India’s History

And the influence of Britain

• The Khyber Pass today is used mainly for transportation. There are two

highways- one for motor vehicles, the other for traditional caravans- as

well as a railway winding through the pass. It was used to deliver arms to

Afghanistan and to transport refugees from the Afghan civil war into

Pakistan

Invasions of India

1500 BC-500 BC• India invaded by Indo-Aryan people from

Russia and Southern Europe.

• Entered through the Khyber Pass

• Nomadic Herdsmen

• Links to the ancient Greeks (similar

religion)!

Invasions of India

1500 BC-500 BC• Brought future Hindu beliefs:

– Reincarnation

– Caste system

• Spread from the Indus River to the

Ganges from 1500-1000 BC

Vedic Age• From 1500-500 BC

• Named after the Vedas

– 4 poems and hymns about life

and knowledge

– Passed down by oral tradition

– Hindu holy books

• Two major books also written

– Ramayana

– Mahabharata

Life in the Vedic Age

1500- 500 BC• The early Vedic kingdoms were small

• Society was divided into 3 classes

– Warriors, Priests and Communality

• Later, from 1000-500 BC, the Aryans

pushed into the Ganges River area and

became more aggressive

Later Vedic System

1000-500 BC• The Aryans created the 4 caste system

• Each is called a Varna-referring to skin

color

• Dictates one’s occupation, dietary habits

and social interactions

Later Indian History

Continued

Battle of Plassey, where the East India Company was victorious over Indian troops.

British Expansion in India

What made India vulnerable to colonization?

What were the British interested in India?

India was a wealth for raw materials (plantation crops, mostly) and natural resources that could be sold by the British or used in factories/production.

Large population (300 million) could be a lucrative market for British goods.

What were British interests in India?

Beginning of the fall of the Mughal Empire in 1707

In 1757, the East India Company allied with France and led troops into India, ultimately winning.

When the Caribbean holdings collapsed, India became the main focus.

After a mutiny, the East India Company gave India to the British Crown in 1858

Britain would be the dominating force in India.

What made India vulnerable to colonization?

Effects of British Troops

Effects on Caste System

British troops ended local warfareBritish troops cleared central India of banditsCaste system outlawed.Sanitation and public health improved.Schools and colleges were founded

Increase in literacyNew technology

Example: Britain laid the world’s 3rd

largest railroad network in India.

Positive

Continued

A British-laid train station photographed in modern India.

Evolution of railroads in India.

Britain’s policies forced India to produce raw materials for

Britain and to buy British goods.British imports into India were cheaper than India’s local

products, hindering local production and increasing India’s reliance on Britain.

Emphasis on cash corps=famines in 1800s.Sepoy Rebellion

Thousands killed, both Indian and British

Indian competition with British goods was prohibited.Example: India’s handloom textile industry almost put

out-of-business by the forced importation of British textiles.

Negative

Sepoy Rebellion

Continued

Positive

Negative

Railroads ultimately helped India to develop a

modern economy

Given a foothold in world trade

Many Indians speak English.

Over time, a modern road network, telephone lines, telegraph lines, bridges, and irrigation canals encouraged India’s modernization.

India’s relationship with Britain connected it to the modern world even after colonization.

Led to Indian nationalism, unifying the country.

Positive

Loss of self-sufficiency.

Many sovereign Indian kingdoms destroyed

India was divided several different times in different ways that spurned acts of terrorism.

Example: 1905-Partitionof Bengal

Hindu section and Muslim section

Negative

Maps depicting percentages of Hindus and Muslims. Some areas overlap, showing why the Bengal partition didn’t work and led to conflicts.

Loss of India