British Take Over India
Mr. Divett
Collapse of the Mughal empire
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The Mughal empire had ruled India for 200 years.
After they started to collapse Britain started to take
interest in the region.
East India Company and Rebellion
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The British East India Company won trading
rights in the early 1600s.
By the mid 1800s they controlled three fifths
of India.
East India Company
Exploiting Indian Diversity
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The British took advantage of the diversity.
The disunified Indian people couldn’t not
unite against the newcomers.
British used superior weapons to overpower
local rulers.
Implementing British Policies
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Profit was primary goal of EIC.
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They also:
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Improved roads
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Preserved peace
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Reduced banditry
By the early 1800s British officials introduced:
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Western education
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Legal procedures
Western Education
Implementing British Policies
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Missionaries tried to convert Indians to
Christianity.
The British press social change. They work to:
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End slavery
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End the caste system
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Improve the position of women
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Outlaw sati (ritual suicide by fire)
Sati
Growing Discontent
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In the 1850s the EIC made controversial
moves:
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Required sepoys in its service
Sometimes sepoys had to travel overseas which
was against their religion
The British passed a law that allowed Hindu
widows to remarry
Sepoy
New Rifles
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In 1857 sepoys were issued new rifles from the
British.
Troops had to bite off the end of the cartridge
before loading it into their rifle.
The cartridges were greased with:

Cow fat-sacred to Hindus

Pig fat-forbidden to Muslims
Those who refused were imprisoned.
New Rifles
Rebellion and Aftermath

Sepoys rose up against the British.
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This started the Sepoy Rebellion.
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They marched to Delhi and called the last
Mughal ruler their leader.
Sepoys massacred British.
The British squashed the rebellion and took
revenge.
Bahadur Shah Zafar
Sepoy Rebellion
Sepoy Rebellion
Sepoy Rebellion
Aftermath

In 1858 Parliament ended EIC rule.

India became part of Great Britain.

Britain sent more troops to India at the
expense of the Indians.
Impact of British Colonial Rule
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
After 1858 Parliament set up British Raj.
A British viceroy governed India under the
queen.
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The British held top positions.

Indians held the rest.
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India was an important part of the British
economy.
The British thought they were helping them
modernize.
British Raj
An Unequal Partnership
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The British build roads and railroads.
This was to carry resources, and also goods to
sell.
The Suez Canal opened in 1869 and made
trade explode.
The British had the advantage:

Cheap textiles ruined the market for things handwoven.
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Nomadic herders became farmers.

Clearing farmland led to deforestation.
Indian Hand Weaving
Population Growth and Famine

British advances in medicine led to population
growth.
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Food was sold, not eaten.

Horrible famine swept India.
Famine
Benefits of British Rule

Brought peace.
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Revised caste.
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Technology.
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National unity.
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Good schools and training.
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Good medicine.
British Rule
Different Views on Culture
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Some educated Indians embraced
Westernization. They:
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Learned English
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Adopted Western ways
Others only wanted their traditional Hindu and
Muslim culture.
Indian Attitudes

Ram Mohun Roy saw value in cooperation. He:
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Knew Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, English, Greek and Latin.
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Founded Hindu College in Calcutta- english style education
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Wanted to reform Indian culture. He condemned:
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Caste system, child marriage, sati, and purdah or women isolation
in different quarters.
Is called founder of Indian nationalism.
Ram Mohun Roy
Western Attitudes
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Some British admired Indian theology, classic
works.
Others shrugged off Indian culture.
“A single shelf of a good European library is
worth the whole native literature of India and
Arabia.” -Thomas Macaulay
Thomas Macaulay
Indian Nationalism
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Some people thought that Western-educated
Indians would support British power.
It had the opposite effect, they became
nationalists.
Indian National Congress
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In 1885, nationalist leaders organized the
Indian National Congress, the Congress Party.
They believed in peaceful protest to gain
rights.
They liked Westernization, but wanted greater
democracy and self rule.
INC Flag
Muslim League

Muslims and Hindus once worked together but
then Muslims grew to resent Hindu
domination of the Congress Party.

In 1906 the Muslim League was formed.
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They wanted a separate Muslim state.
Muslim League