British Involvement in India (18th-19th Centuries)

British Presence in India: 18th century

• Until 1750s – coastal presence

• During and after 1750s – gradual military dominance and territorial acquisitions

The British East India Company (EIC)

• Trade monopoly in Asia (since 1600)*3,000 shareholders*Annual profits of 2 million pounds*Headquarters/directors in London

• India – focal point of EIC trade – raw cotton and woven cotton cloth for import

• EIC settlements – Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta

EIC Trade in India – First part of the 18th century

• Sophisticated economy

• Profitable for Europeans – no military intervention

• Security/stability guaranteed by the Mughals and nawabs

Company Trade – “Company Men”• Ambitious reps of the EIC • Relied on personal diplomatic skills and private armies

of sepoys to protect their’s and company’s interests.• Sepoys – Indian mercenary troops employed and

trained by Europeans.

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British in Bengal

• Bengal – territory in NE India

• British presence – Calcutta

• 1756 – Nawab overruns Calcutta

• Robert Clive (“company man”) and British/sepoy troops overthrow Calcutta’s nawab

• By 1765 – the EIC rules Bengal (granted by a weak Mughal Emperor)

Robert Clive and Expansion of the British Presence in India

• Robert Clive:*Arrived to India in 1743 – civil service for the EIC*Transferred to the military service of the EIC*Lost election to the House of Commons in England*Return to India in 1756 to take control of the British forces in Madras*Won the Battle of Plassey (1757), securing British control over Bengal

• Internal weakness and political fragmentation in India• Euro.interference in India’s politics / “kingmakers”!!!

European Rivalries in India• The British vs. The French (and the

Dutch)

• Seven Years’ War (ends in1763)

• Battle of Plassey (1757) – British win control of Bengal / decline of French presence in India

Territorial Expansion in India – end of the 18th century

• British gov’t and EIC directors – against

• Company – involved in local politics/wars

• Annexes, adds territories

• Economic pressures / transformation

British government of Indian territories (The British Raj)

• Largely done by the natives (indirect control and administration)• Policies of “westernization, Anglicization, and modernization”

- tax/property reforms, Christian missionaries, • Support of local traditions• End of the century – India must be “saved” from

backwardness…(education, religion, technology, economy, superstition, etc.)

British presence in India – 19th century (The British Raj)

• Before 1857 –

Combination of reforms and support for traditions

• After 1857 – Direct control and conservatism!

Before 1857: Mixture of “New and Old”

• “Civilizing” India included fostering “a class of persons, Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions in morals and in intellect.” (Thomas Macaulay, 1835)

• British presence strongest in urban areas• At the same time, the authority of Brahmins and

caste separation grew stronger.

Causes of 1857 Sepoy Uprising (Mutiny – British perspective)

• Long term causes: *Policies of Westernization (especially under the Marquess of Dalhousie, Governor – General in 1840s)

- ”Doctrine of Lapse” + exclusion of high ranking Indians from civil and military offices- Perceived threat from Christianity (attack on tradition – sati, child marriage, infanticide, permission for widow’s to remarry)

Territorial Expansion under Lord Dalhousie

Sepoy Rebellion – Long Term Causes – cont.

• Economic causes:

- Enforcement of Sale Laws

- Increase in taxes / limited investment opportunities

- British export and import policies (manufactured goods undermine Indian cotton industry)

- Economic expansion (roads, canals, telegraph) at the expense of temples and shrines

Importance of Indian Cotton (raw material) to the British

Cotton exports from India

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Sepoy Rebellion – causes cont.Military causes:

(immediate causes)- The General Services

Enlistment Act (1856)- Challenges to Sepoy

privileges (recruitment from various ethnic groups: Sikhs, Gurkhas, etc.)

- Breech loaded Lee-Enfield rifle (cartridges greased with animal fat) immediate cause

The Sepoy Rebellion• May, 1857 – July, 1858*• Massacres/atrocities

committed by each side• Rebel leaders: Nana

Sahib and Bahkt Khan• Last Mughal ruler:

Bahadur Shah – installed by the rebels as ruler in Delhi during the rebellion

• British forces and sepoy troops loyal to them put down the rebellion.

Bahadur Shah

What were the results of the uprising?• Mughal rule/dynasty –

officially ends• The Government of India Act

of 1858 (transfer of power from the EIC to the “Crown”)

• Queen Victoria declared the Queen of India (Secretary of State for India (London) – Viceroy (governor-general) in India.

• British policy: conservatism and emphasis on traditions

The Colonial (Imperial Stage)• British policies in India:

*Doctrine of Lapse – suppressed*The Viceroy’s council included Indians*Indian rajas’ treaties and Indian people’s traditions, customs, and religions were to be respected (less support for Christian missionaries) *Taxation system reformed (emphasis on export of Indian raw materials)

• Military recruitment from “martial races” – loyal to the British during the Sepoy rebellion

• Durbars

DurbarsDoesn’t this remind you of Theatre States?

• Elaborate ceremonies/parades designed to legitimize and celebrate political power of the British rule and native Indian elites.

Social and economic changes in India – 19th century

• British investment in infrastructure / public works (railroads, canals, harbors, etc.)

• India’s main exports – cash crops (cotton, opium, tea, silk)

• Implementation of western style technologies, laws, and education

• Rise of India’s urban elites (merging of Western education and Indian cultural heritage)

• Greater mobility of population (+) - emergence of common national identity (Pan-Indian)(-) – spread of diseases (ex: kala mari)

The Indian Civil Service (ICS)• The ICS – Elite government officials/bureaucrats who administered

British India after 1858.• Composition of the ICS:

*~1,000 officials – chosen by merit / British men – advantages in recruitment – based on racist attitudes*1870 – 1 Indian member*1887 – 57 Indian members*1914 – 5% Indian members*1947 - 597 Indians and 588 British

Development of Indian Nationalism• The Sepoy Rebellion - ?• Economic development =

Pan-Indian identity• Early leaders – Western

educated elites / middle class (ex: Rammohun Roy)

• Indian National Congress (1885) – early demands focused on economic opportunities and social changes within the British Raj.

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