India Flashcards

1
Q

When was the East India Company established?

A

In 1600.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Why was the East India Company initially established?

A

To trade exotic goods from India like spices, dyes, and silks.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Who were nabobs?

A

They were men who joined the EIC after realising that they could make fortunes through it, and some became very successful at it.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Who were the two most well-known nabobs?

A
  • Robert Clive

- Warren Hastings

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

How did the East India Company protect itself?

A

It set up an army to protect itself from other European powers trying to take over the profitable trade in India.
This army also helped the EIC later take over more and more Indian territory.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Who was Robert Clive?

A

He began working with the EIC as a small-scale trader but went to work for the EIC’s army, becoming an officer.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What happened in the Battle of Plassey?

A

Robert Clive defeated the ruler of Bengal, which was India’s most populated state.
The EIC gained a lot of wealth and power through the state of Bengal.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

When did the Battle of Plassey happen?

A

1757.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Why was Robert Clive significant?

A

During his role as an officer, he helped expand the EIC’s territory in India. This success also led to the signing of the Treaty of Allahabad in 1765.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What was the Treaty of Allahabad and when was it signed?

A

It was signed in 1765.
The Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II was forced to allow the EIC to collect Diwani (taxes) from the people in Bengal.
This Treaty transformed the EIC from traders to rulers.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Who was Warren Hastings?

A
  • He came from a poor background but migrated to India to work for the EIC.
  • Through the EIC, he became one of the wealthiest men in Britain.
  • After serving the EIC for 20 years, he became the first Governor of Fort William in 1773.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What attitudes did Warren Hastings have towards the Indian people?

A
  • He disapproved of harsh treatment of the Indian people by some in the EIC.
  • As Governor, he promoted cultural mixing, and built a Muslim school in Calcutta and encouraged the study of Indian culture and language.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Why was Warren Hastings significant?

A
  • He became the first Governor of Fort William, therefore he practically ruled the parts of India that Britain had control over.
  • He vastly extended British power in India by using the army to gain power over more Indian states.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

How powerful were nabobs?

A
  • They became very rich and powerful in India.
  • Their power also reflected in the parliament back in Britain because they could use their wealth to buy seats in parliament.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

How many nabobs were in parliament in 1767 compared to 20 years later.

A

In 1767, there were five nabobs in parliament, however, twenty years later, there were 45.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What was the India Act?

A

The India Act allowed the British Parliament to be more involved in the controlling of India, decreasing the EIC’s power.

17
Q

When was the India Act passed?

A

1784.

18
Q

What was the Doctrine of Lapse?

A

It stated that if an Indian prince did not have an heir, he could not adopt one.
This meant that if the prince died, he had no one to pass his land to and the British would seize the land immediately.

19
Q

The British clashed with Indian culture; what did the British do against the Hindus?

A

They introduced a law that allowed Hindu widows to remarry and banned the Hindu practise of suttee (this was when the widow would throw herself on top of the funeral pyre during her husband’s cremation).

20
Q

What was India known as in The British Empire?

A

It was known as the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the Empire.

21
Q

When did the Indian Rebellion happen?

A

In 1857.

22
Q

Who were the Sepoys?

A

The Sepoys were Indian soldiers who served in the EIC’s army.

23
Q

What did the EIC do to the guns that the Sepoys used?

A

The cartridges in the guns began to be greased with beef and pork fat.
Since the sepoys had to bite off the ends of the cartridges before using them, they would get the animal fat in their mouths, which was against their Hindu and Muslim beliefs.

24
Q

What happened in the Indian Rebellion?

A

85 Sepoys said they would not use the cartridges, and so they were sentenced to prison.
The British chained the imprisoned sepoys by the ankles and shamed them in front of 4000 other Sepoys.

25
Q

What did the Sepoys do in retaliation to the prisoner humiliation?

A

They mutinied and turned against the British government. They attacked their British army leaders and the British government using violence and managed to release the imprisoned Sepoys and unleashed violence on the troops.

26
Q

Who lost the Indian Rebellion?

A

At first, the British had briefly lost, but by the end of 1858, they had regained control over the rebellion.

27
Q

What did the British do to get revenge on the Sepoys?

A

They brutally attacked and murdered the Sepoys and other Indians, even though Queen Victoria had given the Sepoys a pardon.

28
Q

What happened to the EIC after the rebellion?

A

The British government abolished the EIC and took full control over India.

29
Q

After the EIC was abolished, how was India controlled?

A

It was ruled/controlled by a British viceroy, and there was a Secretary of State for India in Parliament.

30
Q

How did the British government give the Indians possibilities?

A
  • They were able to join the Indian Civil Service to help govern India.
  • Colleges were established to promote education.
  • Many Indians had opportunities to train as lawyers.
31
Q

When was the Indian National Congress established?

A

1885.

32
Q

What was the Indian National Congress meant to do?

A

It was meant to give Indians rights and prospects within the Empire; however, in reality, the Indians were oppressed by British rule.

33
Q

How did Indian Nationalism grow?

A

The Indians were angered by how the British believed that they were racially superior to the Indians and wanted to control India in order to westernise it.
This laid the foundations for Indian Nationalism.