India Introduction (1) Flashcards
(8 cards)
The British Raj
*Early years of the 20th century the british raj was at its height
*1600 - british govt formed east india company to trade goods in the subcontinent
*British ruled india successfuly from 1858 with only minor outbreaks of unrest
*raj governed by westminster by secretary of state for india, advised by the council of india
*viceroy = official representing the crown
Indian Civil service & princely states
*Day to day admin was in hands of ICS
*most british civil servants entered after a competitive examination then they would become district officers
*the ICS was renowned for its efficiency
*Britain ruled 2/3 of india the rest was run by princes
*to monitor these states the viceroy apointed residents to watch them
*however alot of princes were found to be corrupt and inefficient
Religion
*Hinduism was and still is the largest religious group in India - 1914 = 70%
*Islam was the largest minority religion approx 20% but many in the NW & NE were Muslim
*Sikhs and Christians were the other two sizeable minority religions
Caste System
*Indian Society operated under the Hindu caste system - defined by birth
*Under this system, substances, such as human and animal waste and dead bodies, were seen as pollutants
*at the very bottom of this system were the Untouchables who were prohibited from touching anyone from a higher class
*many Hindus converted to Islam as it taught that all men are equal
British and Indian Attitudes towards one another
*It is impossible to over-estimate impact of the Indian Mutiny of 1857 on British citizens of the Raj
*Senior Brit officials like bankers and lawyers lived in large manors
*lesser officials lived in bungalows in the suburbs
*this seperation of the rulers and the ruled caused problems as the 20th century progressed
*Millions of Indians owed livlihoods to the raj - provided work and homes for them
*however the 1857 Indian Mutiny would expose an underlying problem of discontent to foreign occupation
Indian National Congress
*In 1885 the first meeting on INC took place in bombay - 73 attendees - mostly high caste and english speaking
*when they met 3 years later congress ranks had swelled to 600 delegates - 83 Muslim
*Congress influence continued to grow up to 1914 but remained Hindu dominated
*congress proclaimed support for British but wanted India to play an equal part in govt
Muslim League
*Muslims did not feel comfortable in congress due to small numbers so created an alternate organisation called the Muslim League
*after it was formed they sent a 70 man deputation to Simla to express concerns to the Viceroy
*Viceroy Minto promised would safegaurd the the interests of Muslims by promising special protections
*Policy of communalism - separate representation of Hindu and Muslims
Indian Councils Act of 1909
*The indian councils act of 1909 was a result of talks between the secretary of state (John Morley) and the Viceroy (Lord Minto)
*Morley and Minto attempted to address some concerns put forward by Muslim League and INC
*60 Indian representatives were to be elected to serve on Viceroy’s executive council - provincial councils would also be enlarged
*separate electorates were provided for Muslims and Hindus to let Muslims have a voice
*Morley appointed 2 Indians to advise him as secretary of state
