Indian empire Flashcards
(16 cards)
When was it discovered how to get to India by sea?
1497
Vancouver de Gama (from Portugal) discovered how to get to India from Europe by sea.
Soon many European countries were sending ships to India to trade.
European traders set up permanent, well-protected bases along the India coast, known as trading stations.
When was the east India company set up?
1600
The company had a monopoly of trade in India.
EIC ships carried British goods and traded them for goods in countries as far away as Japan and china.
Fine china, silk, coffee and spices were brought back to Britain; EIC businessmen, and the kings and queens to whom they paid taxes, made a fortune.
EIC had its own army and navy; local Indian people were trained to become soldiers for the EIC.
When did the Mughals (who were Muslims) take invade India?
The 1500s
They invaded India and took control of areas mostly run by Hindu princes.
Under the Mughals control, when did wars start to break out?
1658-1707
During the reign of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, wars broke out across India and the Mughals began to lose control of the country.
Some European nations take advantage of this and began to expand that and control over India; Dutch French and British companies, including the EIC, support particular Indian princes with weapons and soldiers in return for rewards such as land or goods.
When was the battle of Plassey?
1757
Around 3000 company troops (2200 of whom are local Indians) led by Robert Clive defeat an Indian army of over 40000, led by local prince Siraj-ud-Daula (who is helped by the French)
The victory allows the EIC to take over bengal, one of the richest parts of India.
The company also fights over other European nations, and takes over their trading posts.
Over the following decades, most of India comes under the role of the EIC.
Why does the the government start to take control of India?
The EIC makes huge profits in India but is losing money elsewhere - mainly as a result of a decline in trade with America.
The British government steps in to prevent this company (that’s pays a fortune in taxes) to go bankrupt and lose control of large parts of India.
When does the the government start to take control of India?
1773 - the government of India act states that both of British government and East India company control the territory in India jointly; Warren Hastings is appointed governor general of India to control the territory.
After Britain lose the valuable American colonies in the late 1700s the British government becomes increasingly involved in India and gradually takes more control of the EIC’s affairs.
By the mid-1850s, much of India is controlled by the British.
When was the new rifle introduced that caused discontent among the sepoys?
1857
To load it, the sepoys had to bite off the ends of cartridges.
A rumour spread among the sepoys that the grease used to lubricate the cartridges was a mixture of pigs’ and cows’ fat - so to have contact with it was an insult to both Muslims and Hindus.
How was the Indian rebellion initiated?
The sepoys objected to the new cartridges, but the British ignored the objections.
9th May 1857: in Meerut, 85 sepoys refused to use the cartridges and were sent to jail for ten years.
10th May 1857: other sepoys rose up in support of the prisoners and broke them out of jail; British officers were killed and army barracks and the homes of British civilians living in the area were set on fire.
The situation rapidity escalated and many other sepoys in northern India rebelled.
When was the Bibighar massacre?
July 1857
The massacre of 200 briths women and children at Cawnpore outraged the British.
Back in Britain, crowds cried for blood. The British retaliated brutally against the local population.
When did the Bibighar massacre end?
8th July 1858
How had the British improved communication (railways and transport) in India?
The British built over 30000 Km of railways and 130,000 bridges all over India, so goods and people could travel quickly over vast areas.
Canals, roads, factories, mines and farms were also developed (investment totalling £400 million by 1914)
However, some say that these were only built to allow British traders to move their goods quickly.
Describe the timeline of the lead up to Indian independence:
1914-18: India makes a huge contribution during the First World War - providing soldiers, food, materials and finance.
1919: the British make slight changes, but the British government still controls much of the country.
1920s: the Indian independence movement gains more support and the leader leadership of Mohandas Gandhi.
1935: the government of India act gives Indians the right to control everything except the army - but India is still part of a British Empire and is ruled by a viceroy. By now Muslims in India have formed their own independence group (the Muslim league), and their leader school for a new separate country for Indian Muslims.
Describe how India gains independence?
1946: Britain offers independence to India - but the Indian national Congress and the Muslim league become involved in a bitter struggle for power. Violence breaks out between Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims. Indian and British leaders agree to partition British India into two states - Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan.
14th august 1947: Pakistan becomes independent
15th August 1947: India becomes independent.
When does India become independent?
15th August 1947
When does Pakistani become independent?
14th August 1947
