1 / 54

India: Brightest Jewel in the British Imperial Crown

India: Brightest Jewel in the British Imperial Crown. Hinduism. Buddhism. Hinduism (continued). Believes that everything is part of the unchanging, all-powerful spirit, brahman Worship a variety of gods & goddesses - Brahma - the Creator - Vishnu- the Preserver

aldan
Download Presentation

India: Brightest Jewel in the British Imperial Crown

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. India: Brightest Jewel in the British Imperial Crown

  2. Hinduism

  3. Buddhism

  4. Hinduism (continued) • Believes that everything is part of the unchanging, all-powerful spirit, brahman • Worship a variety of gods & goddesses -Brahma- the Creator -Vishnu-the Preserver -Shiva-the Destroyer • Shakti-goddess who is both kind, cruel, creator and destroyer.

  5. Hinduism (Sacred texts) • The Upanishads-section of the Vedas addresses mystical questions of Hinduism • The Bhagavad-Gita- revered for its representations of Hindu beliefs. • Every person has essential self called atman • The ultimate goal in life is achieving moksha or a union with the brahman. • Must free ones self from selfish desires • Reincarnation- or rebirth of the soul in another bodily form to reach moksha. (Block 4 stop 4/21)

  6. Hinduism • Must obey the law of karma which refers to all actions of a person’s live affecting the fate of the next • All life is ranked, humans, animals, plants, objects like rocks and water. • Live virtuously-good karma reborn higher • Evil-bad karma reborn lower level of existence • Cycle of life symbolized by the wheel • Dharma-refers to the religious and moral duties of all • Ahimsa-is nonviolence because of brahman or the spirit in everything.

  7. INDIA CASTE SYSTEM • Brahmins-(priest) • Kshatriyas-(rulers & Warriors) • Vaisyas-(peasants & traders) • Sudras-(laborers) • Pariah(harijans) -untouchables, outcastes (today called dalits)-(Those living outside of the caste system, butchers, gravediggers, garbage men)

  8. Muslim India-600’s & 700’s • The Muslims move into India • By 1000’s Indus River Valley becomes Muslim controlled • 1200-Turkish Muslims conquer North India • Babur & Akbar establishes new dynasty called the Mughal Dynasty-a blend of Hindu and Muslim cultures. • Conflict between Hindus & Muslims lead to decline of Mughal rule and rise of Indian warlords called rajahs. (Block 1 4/23/09

  9. Babur, Mughal Ruler

  10. Mughal India and European Traders • For two centuries, the Mughal empire enjoyed a period of peace, strength, and prosperity. • European merchants dazzled by India’s splendid Mughal court and its many luxury goods. • Mughal India was the center of the valuable spice trade.

  11. Mughal India and European Traders • World leader in textile manufacturing • Exported larger, richer, and more powerful than any kingdom in Europe. • Mughal emperors saw no threat in granting them Europeans trading rights. • The Portuguese, Dutch, English, and French were permitted to build forts and warehouses in Indians coastal towns.

  12. A Great Empire Shatters • Over time, the Mughal empire weakened. • Conflicts between Hindu and Muslim princes rekindled. • Years of civil war drained Mughal resources. • Rulers increased taxes, sparking rebellions. • Corruption caused central government to collapse • As Mughal power faltered, French and English traders fought for power.

  13. A Great Empire Shatters • The Dutch, British and French had established East India companies. • These companies made alliances with local officials and independent rajahs, or local chiefs. • Each company organized it own army of sepoys, or Indian troops. • By mid-1700s, British and French had become locked in a bitter struggle for global power.

  14. A Great Empire Shatters • The fighting involved both nations’ lands in Asia and the Americas. • In India, the British East India Company used an army of British troops and sepoys to drive out the French. • The company forced the Mughal emperor to recognize its right to collect taxes in the northeast. By the late 1700s, the British East India Company had used its great wealth to dominate most of India.

  15. British Take Over India • By mid 1800s British East India Company controlled 3/5 of India • British were able to conquer India by exploiting its diversity of people and cultures • As Mughal power crumbled India became fragmented • Indians could not unite against the British

  16. The British Take Over India • For more than 200 years, Mughal rulers governed a powerful empire in India but empire was collapsing by the 1700s due to poor leadership • Britain moves in on India, first economically then politically/British arrive in 1600’s and would dominate India for the next 200 yrs. • British East India Company wins trading rights at the end of Mughal rule • As Mughal empire declines the East India Company grows stronger

  17. British Take Over India • British took advantage of Indian division by encouraging competition and disunity among rival princes. • The British used diplomacy and superior weapons to overpower India • The East India Company’s major goal was to make money • Did nothing to improve Indian roads, preserve peace and reduce crime.

