Imperialism in India
Robert Clive
British general and statesman whose victory at Plassey in 1757 strengthened British control of India (1725-1774)
Commercial Revolution:
Commercial The growth of banking, insurance and stock companies financed the growth of trade and commerce (mercantilism)
First stage
Europeans had the advantage of industrialization- mass produce weapons, trained armies and better tactics, MOTIVE
Exploration and colonization:
Exploration and colonization: Columbus, Magellan and other explorers opened the world to overseas (rather than over land) trade.
Camps were set up to house refugees(those trying to get out of the wrong country and return to their own) for safety, but unsanitary conditions killed them, or they were murdered along the way.
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Those who were in the right countries wanted everyone out who was in the wrong country--and they were all mixed up, so a lot of killing happened. This also caused the greatest human migration which caused the 2 religions to pass by each other and then ultimatly fight and kill each other because of the tension that existed + what the british added
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Britain could not afford India so they decided to leave. Muslims thought they would be vulnerable in a hindu majority country, but hindus did not want the country to be broken up
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Causes of imperialism:
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Nehure and Gandhi did protests for British to leave
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These protests were bad and sparked the great calcutta killings. This scared the British into thinking this violence would lead to a civil war, so they sped up their exit from india to get away from any conflict to be seen as innocent
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Stages of EIC gaining control
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Neither country now knew where the border was. This caused many Muslims and Hindus to be on the wrong side of the border. Families split up and people found themselves in the wrong country and had to flee. Mobs waited in the bushes to kill people. confusion and chaos broke out, as well as mass killings from those of different religions.
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If the partition did not need to happen then why did it?
-Too religious, Gandhi used fasting and peace which is the core of Hindu beliefs -Rooted too much in Hindu -Muslims afraid of having no voice because the Hindus will rule because they are the majority -leaving Muslims, who are the minority, left with no voice in law -This is the fault of democracy since majority rules so democracy was one of the reasons they split as well as the religious reasons -The Muslims were also behind in education so they wanted their own country to catch up and not be behind the Hindus
After WWII Britain no longer had the will or the resources to hold India
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Battle of Plassey
1757 Battle that established British control over India
Gangadhara Tilak
A Brahman (highest class) Advocated for violent methods in achieving independence. Announced that swaraj (freedom) is his birthright and he will have it Known for criticism of British rule Wanted to widen the popularity of the nationalist movement (for upper classes) Got into conflict and went to jail for sedition (encouraging people to rebel against the gov)
Nawab
A Muslim prince or noblemen
3rd stage
BEIC made treaties and paid bribes to local princes to work with them (figure heads)
How did the company encourage consumer culture?
Before the East India Company, clothes in England were made out of wool and designed for durability, not fashion. But British markets were given inexpensive and beautiful cotton from India. Each region of the country produced different colors and patterns. Consumers raged for new patterns and the producers gave what the people wanted.
What were some of the advantages of British rule of India? What about for Britain?
Britain: India's population made it a good market for their industry with a lot of exports. Their army was amazing and around 40% of India's wealth was spent on the army and the British used to this army all over the world India: Britain made investments that went into things like railways, education in English, canals, irrigation, and having India come into the world economy
Raj
British dominion over India (1757-1947) (it means to rule)
Jawaharlal Nehru
First prime minister of India, was the leader of the Congress of Hindu dominated secular political party. He wanted a united and secular India UNITED
India was said to gain independence but then mountbatten came in. What did he do?
He was supposed to resolve the issue of partition by negotiating between Nehru and Jinnah and try to get britain out fast (N wanted united India, and J wanted independent state for Muslims)
Why it's (India) called brightest jewl in the British crown
Huge Army Tea Exports
What was the British Raj? How was it governed?
The reign of the British over India from the time after the sepoy rebellion took place 20,000 British officials ran over 300 million Indians The rain didn't enclose the entire land of the subcontinent though (subcontinent is part of the land that sticks out)
Radcliffe finished splitting india into what?
India and pakistan
Explain the policy of divide and rule. How did this work?
India society was so divided that it could not come together to defeat the British rule. This would stop the Indian's from coming together, and it would earn Britain favored sides that they could make treaties with. The British would continue to divide and pit the social classes against each other in hopes for greater control There are still arguments to whether the British created divisions or expanded the already existing divisions in India
2 nd stage
India was divided by religion, region, caste. Mughal dynasty is in decline- not popular because nawabs (princes) had to pay tribunes to the dynasty? I think, not sure
Identify and explain 3 effects of the famine
It killed 10 million people which was 1/3 of the population. Less population equals less crops which also equals less money. So taxes were increased to make sure British finances didn't decline. The British also wanted the cash crops, the popular ones, to be cultivated, taken care of, to be sold for higher prices, but they weren't even edible. Farmers had to take care of the popular crops like poppy and indigo which were high in the market but was no help to those who are starving and there's no back up supply of food.
How did the BEIC come to influence and ultimately control much of India?
Its businesses gave England affordable goods and spices. But just when the East India Company's grip on trade weakened, it became an empire-builder. The corporation commanded a mass army twice the size of the British army. The East India Company waged battles and took over most of India and imposed taxes on India. The English used their military force to conquer India, and make them pay taxes to Britain.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Leader of the Muslim League, he wanted independence and wanted Hindu-Muslim unity... But then that changed and he wanted an independent state for Muslims INDEPENDENT STATE FOR MUSLIMS
What's Gandhi's nickname and why did he get it
Mahatma Gandhi="great" soul. Got it because of his peace and preserverence of protesting. Showed that change can be achieved peacefully rather than with wars and violence.
What is the impact today?
Many families still divided till this day, Pakistan and India still rivals, have had wars, and conflict over water and borders still exist.
