british rule in india - ms. baun's history...
TRANSCRIPT
BACKGROUND INFORMATION• BRITISH POWER IN INDIA WAS INCREASING
• THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAD A TRADING COMPANY - THE BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY HAD POWER
TO BECOME ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN INDIA’S POLITICAL AND MILITARY AFFAIRS
• THE COMPANY HAD ITS OWN SOLDIERS BUT IT ALSO HIRED INDIAN SOLDIERS CALLED SEPOYS TO
PROTECT THE COMPANY’S INTERESTS IN THE REGION
EVENTS LEADING TO REBELLION
• THE INDIANS STARTED TO DISTRUST THE BRITISH WHICH LED TO A REVOLT
• THE BRITISH CALLED IT THE REVOLT OF THE SEPOY MUTINY WHILE THE INDIANS CALLED IT THE FIRST
WAR OF INDEPENDENCE…….
• IT ENDED UP BEING CALLED ……. THE GREAT REBELLION
CAUSES OF THE REVOLT
• THE TROOPS’ NEW RIFLE CARTRIDGES WERE GREASED WITH COW AND PIG FAT
• THE COW WAS SACRED TO THE HINDUS AND PIG WAS TABOO TO MUSLIMS
• TO LOAD THE RIFLE, SOLDIERS HAD TO BITE OFF THE END OF THE CARTRIDGE – THIS MEANT THEY WERE
POLLUTED
CONT.
• THE GROUPS REFUSED TO LOAD THE CARTRIDGES AND THE BRITISH CHARGED THEM AND IMPRISONED
THEM
• THIS ENRAGED THE SEPOY AND THEY ROSE UP AND KILLED 50 EUROPEANS
• EVENTUALLY, TROOPS LOYAL TO BRITISH AND FRESH BRITISH TROOPS WERE ABLE TO CRUSH THE
REBELLION
EFFECTS OF THE REBELLION
• THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT TRANSFERRED THE POWERS OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY TO THE BRITISH
GOVERNMENT
• BRITAIN’S QUEEN VICTORIA BECAME EMPRESS OF INDIA AND INDIA BECAME HER “JEWEL IN THE CROWN”
• THIS SPREAD INDIAN NATIONALISM
BRITISH COLONIAL RULE
• AFTER THE REBELLION, THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT BEGAN TO RULE INDIA DIRECTLY
• THEY APPOINTED A BRITISH OFFICIAL KNOWN AS A VICEROY – GOVERNOR WHO RULED AS A
REPRESENTATIVE MONARCH
• A CIVIL SERVICE STAFF ASSISTED THE VICEROY
• 3,500 OFFICIALS RULED 300 MILLION PEOPLE
BENEFITS OF BRITISH RULE
• IT BROUGHT ORDER AND STABILITY TO A SOCIETY BADLY DIVIDED INTO MANY STATES WITH DIFFERENT
AND OPPOSING POLITICAL SYSTEMS
• IT ALSO LED TO A FAIRLY HONEST AND EFFICIENT GOVERNMENT
NEW SCHOOL SYSTEM
• GOAL: TRAIN INDIAN CHILDREN TO SERVE IN THE GOVERNMENT AND ARMY
• PROBLEM: IT SERVED ONLY ELITE, UPPER-CLASS INDIANS – 90% OF THE POPULATION REMAINED
UNEDUCATED AND ILLITERATE
BENEFITS OF BRITISH RULE• THE BRITISH HIRED INDIANS TO:
• BUILD ROADS
• CANALS
• UNIVERSITIES
• MEDICAL CENTERS
• A POSTAL SERVICE WAS INTRODUCED AND – THE FIRST RAILROAD WAS OPENED
• LASTLY, HEALTH AND SANITATION IMPROVED
COST OF BRITISH RULE• THE GREATEST COST: ECONOMICS
• BRITISH AND A SMALL NUMBER OF INDIANS REAPED FINANCIAL BENEFITS FROM BRITISH RULE
• BRITISH MANUFACTURED GOODS DESTROYED LOCAL INDUSTRIES
