Mughal Empire Prior to the British control, India

was ruled by Islamic rulers who migrated from the North and seized control large areas of India most of the conquering occurred

under the reign of Akbar, or “Akbar the Great,” the successful Mughal leader

India’s In Trouble Mughal rulers governed a powerful

empire in India for more than 200 years; however, in the mid-1700s, the

Mughal empire was collapsing from a lack of strong rulers, allowing the British to take full advantage

BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY (BEIC)

An English joint-stock company that formed in 1600 to develop trade in INDIA and CHINA Traded mainly cotton, indigo dye, and silk Over time, the BEIC came to rule large parts

of India, exercising military power and assuming administrative jobs which ultimately benefited Britain’s commercial purposes

They were able to take control when the Mughals’ power collapsed

Why India? The British were interested in India for

strictly economic benefits! Think back to the Industrial Revolution… Britain needed new markets for cotton

clothing, and looked to sell their goods to India’s population of about 300 million people

India became the major supplier for the world workshop that Britain had made

Convenient Much? The BEIC’s main goal was to trade

and make more money India’s ports allowed the BEIC to set

up additional trading posts in Bombay, Madura, and Calcutta ($$$$$)

The British Seize Control By 1757, the BEIC was the leading

power in India Britain seized control in 1763, and although

their main job was to make money, they did try to improve conditions in India Worked to end slavery, built roads, tried

to improve the position of women in the family

Also tried converting natives into Christians (PROBLEM)

Religious Ignorance & the Great Sepoy Mutiny

Sepoys were Indian soldiers trained by the British The BEIC required sepoys to serve

anywhere, either in India or overseas However, for some Hindus, overseas travel was

an offense to their religion The BEIC also passed a law allowing Hindu

widows to remarry Hindus viewed both moves as a Christian

conspiracy to undermine their beliefs

The Sepoy Mutiny May 10,1857 - the British issued the

Sepoys new rifles, and told them to bite off the tips of the cartridges before loading them into the rifles PROBLEM – rumors were spread that

the cartridges were greased with animal fats - either from cows or pigs Hindus considered cows sacred Pigs were forbidden to Muslims

A Rebellion Begins Sepoys were outraged at the greased

cartridges and rose up against their British officers

Rebellion swept across northern India Sepoys took over the cities of Delhi and

Kanpur They also brutally massacred British men,

women, and children

The Aftermath September 20,1857 - the British

recaptured Dehli, and eventually Kapur The British also took terrible revenge

for their losses, torching villages, women, and slaughtering thousands of innocent Indians

Back to Business… 1858 – Parliament ended the rule

of the BEIC, and placed India directly under British crown Set up a system of colonial rule called

the British Raj A British viceroy was also sent to

govern in the name of the queen, and more troops were sent

The British = Opportunists The British essentially continued to

develop India for its own economic benefit They saw India as both a MARKET,

and as a source of RAW MATERIALS They built bridges, canals, buildings,

and railroads, which benefited British TRADE

Indian Nationalism By the late 1800s, Western-

educated Indians were spear-heading a nationlist movement 1855 – Nationalist leaders organized

the Indian National Congress (Congress Party) Called for greater democracy, which they

felt would bring more power to Indians 1906 – Muslim League