Capitalism:
Merchants backed by monarchs competed for profits, gold, items to sell (Coffee, tea, spices, cotton, tobacco, sugar, silk, and yes slaves)
What was the salt March and how was it civil disobedience
Mohandas Gandhi's march to the sea to protest new British taxes and restriction on salt Sat used to be available to the Indians freely, but the British took over and started to tax them for it. So G let a peaceful protest against the salt laws. They did this as a way to openly disobey the law. They traveled and landed in the coast of dandi and broke the law and collected salt. It was CD because the people peacefully protested against unfair laws and taxes
How did Gandhi develop this idea
On a train to Pretoria he was beaten for not giving his seat to a white European and thrown out of a first class railway thing—so after experiencing discrimination
What is Satyagraha?
Policy of non-violent resistance as a means of pressing for political reform. Initiated by Gandhi. Hindu concept—the force of truth
What methods did he use to win independence for India
Satyagrah-civil dicobidence (would unite them to not follow British laws and make them adapt to the Indians) He also used swadeshi—Indians making and consuming their own goods and rejecting goods from foreign places. The birtish gained money by selling goods to the Indians from their factories in England which caused India to not develop their own economy.
Muslims in Pakistan and Hindus and Sikhs in India Why not many make it?
Sectarian violence
Sepoy
Soldiers of the British Indian Army Indian who is in Britain army
Viceroy
Someone who rules, like a governor. In this case to rule India. Represent the king or queen. Like us. We represent Jesus, as He has made us His ambassadors.
What is Satyagraha?
civil disobedience—citizens peacefully disobey the laws that are unjust or discriminatory
sectarian violence
conflicts that divide people along ethnic, religious, and sectarian lines
What was the Bengal famine? What factors caused it?
The British caused exploitation of the countries natural resources for their own financial gain Rather than helping the famine they were angered that it caused disruption in taxation (people died so fewer taxes were paid) With the Muegel rule, pesants paid 10 to 15% of their cash harvest. This gave a back up in case the weather did not hold for future harvest. But when the treaty of allahbad was signed, the EIC started collecting the taxes and increased them to 50%. Because taxes increased they were left with fewer crops bc they gave them away for taxes, so they used up the extra supply until they were left with nothing
What is the Sepoy Rebellion?
The British gun powder was sealed with pork or beef fat—they had to bite it off. And that's against the Muslims and Hindus who fought for British, so they refused to use that gunpowder
So then how did the British take over the reign of Mughals and other countries they took over
The IR gave them a step ahead of the other countries especially in production. India also had individual divisions—different language (over 300) very divided in regions and religions and the caste system all caused division
Nationalism:
The growth of empire and the economic interests at stake led to competition between rival nations and military growth took off (armies, navies).
How is this (the growth of the BEIC) an example of imperialism?
The growth of the East India Company was an example of imperialism because they used their military power to take over India. The English invaded for the benefit of their own country in trying to gain power. They taxed the people and were advanced in production which they used to get control over India
Social Darwinism:
The idea that some people and races are superiors and others inferior led to the idea of the White Man's Burden (European duty to Christianize and civilize the world) it said all europeans were superior and the rest of the world basically inferior
How did the europeans take over the world?
The new technology of guns but being ABLE to manufactor them in factories
Gunship diplomacy (diplomacy means the relationship between nations, convos between gov officals)
They (europeans) would tell the people they must do what they say or they get shot
Explain the extent to which the British East india Company was responsible for the famine.
They craved a profit over human life. Taxes increased, population decreased, and food supply decreased. British to control and left the Indians starving for their own financial gain. When the population decreased due to starvation, the British kept increasing their taxes and forced upon labor that wouldn't even benefit the hungry. The motive for profit lead to devastating consequences and no relief measure was provided for those affected
What happened to Kashmir during the time of partition?
They were stuck in the middle. Pakistan and India both wanted them —but they wanted their own country There is still secretarian violence there
Gandhi
This was a leader of the Indian independence movement in mid-20th century known for his nonviolent protests. United (friends with Nehru)
Ram Mohun Roy
Thought all religions has the same fundamental truths. Organized a protest for freedom of speech and religion as natural rights —moved from studying religion to social and political action. He did the protest when the British started to ban certain books or papers that went against them—he was an editor of two of India's earliest newspapers, so he made the protest.
Some causes of imperialism
Trade and industrialization (producing businesses)
Gopal krishna Gokhale
Wanted India free from British rule Wanted to get along with British, freedom without violence and disorder
Imperialism
When a stronger country takes over a weaker country
How did econimic activuty move from the east to the west
When columbus landed in the americas and the triangle trade
Indian civil service
bureaucrats in India; government jobs were usually staffed by British; Indians eventually gain some of these positions Ex: teach the Indians English in school so they can better serve the British
The muslim league called for a strike in...
calcutta to deman a homeland because the Muslims again, were nervous being ruled under Hindus because of their tensions due to religion.
Fasting/ hunger strike-
call attention to a cause or message
Marches-
call attention to injustice
Industrialization
industrialization: With the dramatic increase in productivity that came with industrialization, more raw materials and new markets were needed to continue the unprecedented economic growth.
Although he finsihed, what did mountabben do?
kept it secret till after independence so the British transfer of power wouldn't be distracted. (Remember he was a representitive or vecroy for britian)
Mughals
muslim rulers over india, combined Hindu and Muslim, brought India to the peak of its political empire, had a single government with a common culture
Boycott-
refuse to buy British produced goods-> Homespun cloth
Civil disobedience-
refuse to obey unjust law and accept the consequences.
Work stoppages-
strike (day of prayer and fasting)
Then cyril radcliffe comes in: he was called by mountbatten to....
to take into consideration the religious differences and railways and canals to split india. He had never been to India and used outdated maps.