The British East India Company gained control over much of India through manipulation of local rulers and military force. This led to resentment among Indians and the Sepoy Rebellion in 1857, after which the British government took direct control over India. Under the British Raj from 1858 to 1947, India provided raw materials and a large market for British goods but Indians had little political power. Tensions increased during World War I as Indians helped Britain but sought independence. The Rowlatt Act and Amritsar Massacre further angered Indians and strengthened the independence movement led by Gandhi and the Indian National Congress.

1. The British In India

2. It was ‘the empire on which the sun never set’:
The British Empire

3. Pair-Share Activity
• Next to the following primary source
quote, explain what Hodson is saying
about the importance of India as a
colony to Great Britain.

4. A.V. Hodson, Advisor to the Viceroy
of India
• “Without India and the naval power that
cemented it, Great Britain was but a
medium –sized country. With it, she was
great among the greatest, boasting a
worldwide Pax Britannica. Without India,
the subordinate empire would be
scarcely more than a string of colonial
beads.”

5. Spice Trade Draws Europe

6. The Spice Trade
• Pepper, cinnamon, rice, tea, cotton, indigo etc.
all were in great demand in Europe
• Very expensive due to taxes and tariffs by
Italians and Turks

7. • Europeans had built trading
posts along Asian, African
coats, but held little territory
farther inland
• By late 1700s, European states
began expanding power in Asia,
Africa
• Two factors that made possible:
new technologies, weakening of
great empires of Asia, Africa
Expanding Power
• Arrival of British in India,
example of European
imperialism, the process of one
people ruling, controlling
another
• By 1700, Spain, Great Britain,
France, Portugal ruled vast
territories in the Americas
• Europeans had less success
ruling territory in Asia, Africa
Imperialism
Setting the Stage

9. British East India Company
• First Imperialism in
India was NOT done
by British
government!
http://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/gallery/East-West/images/India_04_obv.

10. Imperialism in India started with a
trading company
• The British East India
Company:
• The company was started
to control trade between
Britain, India, and East
Asia.
• VERY POWERFUL!
http://eiu.edu/~cfnek/syllabi/3555/British_empire_color.jpg

11. British East India Company
● controlled British trade in India
• eventually the company gained political control over
Bangladesh, Southern India, and Northern India (along Ganges
River)

12. .
• Manipulated rulers of states, suggested each
needed British support to keep throne
• Played rulers against each other, kept India in chaos
• Company’s army took over much of India, claiming it
had to restore order
Kept India in Chaos
British East India Company

13. East India Company and Culture
• Cultural imperialism not a major concern of
the company
– Goal was to make money
• Some interest in Indian culture
– Friendships and intermarriages
– Officers required to learn Persian and Sanskrit
– Christian missionary activity discouraged
• Paternalism
– British educational system slowly introduced

14. I How did the British East India Company
change India?
• 1. New Education
system
• Teach English
http://images.exoticindiaart.com/books/education_in_india_idk265.jpg

15. How did the British East India Company
change India?
• 2. New Laws: banned
some customs like
“Sati”- widows killing
themselves by
jumping into their
husband’s funeral
fire.
rl=http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/empire/g2/cs4/images/g2cs4s1.jpg&im

16. How did the British East India Company
change India?
• 3. Religion: Christian
Missionaries came to
spread their beliefs in
India.
w.hinduyuva.org/tattva-blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/harvesting_souls_

17. How did the British rule India?
• Began to take over taxation of people
–Used the same system as the Mughal empire
• Promised “protection”
• In 1850: 300,000 men in army.
–Only 50,000 were British
• 100,000 British men ruling over 200 million
Indians

18. Pair-Share Activity
• Which of the changes made to India
by the British East India Company do
you think was most important and
why?
• Do this next to the last slide for
British East India Company.

19. Jewel in the Crown Reference

20. • India was Britain’s
most valuable colony,
or “jewel in the
crown.”
• Forced to produce
raw materials for
British manufacturing
• Also forced to buy
British goods
Britain’s Jewel in the Crown”

21. “Jewel in the Crown”
• Industrial Revolution turned India into a major supplier of
raw materials to Great Britain
• 300 million Indians were
a large market for
British products

22. “Jewel in the Crown”
• British forbade India from
trading on its own with
other countries
• India was forced to produce raw
materials for only Britain and to
buy finished products from only
Britain
• Indian competition with British
finished products was forbidden

23. “Jewel in the Crown”
• Britain set up a railroad network to take raw materials from
inside India to its ports

24. Raw Materials Taken from India
• Tea • Indigo (dye for clothing)

25. Raw Materials Taken from India
• Coffee • Cotton

26. Raw Materials Taken from India
• Jute (fiber for making rope) • Opium (plant that heroin is
made from)

27. Pair-Share Activity
• Draw a crown with THREE peaks.
• In each of the peaks, write down a reason as
to why India was so important to Great
Britain.
• There were many reasons, so you need to
decide on the three you think were the most
important.
• Do this next to the last slide for the Jewel of
the Crown.

