India Under British Rule

1. India Under British Rule Chapter Eight Section 4 By Brian Boyle, Sam Yarosh, and Meg Boeni

2. A Timeline of British Involvement in India • 1498 – Portuguese traders become the first Europeans to gain a foothold in India. • 1600 – England sets up the East India Trading Company • Early 1700s – Mughal Empire begins to decline • 1740s – Rivalry between British and French traders in India • 1750s – Britain begins to intervene in Indian politics • 1765 – Bengal formally concedes to British military leader Robert Clive by the surviving Mughal ruler • 1773 – Regulating Act grants Parliament joint authority with the EIC in India • 1813 – Charter Act institutes laws based on British moral standards and outlaws many traditional practices • 1857 – Sepoy mutiny • 1858 – India officially becomes a British colony ***FunFact***The word Khaki was originally an Indian word spread to England through trade.

3. Robert Clive • Administrator of East Indian Company • Led British forces and helped defeat the French • Appointed Indian rulers in conquered territories who supported the East India Company • www.opioids.com/opium/robert-clive.html

4. East India Company • British encouraged disunity between Indian groups • British got groups one by one to sign treaties with East India Company • Gained rights to collect taxes; began gaining enormous wealth • Set up law code and court system • Ruled directly and indirectly

5. British Rule • By the 1850s Indians began to have problems with British • British outlawed many Hindu practices such as Sati- ritual suicide by widowed women • High taxes angered farmers

6. Sepoy Mutiny- 1857 Sepoys were Indian troops who served in the British army

7. Causes • Sepoy infantry were issued Lee-Enfield rifles that had to be single loaded • Each cartridge was greased with pig fat and beef tallow, which caused problems for Hindus and Muslims alike • British outlawed the practice of sati which outraged the civilian population

8. Causes • Sepoy infantry were issued Lee-Enfield rifles that had to be single loaded • Each cartridge was greased with pig fat and beef tallow, which caused problems for Hindus and Muslims alike • Some historians believe that the situation with the rifle cartridges was simply the last straw of a series of events leading to rebellion

9. Lasting Effects of British Rule Social and Political Changes http://manolomen.com/images/british-army-polo-team-in-india.jpg

10. Economic Changes • Native economy all but destroyed and Indians forced to grow cash crops for British markets • Indian craftsmen unable to compete with an influx of cheap British goods • Taxes levied against local people of many castes

11. Social Changes • English language became predominant in many areas • Schools of higher education founded on the British model • Health care and sanitation enormously improved ; rapid population growth • Christianity introduced • http://designscene.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/a313b122.jpg

12. Changes in Technology • First railroad completed in 1850 • Telegraph introduced in 1851 • Three local postal systems merged in1854 • Roads and waterways opened across the country to make transportation of goods and British troops more efficient

13. Indian Nationalism • Westernization and English ethnocentrism angered many and strengthened ties to native culture Modernization vs. return to native customs • Indian National Congress – succeeded in opening more government positions to native Indians