  18. British Take Over India • By early 1800s British officials introduced Western education and legal system. • Missionaries tried to covert Indians to Christianity • British worked to end slavery and the caste system in India • Tried to improve the position of women • Banned sati, a Hindu custom whereby a widow would join her husband in death by throwing herself on his funeral fire.

  19. Growing Discontent: • In 1857, British issued new rifles to sepoys. • Troops were told to bite off tips of cartridges before loading them into their rifles. • Hindu sepoys believed the cartridges were greased with animal fat-from cows which Hindus considered sacred. • Muslim sepoys believed the cartridges were greased with fat from pigs which were forbidden to Muslims.

  20. The Sepoy Rebellion • When the sepoys refused to load the guns, they were imprisoned. • Angry sepoys rebelled against British officers sparking a massacre of British troops as well as women and children. • The British rallied and crushed the revolt. Took terrible revenge for their losses, slaughtering thousands of Indians.

  21. British Imperialism in India • Sepoy Rebellion leaves bitterness and mistrust • 1858, Parliament takes direct control of India, sends more troops and taxes the Indians • Parliament sets up the a system of colonial rule called the British Raj • A British viceroy governed India • British officials held top jobs in the Indian civil service and army but Indians filled most other jobs.

  22. British Imperialism in India • The British made India the “brightest jewel” in the crown of their empire • Britain made more money from India than any of her other colonies and felt it was helping India to modernize • British Attempted the “Englandization” of India

  23. An Unequal Partnership • British saw India as a source of raw materials and a market • British built roads and excellent railroad network • Improved transportation allowed British to sell factory- made goods across the subcontinent

  24. An Unequal Partnership • Carried Indian cotton, jute and coal to England • Telegraph also gave Britain better control of India • After the Suez Canal opened in 1869, British-India trade soared but remained an unequal partnership favoring the British

  25. An Unequal Partnership • British flooded India with inexpensive, machine-made textiles which ruined India’s once-prosperous hand-weaving industry • Britain transformed Indian agriculture by encouraging the growing of cash crops like cotton and jute for world markets

  26. An Unequal Partnership • Clearing new farmland led to massive deforestation in India • British introduced medical improvements and new farming methods which led to population growth putting a strain on the food supply. • In late 1800s terrible famines swept India

  27. Benefits of British Rule • British rule brought peace and order to the Indian countryside. • They revised the legal system to promote justice for all Indians. • Built *railroads, telegraph, and postal system • Upper classes benefited by sending their sons to British schools to be trained for jobs • Indian princes and landowners grew rich from exporting cash crops.

  28. Differing Views • Upper class, educated Indians urged India to Westernize • Learned English and adopted Western ways • Others felt they should stick with their own Hindu or Muslim cultures • In early 1800s, a great Indian scholar, Ram Mohun Roy, thought that India could learn from the West and also wanted to reform traditional Indian culture.

  29. Differing Views • Founded Hindu College of Calcutta which provided English-style education to Indians. • Roy condemned the caste system, child marriage, sati, and purdah. Purdah is the isolation of women in separate quarters. • He set up educational societies to revive pride in Indian culture. He is considered the founder of Indian nationalism.

  30. Western Attitudes • Some British admired Indian religions and philosophy and had a respect for India’s ancient classical heritage • Most British people felt Indian culture was inferior to theirs • It was said by a British historian, Thomas Macaulay, “a single shelf of a good European library is worth the whole native literature of India and Arabia”

  31. Indian Nationalism Grows • Western-educated Indian class emerge • By late 1800s led nationalist movements • Pushed for democracy and equality and an end to imperial rule • In 1885, the nationalist leaders organized the Indian National Congress (INC). Became known as the Congress Party • Muslims created the Muslim League in 1906 out of fear that Hindus would create a Hindu dominated government

  32. India Seeks Self Rule • Massacre at Amritsar, April 13, 1919 -Protests against British rule sparks riots and attacks on British residents living in Amritsar -General Reginald Dyer opened fire on unarmed crowd who were protesting peacefully in an enclosed field -over 400 people were killed and 1,100 injured • Amritsar became turning point for Indians who were now convinced that they needed to govern themselves