28. Indian Rebellion/Resistance to
British Rule

29. Indians Rebel
• By 1850 most Indians resented
that Great Britain owned their
country
• Indians were angry at attempts
to forcefully convert them to
Christianity
• Indians were angry Britain
controlled all useful land in
their country
■ Indians were angry at the
constant racism expressed
towards them by the British

30. Sepoys and Sepoy Mutiny or
Rebellion (Depends on
Viewpoint)

31. Sepoys
• Indians who joined British armies in India
– Resented by other Indians

32. Picture of Sepoy rebellion

33. Sepoy Mutiny: Underlying and Immediate Causes
• Underlying Causes
– Religious Frictions: Some British officers actively attempted to convert the
sepoys to Christianity although the British East India Company discouraged it.
The sepoys resented imposing Christianity and Christian laws in India.
– Doctrine of the Lapse: The Company automatically seized land from a feudal
leader who died without leaving an heir.
– Unfair justice system toward Indians. British officers accused of crimes against
Indians were granted multiple appeals and advantages when being tried.
– High Caste Sepoys: The Bengal Army of sepoys were recruited from a higher
caste of Indians. Therefore, if the high caste sepoys were considered to be
"polluted", they would have to expend considerable sums of money on ritual
purification before being accepted back into society.
• Immediate Cause
– The Enfield Rifle: It required the soldier to bite the cartridge and hold the ball
in his mouth when loading the rifle. The belief that the cartridge was lubricated
with animal fat (either pork or beef) offended both Muslims and Hindus.

35. Sepoy Mutiny
• Sepoys in Meerut
refused to use
cartridges; thought it plot
to make them abandon
Hinduism, Islam
• Sepoys punished for
protesting
• In response, northern
Indian sepoys rose up
against British
• Eventually gained
control of Delhi
• Violence of rebellion
ferocious
• Both sides committed
atrocities
• Sepoys killed British
officers, as well as
wives, children
• Captured mutineers
strapped to cannons and
shot; villages burned
• Fighting continued two
years

36. Indians Did Not Fully Unite During Sepoy Mutiny
• serious splits between Hindus
and Muslims
• unclear inconsistent leadership
• Many Indian princes did not take
part in the rebellion (made
alliances with
British)
• Sikhs (Indian religious group)
remained loyal to the British

37. Effects/Results Sepoy Mutiny
• Sepoy rebelled against East India Company rule
– Resulted in the end of 100 years of company rule in India
• British government took direct control to protect their
valuable trading empire and ruled from 1858 to 1947
• The Indians could not unite against the British due to weak
leadership and serious splits between Hindus and Muslims.
• The mutiny increased distrust between the British and the
Indians.

38. • This is a British political
cartoon that appeared
after the Sepoy Mutiny.
• You see that the British
perceived their violent
crushing of the rebellion
as justice.
• This again speaks to why
the British refer to the
event as a mutiny, while
the Indians refer to it as
a rebellion.

39. Pair-Share Activity
• The British refer to this event as a Mutiny,
while the Indians refer to this event as a
Rebellion. Two clearly different
interpretations.
• Based upon what you have learned, which
viewpoint do you agree with and why?
• Write this next to the last slide about the
Sepoys.

40. The British Raj

41. Turning Point
• 1858 British government took direct control over India
(because of the Mutiny)
• Raj (time period when
India was under Great
Britain’s control:
1857-1947)

42. Raj
• India was divided into 11 Provinces and 250 districts
sometimes a handful of
officials would be the only
British amongst millions of
Indians in a district
• Mutiny increased distrust between British and Indians: it fueled more
British racism towards Indians

43. • Colony of colony—the “jewel in the crown” of the British Empire, with political
and financial rewards, national pride
• For Indians, British rule source of frustration and humiliation
• Frustration gave rise to powerful feelings of nationalism
• Era of British rule in
India often called
British Raj, Hindi
word meaning “rule”
• Administration carried
out by government
agency, Indian Civil
Service (ICS)
The Raj
• Though ruling India,
most ICS officials
British
• ICS employed very
few Indians
• Many educated
Indians frustrated at
having no say in own
government
ICS
• Many British thought
they were superior
– Segregated
neighborhoods;
exclusive clubs
– Westernized
Indians
• Prejudiced, thought
Indians incapable of
governing selves
Westernization
India as a British Colony

44. A Life
of
Leisure!

45. Lady Curzon, 1904

46. Raj Building Projects
• During Raj, British built railroads, roads, canals in India
• By 1910, India had fourth-largest railroad network in world
• British invested in transportation to move troops; help sell British products
Raj Impact
• British manufactured goods devastated India’s pre-existing textile industry
• Had been major exporter; British closed factories to prevent competition
• Mid-1800s, India primarily exported raw materials, not manufactured goods
Raj Commerce
• India important market for British manufactured goods
• Also source of raw materials like cotton, tea, indigo, jute
• Taxes from Indian landowners paid for administration of India, Indian army
Life under the British Raj

47. Darjeeling Railroad,
1880s

48. Life Under the Raj
• Stability and surprisingly honest government.
• Modernization:
– Many Indians educated
– Women even allowed to attend college.
– Modernized the country—railroads, highways,
telegraph, postal service, etc.
• Religious reform
– Outlawed sati and female infanticide.
– Reigned in the thuggee cult (“thugs”).

