Imperialism in India

Yoona Cha, HiJo Byeun, Jinna Park

Resources

Opium

Pepper

Cinnamon

Indigo

Cotton

Textile

Mughal Empire

1526 – late 17th century/ early 18th century

Developed highly sophisticated mixed Indo-Persian culture

became weak towards the end

British East India Company

joint-stock company formed by the British

used a tacit called “divide and conquer” to conquer India

Objective: make earnings for people through exploitation of natural resources founded in India

Set up trading posts in India

Developed almost complete political & economic control

Monopolized Indian trade

Expanded control in India through wars and commercial activity

Sepoy (Indian) Mutiny

1857-1859

Sepoy: a soldier native to India who is allied to a European power (esp. UK)

rebel against British East India Company for coercion of Christianity and other European customs

Also known as India’s First War of Independence

Resulted in direct British control

Ended with peace treaty (July 1858)

Battle of Plassey

1757

Victor: British East India Company

Determined company rule in India (established in South Asia over next 90 years)

Queen Victoria

1877 became empress of India

Gave existing Indian royalties extended powers as long as they stayed faithful to the queen

Thuggees

A term for people who robbed and murdered travelers on the road

Jawaharlal Nehru

1st Prime Minister or India

Leader of left-winged Indian National Congress

Advocated complete independence from the British Empire

Recognized as Gandhi's “political heir”

Mohammed Ali Jinnah 1876-1948

Founder of Pakistan + First Governor-General

leader of Muslim League

Salt March 1930

A campaign proposed by Gandhi

Gandhi sent a letter to Lord Lieutenant, but he did not even reply

Did not want to pay taxes placed on salt, thus walked a 200-mile journey from Ashram Ahmedabad to the Arabian to pick up a few grains of salt

Gandhi hoped to spread the action to the rest of India

"Ashram in Exodus”: prayer, spinning and keeping a diary

Muslim League

Incepted in Dhaka 1906

Muslims represented 40 % of the Indian population

Majority of Muslim leaders did not trust Hindu, thus were reluctant to join the Congress Party (Indian National Congress 1885)

Amritsar Massacre

April 13, 1919

Also known as Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

British Indian Army under control of Reginald Dyer shot civilians of men, women and children

Around 1526 casualties

Indian Nationalism

Movement created by Indians to regain control of their country

Became dissatisfied with restricted grants by the British

Lacked equal job opportunities

Could not obtain jobs of high positions in government

More Indians received ‘quality’ education, thus developing dignity in the Indian heritage

Indian Independence

Movement “various national and regional

campaigns, agitations and efforts of both nonviolent and militant philosophy and involved a wide spectrum of political organizations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending the British Colonial Authority as well as other colonial administration in South Asia.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wikiIndian_independence_movement

First Meeting of Indian National

Congress Incepted in 1885 by middle class Indians

Goals: democracy, equality, self-rule

Subdivision of Bengal influenced more radical actions

Ex) Swadeshi movement: the purchase and use of Indian made products and resources and boycott of foreign products

Forerunner of Gandhi, and India’s independence

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

1869-1948

Political & spiritual leader of India during British Imperialism

Promoted passive boycotts (non-violence)

Ex) Spinning wheel

1921, Gained leadership of Indian National Congress

Achieved Swaraj

Swaraj

“self-governance”

Gandhi’s concept of India’s independence from foreign domination

"It may be taunted with the retort that this is all Utopian and, therefore not worth a single thought... Let India live for the true picture, though never realizable in its completeness. We must have a proper picture of what we want before we can have something approaching it.”

Parel, Anthony. Hind Swaraj and other writings of M. K. Gandhi. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, 1997, pp 189.

Consequences

Good:

medical + technology development

Extended education (establishment of universities + schools)

Terminate problems in Indian culture Ex) burning alive, child brides, caste system

<social ranks>, etc.

Infrastructure Ex) construction of roads, railroads,

telegraph cables, and canals <Industrialization and modern science >

Consequences II

Bad:

Prejudice

Coercion of labor

Influence of European customs on religious practices

Hindrance of economic progress, thus still one of the most substandard countries in the world

Bibliography

http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_plassey.html

http://murshidabad.gov.in/plassey.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

http://thenagain.info/webchron/India/IndiaNational.html

http://www.mapsofindia.com/amritsar/massacre.html