India-unit 2.1 Flashcards
What was India like until 1914?- give a brief history
-3000-2000BC- The Indus Valley Civilisation
-250BC- Mauryan Empire
-400s-Gupta Empire
-1500s-1700s- The Mughals (Moguls) ruled India
-1600-The East India Company is set up by Elizabeth I
-1858- The British are granted control of India by Queen Victoria. The British Raj is established
1914-The First World War starts
What was the population and geography like in India?
- The population of India in 1914 was about 350 million, speaking some 200 languages. Around 150,000 of those 350 million were British
- Th land was equal to the size of Europe. The country we now know as Pakistan did not exist. Uniting and controlling such a vast country was challenging
- The most significant area (high geographically and politically) was probably the Punjab-this has been the base of most of the rulers of India in history (where a lot of the king and princes lived)
What were the 4 main religious groups?
1) Hindus
2) Muslims
3) Sikhs
4) Christians
How much of the population was Hindus? What system was in place?
- Hindus made up about 80% of the population.
- Hindus followed the caste system. The assumptions underlying the caste system were those of purity and pollution. Every Hindu was born into a specific caste and lived out their life within that caste. All social relationships were pre-determined by the caste system ( no social mobility)
Where were the Muslims? Who were they in conflict with?
-Muslims lived mostly in the north-west and north-east. Many Indians had converted to Islam to avoid their low status in Hindu caste society as Islam places great emphasis on equality. Under the Mughals, there was regular conflict between Hindus and Muslims (this mainly had to do with conflict about Gods)
What is Sikhism?
-In the 1500s, religious leaders in the Punjab created a fusion of Hinduism and Islam, known as Sikhism. By 1914, the majority of people living in this area were Sikhs
What was the East India Company?
-English contact with India began in the reign of Elizabeth I, who created the East India Company in 1600. The aim of the Company was to create a monopoly over the spice trade and destroy Dutch and a French interests. The company started by setting up its own substantial army and establishing bases in India (initially for restocking) in Calcutta (Kolkata), Madras (Chennai) and Bombay (Mumbai)
What attitude did they show towards the Indian people?
-Initially, the East India Company claimed for have no political powers or objectives, although it did display a paternalistic attitude towards the Indian people and rapidly expanded its power and influence, somewhat aggressively.
What aggression did it show to Indian people?
- when influential Indian Rulers or leaders died without an heir, their land/titles/ fortunes were taken by the British
- Sepoys were deployed outside the home region which was seen as disrespectful
- Rumours that ammunition cartridges issued by the British for the Sepoys were greased with animal fat= rebelled against the British because of this as they were vegetarian and didn’t eat pork (had to put gun in mouth to load)
What is a Sepoy?
- An Indian soldier who works for the British
What did this aggression result in?
- this resulted in the Indian Mutiny of 1857. 400 British men, women and children were massacred. In response , entire villages were massacred by the British
- 1 year after Queen Victoria put the control of India in writing
What is the British Raj?
In 1858, the East India Company was abolished and the British Monarch, Queen Victoria, became the ruler of India. The governance of India was changed. The new system became known as the British Raj.
Explain the different levels of the British Raj:
- Diagram in notes of it
- A Secretary of State for India, based in Britain, was chosen by Queen Victoria and Parliament to have responsibility for Indian Affairs
- In India itself, the position of Viceroy was supreme
- The Indian Civil Service (ICS) ensures that British laws, rules and regulations were implemented in India. In theory, Indian civilians were allowed to join this service. However, requirements said that members of the Civil Service had to undergo examinations and a university eduction in Britain. In 1905, only 5% of the ICS were Indian ( mainly due to requirements eg: had to be university educated in Britain)
What were princely states? Why did Britain become the paramount power?
-Many areas of India were still not ruled directly by the British. Indian princes ruled about 35% of the country, consisting of 565 separate princely states. Each of these states has its own laws, languages, holidays, ministers and rulers but was still under the ‘protection’ of Britain. The British (after the Mutiny) did not want to use violence to get their support but instead consolidated their power through a policy of ‘divide and rule’; one aristocrat was pitched against another. Loyalties were often purchased (bribery).The princely states were forced to acknowledge Britain as the paramount power.
Summary- what was the East India Company (EIC)?
- set up in 1600
- aimed to create a monopoly over the spice trade
- set up its own army and bases in India
What is the paternalistic attitude?
-the superior attitude that the EIC had over India despite having no political powers
What is The Indian Mutiny 1857?
- 400 British men, women and children were massacred
- in response, entire villages were massacred by the British
- As a consequence of the mutiny, a new governance was drawn up
What happened in 1858?