49. Pair-Share Activity
• Based upon what you know thus far about
British Imperialism in India, do you think there
were more positives or more negatives for the
Indian people? Why?
• Do this next to the last slide for British Raj.

50. Role of World War One
Rowlatt Act

51. World War I
• Great Britain got 1 Million
Indians to enlist in the
British army to fight in
World War I
• Britain promised Indians self-
government in exchange for
them enlisting in the British
army
1918 Indian troops
returned home:
expected Britain to fulfill
its promise

52. Rowlatt Act (1919)
• instead Indian troops were treated as second class
citizens again by Great Britain
• many Indians committed acts of
violence against British in India
in response
Great Britain passes Rowlatt Act (1919) in response

53. Rowlatt Act (1919)
• allowed British gov’t to jail protestors for 2 years with no
trial
• violent protests by Indians in Punjab (province with most Indian
World War I veterans)

54. Pair-Share Activity
• What are your thoughts on the Rowlatt Act?
• Can you think of any laws from American
History that parallel the Rowlatt Act? Explain.
• Do this next to the last slide for the Rowlatt
Act.

55. Amritsar Massacre

56. Amritsar Massacre
Date: April 13, 1919

57. The Story Behind THE AMRITSAR MASSACRE
The Amritsar Massacre occurred a few months after the
end of WWI when a British female missionary reported
that she had been molested on a street in the city of
Amritsar. Britain issued an order requiring all Indians
using that street to crawl its length on their hands and
knees, and the public whipping of natives who came
within a certain distance of British policemen.
In 1919, Indians gathered in Amritsar to protest these
extraordinary measures. The throng, penned in a narrow
space, had been peacefully listening to the story of
victims when, without warning, 50 British troops fired
into the gathering. For 15 minutes 1,650 rounds of
ammunition were unloaded into the screaming, terrified
crowd, some of whom were trampled by those
desperately trying to escape.

58. Amritsar Massacre (Spring 1919)
• 10,000 Hindus and Muslims
went to Amritsar (capital of
Punjab Province): festival to
pray and hear political
speeches
• alliance of Hindus and
Muslims scared the
British

59. • “The Indians were ‘packed together so that
one bullet would drive through three or four
bodies’; the people ‘ran madly this way and
the other. When fire was directed upon the
centre, they ran to the sides. The fire was
then directed to the sides. Many threw
themselves onto the ground, and fire was
then directed on the ground. This continued
for eight or ten minutes, and it stopped only
when the ammunition had reached the point
of exhaustion…” Winston Churchill

60. Amritsar Massacre
• British Brig. Gen. who led the massacre was
honored at home for crushing the Indians
Rattan Devi stated, ''I saw three men writhing in great pain and
a boy of about 12. I could not leave the place. The boy asked
me for water but there was no water in that place. At 2 am, a
Jat who was lying entangled on the wall asked me to raise his
leg. I went up to him and took hold of his clothes drenched in
blood and raised him up. Heaps of bodies lay there, a number
of them innocent children. I shall never forget the sight. I
spent the night crying and watching..."

61. Site of massacre
today
Alley that
prevented the
use of tanks

62. General Dyer intended
to have an impact on
all of India.
He killed 379 men,
women and children.
He wounded 1,100.
He showed no mercy
and gave no warning.
"I think it quite possible that I
could have dispersed the crowd
without firing but they would
have come back again and
laughed, and I would have
made, what I consider, a fool of
myself.“
— Dyer's response
to the Hunter Commission
Enquiry

63. At Dyer’s inquiry, did he show
remorse for his actions?
No –
He said he would
have used a
machine gun if he
could.

64. Following the massacre….
• The Amritsar Massacre was a
turning point.
• After it, Gandhi became the
leader of the Indian nationalists in
the Indian Congress Party.
• He resolved to work towards
Indian independence by a series
of major campaigns against the
British.

65. Pair-Share Activity
• Often through the study of history, you find that
an individual can simultaneously be viewed as
a hero and as a villain. This was seen with
Nelson Mandela,
• The British honored Dyer as a hero for his
actions. The Indians saw him as a criminal.
• Based upon what you have learned, how do
you view him and why?
• This should be done next to the last Amritsar
slide.

66. Sepoy Rebellion 1857
British Rule (Raj) 1857-1947
East India Company 1600-1858
1914-19 World War I
Indian National Congress (1885)
Muslim League (1906)
Mughal Dynasty 1526-1712
Rowlatt Act & Amritsar Massacre
Road to
Independence