Imperialism In India

The british in india

Angry Sepoys mutinied against the British, and massacred thousands of men, women, and children. The rebellion lasted two years, but the British rallied, and took great revenge. Villages were torched and thousands of Indians were killed. Hindu and Muslim lack of organization, religion. The British sent more troops to India, and made the Indians pay for it by raising their taxes.

Britain's Jewel (British dominance)

After the Sepoy Rebellion the British officially put India under their colonial rule, which would last for nearly 100 more years. The British designed India to fit into their overall economy by having them supply raw materials, and serve as a market for British finished goods.

Britain's Jewel (positives)

-Roads, railroads, telegraph and postal systems united Indians. -Suez Canal increased trade between Britain and India. -Irrigation systems improved farming; medical care improved. -British schools provided education. -Ideas of democracy & constitutional government were born. -New laws brought peace, order, and equal treatment to all classes; human rights violations were ended.

Britain's Jewel (Negatives)

-Technological advances increased British control over India. -Indian resources went to Britain; British goods replaced local goods. -Farms grew cash crops instead of food; Indians went hungry. -Top jobs went to the British. -Indians were treated as inferior to the British. -Indians forced to accept European cultural ways: language, money, laws, customs.

British Rule- RAJ

As the Mughal Empire declined in the 1800s, India fragmented. Different languages and religions prevented unity among the Indians. The British used "divide and conquer" tactics by pitting one Indian group against another. They also had superior weapons. By the 1858, the British government took control of the East India Company.

Culture Clash

Discontent also grew when the British issued the Sepoys new rifles with cartridges that needed to be bit before loading. A rumor spread that the cartridges were greased with beef and pork fat. This angered the Muslims who could not consume pork, and the Hindus who could not consume beef. The Sepoys refused to load their rifles, and for their disobedience they were dismissed without pay.

Britain's Jewel (British dominance) Jewel in the crown

In 1869, the construction of the Suez Canal in Egypt led to more trade between Britain and India. India provided the British with so much wealth that it soon became the "brightest jewel in the crown" of the British Empire.

The sepoy rebellion (Culture clash)

In the 1850s the British army hired Sepoys, or Indian troops, to provide order and protection. Hiring natives was cheap, and it also reinforced British dominance over the Indians. The British required the Sepoys to serve overseas, which was against their Hindu religion. This led to great discontent among the Sepoys.

East India Company

In the early 1600s the British began trading with the Mughal Empire of India. The British defeated the French to become the sole western power in India. The Indians were eager to import British goods, so they granted trade privileges to the British East India Company- (controlled political, military, soldiers, set up forts)

The British in India

The British brought advancements by building schools and railroads. Missionaries flocked to India and spread Christianity. Under British rule native customs such as Sati were banned, which was the ritual suicide of a wife after her husband's death.

British East India Company -

a trading monopoly endorsed by the British government. Hired Sepoys (Indian Soldiers to control natives)