• BRITISH TEXTILES PUT THOUSANDS OF WOMEN OUT OF WORK AND SEVERELY DAMAGED THE INDIAN
TEXTILE INDUSTRY
TAXES, TAXES, TAXES
• BRITISH USED LOCAL OFFICIALS TO COLLECT TAXES BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT IT WOULD MAKE IT EASIER
TO COLLECT TAXES FROM PEASANTS
• THE LOCAL OFFICIALS TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THIS AND INCREASED TAXES AND FORCED POOR PEASANTS
TO BECOME TENANTS OR LOSE THEIR LAND
COTTON PRODUCTION
• THE BRITISH ENCOURAGED INDIAN FARMERS TO SWITCH FROM GROWING FOOD TO GROWING COTTON
• RESULT: FOOD SUPPLY COULD NOT KEEP UP WITH THE GROWING POPULATION – 30 MILLION INDIANS
DIED OF STARVATION
THOSE MEAN BRITS…
• BRITISH RULE WAS DEGRADING……
• ONLY THE BEST JOBS WERE RESERVED FOR THE BRITS
• BRITISH ARROGANCE AND RACIAL ATTITUDES CUT DEEPLY INTO INDIAN PRIDE AND LED TO THE RISE OF
AN INDIAN NATIONALIST MOVEMENT
INDIAN NATIONALISTS
• MANY INDIAN NATIONALISTS PREFERRED REFORM TO REVOLUTION
• HOWEVER, IT WAS A SLOW PROCESS..
• A SMALL GROUP CALLED THE INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS CALLED FOR A SHARE IN THE GOVERNING
PROCESS
INDIAN NATIONALISTS
• THE INC HAD DIFFICULTIES DUE TO RELIGIOUS ISSUES – THEY CALLED FOR INDEPENDENCE OF ALL
INDIANS BUT THERE WAS CONFLICT BETWEEN THE HINDUS AND MUSLIMS
INDIAN NATIONALISTS
• THE RETURN OF A YOUNG HINDU FROM SOUTH AFRICA BROUGHT NEW LIFE TO INDIA’S STRUGGLE FOR
INDEPENDENCE
• MOHANDAS GANDHI – BORN IN WEST INDIA, STUDIED LAW IN LONDON, AND WORKED IN SOUTH AFRICA
• LEARNED THE RACIAL EXPLOITATION OF INDIANS LIVING IN SOUTH AFRICA
INDIAN NATIONALISTS
• GANDHI BECAME ACTIVE IN THE INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT
• BEGAN A MOVEMENT BASED ON NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE
• AIM: FORCE THE BRITISH TO IMPROVE THE LOT OF THE POOR AND TO GRANT INDEPENDENCE TO INDIA
• ULTIMATELY: GANDHI’S MOVEMENT LED TO INDIAN INDEPENDENCE
COLONIAL INDIAN CULTURE
• FROM THE BEGINNING, THE BRITISH SHOWED DISRESPECT FOR THE INDIAN CULTURE
• THE TAJ MAHAL WAS BUILT AS A TOMB FOR THE WIFE OF AN INDIAN RULER
• THE BRITISH USED IT AS A FAVORABLE SITE FOR WEDDINGS AND PARTIES
• PARTYGOERS BROUGHT HAMMERS TO CHIP OFF PIECES AS SOUVENIRS
COLONIAL INDIAN CULTURE
• TEXTBOOKS AND DICTIONARIES IN VARIOUS
INDIAN LANGUAGES
• NOVELISTS AND POETS WROTE ROMANCES AND
EPICS IN NATIVE TONGUES
• NEWSPAPERS WERE USED TO SUPPORT
NATIONALISTIC CAUSES
• RABINDRANATH TAGORE WROTE A BOOK THAT
PORTRAYED THE LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP OF
INDIA TOWARDS ITS COLONIAL MENTOR
• THE NOVEL REFLECTED INDIAN PEOPLE WHO
ADMIRED AND IMITATED THE BRITISH BUT
AGONIZED OVER HOW TO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN
NATIONAL IDENTITY