British in India
British colonialism
British east India company set up a trading posts
Mughal empire collapsed resulting in less Indian control over European traders
East India troops defeated and took control over most of India becoming its leading power.
British exploited the potential profit in India
Nationalism
British took raw materials from India
British set up restrictions on India to prevent it from operating on its own.
British goods drove out local producers
The 300 million Indian people were a good market for British goods often produced from India's materials.
Positive e impacts
Negative impacts
Humanitarian efforts
Indian people lost control of their land and their independence.
Death
Famine because of cash crops
Disease
Indian people killed while resisting British
Unnatural Division of Africa (causing problems today)
Breakdown of traditional cultures
Authority figures replaced
Homes of Indian people lost
Men forced to work for British in cities
Indian people's admiration for European life caused identity problems
Reduced warfare between Indian groups
Improved sanitiation
More hospitals and schools
Increased lifespan
Literacy rates imporoved
Economic expansion
African products valued internationally
India's infrastructure improved even though it mainly affects British business
East India company had its own army with british officials with Indian soldiers called sepoys.
Sepoy Mutiny
Sepoy mutiny, caused by:
Racism
British not considering their religion
Cartridges of the rifles were greased with beef and pork fat.
Hindus who did not eat beef and Muslims who did not eat pork refused the cartridges
The soldiers refused the cretidges wer jailed
Soldiers rebelled and capture Delhi and then spread
Belief British were trying to convert Indians to Christianity
British took Direct control over India
Raj (British rule over India Link Title
WW1
Ram Roy
Campaigned to move India away from traditional practices
Believed that if India did not change it would continue to be controlled by outsiders,
Fueled by Indians hating being treated like second class citizens on their own country.
In return for the service of Indians in WW1 British promised reforms would lead to self government.
British didn't follow through on their promises angering Indians
Amritsar Massacre
Anger many people across India and turned British supporters into Nationalists.
To fight the angered Indians the British passed Rowlatt acts allowed British government to jail protesters without a trai for two years.
Increased the anger and number of people fighting for Independence.
Gandhi
Results
Short term
Long term
Strategy (nonviolent)
When British didn't punish offices responsible for Amritsar Massacre, Gandhi encouraged Indian National Congress to not cooperate with British
Encouraged Civil disobedience
Indians demand independence
Boycotts
Did not buy British goods so British lost a lot of money
Refused to attend government school
Refused to pay British taxes
Salt march lead by Gandhi to defy the salt acts
Strikes
walked 240 miles to the ocean to make their own salt
Planned to march to British salt processing site to shut it down
Officers violently resisted them. The Indians refused to retaliate or defend themselves.
Journalist described the event and earned global support for Gandhi's independence movement.
Muslims and Hindus could not agree on leadership
partition of India
All of these strategies and actions caused the British Parliament to pass the Government of India Act which provided local self government and some democratic elections but not total control to India's people.
Limited self rule, mentioned above as a result of Gandhi and his followers civil disobedience, gave Indians some power and control.
India and Pakistan continue to fight over Kashmir
Division of India proposed by Muslims to separate Hindu and Muslim nations.
The rest of India remained mostly Hindu
Muslims tried to relocate to the area that is now Pakistan
People of different religions killed each other and the whole country was chaotic as everyone moved and things were divided.
The area of Kashmir became a huge area of conflict. The ruler was Hindu but most of the people were Muslims. India and Pakistan fought over the area.
United Nations arranged a ceasefire in 1949
British granted independence in 1947 and India became the worlds largest democracy