The British Take Over India

1. The British Take Over India Section 4 Chapter 25

2. After the death of RanjitSingh, (a Indian ruler) Britain conquered the Sikh empire. • Britain's East India Company gained trading rights in the Mughal empire • In the mid 1800s they controlled 3/5 of India • To gain control they played rival princes against each other • The company became very rich but also worked to improve roads, preserve peace, and reduce banditry • They tried to change the political and religious views of the people • Some practices were outlawed such as sati, which is where a widow must join her husband in death by throwing herself on his funeral fire

3. In the 1850s the company required sepoys (Indian troops) to serve in India and over sea this offended their religion • Hindu widows could now remarry, this also offended them • 1857 the British offended them again, they gave the sepoys new rifles the had been greased with animal fat, the animals were sacred to the Hindus and forbidden to muslims • The angry sepoys started a rebellion that swept across northern and central India • Then they marched to Delhi to issue a document asking for support from Muslims and Hindus • Sepoys massacred British people • The British crushed the revolt, and took revenge on the Indians by torching villages • In 1858 parliament ended the rule of the company • India was now controlled by British crown they began to tax the indians

4. 1858 colonial rule is set up in India • Britain used the country for trade and materials, they thought they were helping with reforming farming and transportation methods • Due to British control many people sink deeply into poverty • The British did promote justice for India • They helped give India a sense of national unity

5. Due to Britain the newly western educated Indians, India began to spearhead the nationalist movement • They wanted to end imperial rule • 1885 Indian National congress was organized • They wanted to achieve self-rule but to be supported by western style modernization