-The British Raj was set up by Queen Victoria
What is the ‘Divide and Rule’ idea?
-The British Strategy of provoking rivalries and differences of current rulers (princes) to prevent them uniting in opposition
What is the paramount power?
-Britain became the most powerful force under the British Raj
What were relationships like between Britain and India before 1914?-Imperialism
- India was often referred to as the ‘Jewel in the crown’ of the British Empire
- It was indispensable to British power and prestige around the globe and provided access to vast resources and manufacturing industries
- Initially these were cotton goods but by the beginning of the 20th century, this included: iron, steel and engineering products
- yet, the British elite became more aloof and racist. In the time of the East India Company, the British merchants had learnt the language and immersed themselves in Indian culture. By 1914, most members of the British Raj kept themselves deliberately separate. They were distrustful of Indians and contemptuous of Indian ‘Backwardness’
- This wasn’t true of all British people. Businessmen, missionaries and Anglo-Indians (those of joint British and Indian descent) did not have the same experience as those in the Raj elite
What happened in the partition of Bengal?
- The Indian province (county) of Bengal contained a population of 78 million people (twice the population of Britain’s)
- In 1905, the viceroy, Lord Curzon, decided that the province of Bengal should be partitioned as part of the ‘divide and rule’ policy.
- This was because the area was prone to unrest: the growing, educated middle-class left out of the Indian Civil Service (ICS) were high in number here. The Indian Nationalist Congress Party was also growing in popularity in this area
- There was no formal consultation with the Indians. Instead, two new provinces were created by the British in 1905: Western Bengal and Eastern Bengal. Western Bengal’s population became predominantly Hindu (42 million Hindus, 9 million Muslims) whilst Eastern Bengal had a majority of Muslims (18 million Muslims: 12 million Hindus)
- The partition created a precedent for the reorganisation of territory and government along religious lines
- In response , the Indian Nationalist Congress Party launched a campaign of swadesh (a campaign not to buy something-known as Boycott in English), in particular against Lancashire cotton, which was publicly burned
What happened in 1909 with The Indian Council?
- after the Bengal agitation, Lord Morley (Secretary of State) proposed an increase of Indian involvement in its own government. His ideas, affectionately nicknamed the Morley-Minto reforms, were discussed throughly in British Parliament
- The Indian Councils Act was passed in 1909. The Act resulted in a small number of Indian members being added to the legislative councils. Council seats were also reserved for Muslims and other social groups, including the university educated. (In fact, minority groups were more largely represented in the councils than they would have been if it were strictly proportionate to population numbers).
- This set a crucial precedent; minority groups were initially supportive of the British. However, having granted Muslims these honours powers, the British felt able to REVERSE the partition of Bengal, which they did in 1911. The British realised that pleasing the Hindus was probably of greater importance
By 1900 there was a growing nationalist movement in India and some political groups were created- what were these?
1) Indian National Congress Party- created in 1855, the Congress became the driver of independence campaigns. Members included both Hindus and Muslims as the party made an early decision not to alienate religious groups and therefore weaken its claim to speak for the whole of India. They adopted a strategy of lobbying MPs in London, writing newspaper articles, demanding education and administrative positions (of course, the party could not stand for elections because there were not any!)
2) The Muslim League- in 1906 the All-India Muslim League was founded in Bengal. The fury shown by the Hindus after the Bengal partition had convinced Muslims that when Indians were granted any powers by the British, Muslims would be overwhelmed by a Hindu majority. The league became a debating society for its educated, middle class Muslim members
In the early 1900a, what split was there within the congress party?
-It was between moderates and radicals. The moderates, led by Gopal Krishna Gokhale, hoped for political reform and believed in peaceful, lawful methods. The radicals, led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, argued that the lack of consultation over the Bengal partition showed that the British would never be fair to Indians. They wanted more urgent, direct and even violent action
What were the main three things that came away from The partition of Bengal?
1) The British were in control
2) The British will make decisions on religious lines
3) The British will make decisions without consultation of Indian people
So, overall how did those in the British Raj treat Indians?
- became more aloof and racist
- contemptuous of ‘Indian backwardness’
- distrustful
What happening in Bengal (summary) and how did this impact on the relationship?
- thought should be split based on ‘divide and rule’ policy- western and eastern Bengal was created
1) No consultation
2) Always in favour of Hindus (reversed in 1911)
How did India feel after the Indian Councils Act 1909?
- (happier) more involvement and inclusion eg: added to legislative councils
- minority groups were more largely represented
- turned angry when the Partition of Bengal was reversed
