imperialism in
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Imperialism in . INDIA. Samantha Bent, Maddi Beer, Melissa Ribeiro, Jimmy Joseph. The Mughal Empire. Prior to the British control, India was ruled by Islamic rulers who migrated from the North and seized control large areas of India - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Imperialism in INDIA
Samantha Bent, Maddi Beer, Melissa Ribeiro, Jimmy Joseph
The Mughal Empire Prior to the British control, India
was ruled by Islamic rulers who migrated from the North and seized control large areas of India most of the conquering occurred
under the reign of Akbar, or “Akbar the Great,” the successful Mughal leader
India’s In Trouble Mughal rulers governed a powerful
empire in India for more than 200 years; however, in the mid-1700s, the
Mughal empire was collapsing from a lack of strong rulers, allowing the British to take full advantage
BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY (BEIC)
An English joint-stock company that formed in 1600 to develop trade in INDIA and CHINA Traded mainly cotton, indigo dye, and silk Over time, the BEIC came to rule large parts
of India, exercising military power and assuming administrative jobs which ultimately benefited Britain’s commercial purposes
They were able to take control when the Mughals’ power collapsed
Why India? The British were interested in India for
strictly economic benefits! Think back to the Industrial Revolution… Britain needed new markets for cotton
clothing, and looked to sell their goods to India’s population of about 300 million people
India became the major supplier for the world workshop that Britain had made
Convenient Much? The BEIC’s main goal was to trade
and make more money India’s ports allowed the BEIC to set
up additional trading posts in Bombay, Madura, and Calcutta ($$$$$)
The British Seize Control By 1757, the BEIC was the leading
power in India Britain seized control in 1763, and although
their main job was to make money, they did try to improve conditions in India Worked to end slavery, built roads, tried
to improve the position of women in the family
Also tried converting natives into Christians (PROBLEM)
Religious Ignorance & the Great Sepoy Mutiny
Sepoys were Indian soldiers trained by the British The BEIC required sepoys to serve
anywhere, either in India or overseas However, for some Hindus, overseas travel was
an offense to their religion The BEIC also passed a law allowing Hindu
widows to remarry Hindus viewed both moves as a Christian
conspiracy to undermine their beliefs
The Sepoy Mutiny May 10,1857 - the British issued the
Sepoys new rifles, and told them to bite off the tips of the cartridges before loading them into the rifles PROBLEM – rumors were spread that
the cartridges were greased with animal fats - either from cows or pigs Hindus considered cows sacred Pigs were forbidden to Muslims
A Rebellion Begins Sepoys were outraged at the greased
cartridges and rose up against their British officers
Rebellion swept across northern India Sepoys took over the cities of Delhi and
Kanpur They also brutally massacred British men,
women, and children
The Aftermath September 20,1857 - the British
recaptured Dehli, and eventually Kapur The British also took terrible revenge
for their losses, torching villages, women, and slaughtering thousands of innocent Indians
Back to Business… 1858 – Parliament ended the rule
of the BEIC, and placed India directly under British crown Set up a system of colonial rule called
the British Raj A British viceroy was also sent to
govern in the name of the queen, and more troops were sent
The British = Opportunists The British essentially continued to
develop India for its own economic benefit They saw India as both a MARKET,
and as a source of RAW MATERIALS They built bridges, canals, buildings,
and railroads, which benefited British TRADE
Indian Nationalism By the late 1800s, Western-
educated Indians were spear-heading a nationlist movement 1855 – Nationalist leaders organized
the Indian National Congress (Congress Party) Called for greater democracy, which they
felt would bring more power to Indians 1906 – Muslim League