  33. Calls for Independence • During World War I more than a million Indians served overseas • British promised Indians greater self-government but didn’t honor their promise after the War • Congress Party pressed for self-rule within the British empire like South Africa. • After Amritsar wanted full independence • In the 1820s a new leader name Mohandas Gandhi emerged Indians across class lines

  34. “The Mahatma-Great Soul”Leads India to independence through civil disobedience. (Refusal to obey unjust laws,) Nonviolent protests used by Gandhi included: Strikes & Boycotts Burning of passbooks Salt March

  35. Gandhi:The Power of Nonviolence • Gandhi’s ideas inspired Indians of all religious and ethnic backgrounds. • His nonviolent protests caught the attention of the British government and the world. • Gandhi’s theories embraced Hindu traditions. • He preached the ancient doctrine of ahimsa , or nonviolence and reverence for all life.

  36. Gandhi:The Power of Nonviolence • By using the power of love, he believed, people could convert even the worst wrongdoer to the right course of action. • To fight, against injustice, he advocated the use of nonviolent resistance. • Gandhi’s philosophy reflected Western as well as Indian influences.

  37. Gandhi:The Power of Nonviolence • He admired Christian teachings about love. • He believed in the American philosopher Henry David Thoreau’s ideas about civil disobedience, the refusal to obey unjust laws. • Gandhi was also influenced by Western ideas of democracy and nationalism.

  38. Gandhi:The Power of Nonviolence • He urged equal rights for all Indians, women as well as men. • Fought hard to end the harsh treatment of untouchables, the lowest caste, or class. • During the 1920s and 1930s, Gandhi launched a series of nonviolent actions against British rule.

  39. Gandhi:The Power of Nonviolence • He called for Indians to boycott, or refuse to buy, British goods, especially cotton textiles. • He worked to restore pride in India’s traditional industries, making the spinning wheel a symbol of the nationalist movement. • Gandhi’s campaigns of civil disobedience attracted wide support.

  40. Gandhi Takes a Stand • To mobilize mass support, Gandhi decided to take a stand against the British salt monopoly, which he saw as a symbol of British oppression. • Natural salt was available in the sea, but the British government required Indians to buy only salt sold by the monopoly. • On March 12, 1930, Gandhi set out with 78 followers on a 240-mile march to the sea.

  41. The Salt March • As the tiny band passed through villages, crowds responded to Gandhi’s message. • By the time they reached the sea, the marchers numbered in the thousands. • On April 6, Gandhi waded into the surf and picked up a lump of sea salt. • He was soon arrested and jailed.

  42. The Salt March

  43. The Salt March • Still, Indians followed his lead. • Coastal villages started collecting salt. Indians sold salt on city streets. • As Gandhi’s campaign gained force, tens of thousands of Indians were imprisoned.

  44. Steps Toward Freedom • All around the world, newspapers criticized Britain’s harsh reaction to the protests. • Stories revealed how police brutally clubbed peaceful marchers who tried to occupy a government salt works. • Slowly, Gandhi’s campaign forced Britain to hand over some power to Indians. • Britain also agreed to meet other demands of the Congress party.

  45. Independence Postponed • In 1939, a new world war exploded. • Britain outraged Indian leaders by postponing independence and bringing Indians into the war without consulting them. • Angry nationalist launched a campaign of non-cooperation and were jailed. • Millions of Indians, however, did help Britain during World War II.

  46. Independence Postponed • When the war ended in 1945, India’s independence could no longer be delayed. • As it neared, Muslim fears of the Hindu majority increased. • Conflict between Hindus and Muslims would trouble the new nation in the years to come.

  47. Independent India • Because of Muslim conflicts Hindu India is partitioned or divided into two nations in 1947, India and Pakistan. • Following independence, India and Pakistan fought a war over Kashmir. • Reached as cease fire in 1949 but another war started between the two in 1965 and have had several brief clashes since then. • Bangladesh, once part of India but dominated by Muslims, became an independent nation in 1971 after war and bloodshed.

  48. India and Pakistan Go Nuclear • In the 1970s India launched a program to develop nuclear weapons and had its first test explosion in 1974. • These actions prompt Pakistan to start its own nuclear weapons program. • In 1998, India tested its first nuclear weapon and Pakistan followed the same year. • The emergence of these two new hostile nuclear powers alarmed the world.

More Related