India up to 1914 Flashcards
How did the British take control of India?
India was referred to as the ‘Jewel of the Crown’. This shows how valued India was in the British Empire
British colonial development in India:
- early 1600s
- traders
- East India Company
- early British embraced India’s culture.
- brits liked to mix business with pleasure
- more serious relationships with Indian people. Gave their possessions to Indians.
- fairly positive relations between traders and Indians early on
How did the East India Company (EIC) develop in India?
The East India Company quickly established a series of trading areas - Surat, Bombay, and Calcutta - and recruited local Indian soldiers (sepoys) to defend their economic interests. British rule expanded at the expense of the Muslim Mughal Emperor. The Mughal Emperor’s system was never very stable as many Indian princes were extremely powerful, and essentially acted as if they were independent. The last effective Mughal Emperor was Aurangzeb, who died in 1707. After his death the Mughal Empire gradually split apart. The local princes became independent rulers of their own provinces. Robert Clive brought Calcutta and Bengal - the largest part of the Mughal Empire - under the control of the company, negotiated important trade agreements with the numerous independent regional princes, pushed the French out of India, and persuaded the Mughal Emperor to grant monopoly trading rights to the East India Company.
How did British rule in India develop to be more direct?
British rule of India became more direct. India people became disconnected as British settlers were completely disregarding their religion and culture. British became more interested in adding to territory because of the princes of territories creating a power vacuum.
The British began to think why was the East India Company so powerful? The British government wanted more control over the EIC.
There was an attempt to make India more like Britain. Tried to “westernise” them.
Princely states were states with native rulers which had entered into treaty relations with the British.
When did the Indian Mutiny start?
1857 10th May
What was the immediate cause of the Indian Mutiny in 1857?
The immediate cause for the Indian Mutiny was where the sepoy (infantry soldiers) mutinied in 1857 after refusing to bite the cartridges before loading them into the newly introduced Enfield rifle because they were said to contain cow and pig grease. They had refused on religious grounds.
What were the economic grievances that helped in causing the Indian Mutiny?
After the monopoly of the East India Company had been ended in 1813, the sub-continent was opened up to the unfettered competition of British industrialists and merchants. India was progressively swamped by cheap British goods. British property develops bought up land, introduced a landlord system, and imposed high rents. Indian produces of exports such as tea, indigo, and spices received very low prices for their products.
What were the political grievances that helped in causing the Indian Mutiny?
Territorial expansion was resented. Annexation of Punjab and Sind, Berar, and Oudh increases tensions.
What other grievances/reasons caused the Indian Mutiny?
The policy of westernisation caused concern as it infringed on daily life. A hundred village schools, central legal council, National laws, a university, and a postal service with English style post offices were all established, and roads and canals were built. Large numbers of Indians felt that they were forced to accept an ‘alien’ society.
- religion: the British failed to appreciate the importance or the complexities of the various religious groups that formulated India.
- losing touch: EIC lost touch with the people it was ruling, particularly the sepoys and those in the army.
- over-confidence of the EIC: Conquering more areas of India meant a greater demand on EIC resources. Over-taxation also made them unpopular. EIC essentially changed their role from traders to administrators,
Dalhousie reforms: Dalhousie (Governor General since 1848) attempted to modernise India. Tea plantations set up which damaged traditional economies, encouraged ‘Christianity missions’.
‘Doctrine of lapse’ - allowed the EIC to annex any principality of any Indian ruler without an heir or one that was judged to be ‘incompetent’. E.g. Oudh province in 1856.
When and what was the Cawnpore Massacre?
5th June 1857
The sepoys in Bengal refused to obey orders in February 1857 causing other battalions to do the same. At Meerut, outside Delhi, sepoys turned on their British officers and a mob set upon local Europeans. Sepoys seized control in most of the northern cities and there was a short-lived attempt to resurrect the old Mughal Emperor as a figurehead. The sepoys were joined by sections of the urban and rural populations. Some rebels were disconnected landowners who had lost out under British rule, others were peasants who resented taxation or joined the rebellion to get back at feuding neighbours.
Large areas of India were untouched by the Mutiny; the mutiny in terms of human suffering was devastating. The Emperor’s sons were executed so that remaining rebels lost any hope of restoring the Mughal dynasty. Delhi and Lucknow were devastated; villages burnt; mutineers tortured and British officers, their wives and children murdered. British rule was not entirely reasserted until June 1858 following a final battle at Gwalior, some 180 miles south of Delhi.
In 1858, India passed into the direct rule of the British crown and the internal wars that had been a constant feature of life in many parts of the subcontinent during the time EIC rule came to an end. India had a single, centralised government. The British wanted revenge for what happened.
Cawnpore massacre key events
- June 10 thousands of British were sent. Took a while for reinforcements to arrive (several months)
- 25 June, if the British leaved the Indians would let them pass
- Indians shot at the burning boats
- the captives were held in an Indian office
- Scottish highlanders and others were sent from other parts of India
- British were able to shoot from safe distances
- the mutineers fired into the room, but were sickened about what they had just done and didn’t fire again
- the bodies were thrown into a nearby well
- a few weeks later, news reached Britain which caused outrage. Britain had failed women and children
- Indian Mutiny leader was Nana Saheb
- those that joined the sepoys included: discontented landowners, peasants who hated taxation and all those who had lost out under British rule
- massacre of 200 British women and children at Cawnpore
- 70,000 fresh troops sent to India armed with the latest Colt revolvers
- when Muslim mutineers were captured they were sown into pig skins before they were hung, forced to clean up blood by licking it off the floor and blown from the barrel of a cannon
- majority of Indian princes remained loyal to Britain as did the sepoy units in Bengal, the Punjab, Bombay and Madras
- Gurkhas, Sikhs and Pathan regiments also remained loyal to Britain.
- British rule not entirely reasserted until June 1858 following the battle of Gwalior, south of Delhi
- peace declared on the 8th July 1858
How was the mutiny defeated?
- not enough support
- British reinforcements
- British better equipped
- British were trained and disciplined
How would traditional Indian historians view the mutiny?
- ‘National Revolution’
- Chief aim to ‘break free of British rule’
How would you challenge the traditional Indian historian’s view?
- ‘A sporadic revolt triggered by religious zealots’
- seen as backward looking with the mutineers focusing their dislike of British rule on the policy of westernisation.
- rebellion rather than Revolution
- backward looking to restore old traditions.
- ‘last group of the Mughal Empire’
How would traditional British historians view the mutiny?
- ‘localised army revolt’
- 66% took no part, no leadership or co-ordination
How would you challenge the British historian’s view?
- something more than a mutiny but a good deal less than ‘the first Indian war of Independence’.
- not quite ‘war of independence’
- ‘last swan song of old India’ for people who saw progress as ‘too fast’
