Imperialism in India to 1858

2. 4 Imperialism in India to 1858

3. The British East India Company: required sepoys, or Indian soldiers in its service, to serve anywhere, including overseas, which violated Hindu religious law passed a law allowing Hindu widows to marry, which undermined Hindu beliefs ordered the sepoys to bite off cartridges made of animal fat when loading their rifles, which violated both Hindu and Muslim religious law The sepoys brutally massacred British men, women, and children. The British took terrible revenge, slaughtering thousands of unarmed Indians. Both sides were left with a bitter legacy of fear, hatred, and mistrust. The British put India directly under British rule, sent more troops to India, and taxed Indians to pay for the cost of the occupying forces. 4 The Sepoy Rebellion: Causes and Effects CAUSES EFFECTS

4. 4 British Colonial Rule After 1858, Parliament set up a system of colonial rule in India. • The British built roads and an impressive railroad network. • The British flooded India with machine-made textiles, ruining India’s once-prosperous hand-weaving industry. • Britain transformed Indian agriculture. • Better health care and increased food production led to rapid population growth. Over-population led to terrible famines. • The British revised the Indian legal system. • British rule brought peace and order to the countryside. • Upper-class Indians sent their sons to British schools.

5. Some educated Indians were impressed by British power and technology and urged India to follow a western model of progress. Other Indians felt the answer to change lay with their own Hindu or Muslim cultures. Most British knew little about Indian achievements and dismissed Indian culture with contempt. A few British admired Indian theology and philosophy and respected India’s ancient heritage. 4 Different Views on Culture During the Age of Imperialism, Indians and British developed different views of each other’s culture. BRITISH ATTITUDES INDIAN ATTITUDES

6. 4 Indian Nationalism The British believed that western-educated Indians would form an elite class which would bolster British rule. As it turned out, exposure to European ideas had the opposite effect. By the late 1800s, western-educated Indians were spearheading a nationalist movement. In 1885, nationalist leaders organized the Indian National Congress. Its members looked forward to eventual self-rule, but supported western-style modernization. In 1906, Muslims formed the Muslim League to pursue their own goals, including a separate Muslim state.

7. 5 Imperialism in China to 1914

8. The Trade Issue Prior to the 1800s, Chinese rulers placed strict limits on foreign traders. • China enjoyed a trade surplus, exporting more than it imported. • Westerners had a trade deficit with China, buying more from the Chinese than they sold to them. In 1842, Britain made China accept the Treaty of Nanjing, the first in a series of “unequal treaties” that forced China to make concessions to western powers. • China paid a huge indemnity to Britain. • The British gained the island of Hong Kong. • China had to open five ports to foreign trade and grant British citizens in China extraterritoriality.

9. Internal Issues • Irrigation systems and canals were poorly maintained, leading to massive flooding of the Huang He valley. • The population explosion that had begun a century earlier created a terrible hardship for China’s peasants. • An extravagant court, tax evasion by the rich, and widespread official corruption added to the peasants’ burden. • The civil service system was rocked by bribery scandals. • Between 1850 and 1864, peasants took part in the Taiping Rebellion, the most devastating revolt in history.

10. Reform Efforts • In the 1860s, reformers launched the “self-strengthening movement” in an effort to westernize and modernize China. • The movement made limited progress because the government did not rally behind it. • After China was defeated in the Sino-Japanese War, Emperor GuangXu launched the Hundred Days of Reform. • Conservatives soon rallied against the reform effort and the emperor was imprisoned.

11. 5 Fall of the Qing Dynasty • As the century ended, anger grew against foreigners in China. • In the Boxer Rebellion, angry Chinese attacked foreigners across China. In response, western powers and Japan crushed the Boxers. • Defeat at the hands of foreigners led China to embark on a rush of reforms. • Chinese nationalists called for a constitutional monarchy or a republic. • When Empress Ci Xi died in 1908, China slipped into chaos. • In 1911, the Qing dynasty was toppled. • Sun Yixian was named president of the new Chinese republic. Sun wanted to rebuild China on “Three Principles of the People”: nationalism, democracy, and economic security for all Chinese.