IMPERIALISM in ME and India

THE BRITISH TAKE INDIA

BACKGROUND: In early 1600s, the British East India Company built trading bases in India

By 1756, the British used its bases to force all rivals out, especially the French

By mid 1800s, Britain controls 3/5 of India British use a policy of “divide and conquer” to

take over

THE BRIGHTEST JEWEL IN THE BRITISH CROWN As Mughal power declined, British played off of the

diversity (many languages and customs) and rivalries of princes to gain control, also had superior weapons

1857 Sepoy Rebellion – armed Indian soldiers (sepoys) helped to protect British holdings, revolted when Brit. violated their religious beliefs

Bloody revolt until British crush rebellion and make India a colony in 1858 taking it from the British East India Co. ----”Brightest Jewel in British Crown”

SEPOY REBELLION

EFFECTS OF BRITISH RULE IN INDIA POSITIVES: New roads and RR link ports of India Telegraph and postal systems unite people Irrigation systems improve farming New laws bring justice to all classes British schools offer education Customs that threaten human rights ended,

(sati, slavery, caste)

EFFECTS CONT.

NEGATIVES Indian resources go to British British made goods replace local goods Farms grew cash crops rather than food

crops, famine results for many Indians Top jobs go to British Indians treated as inferiors British try to replace Indian culture with

western ways

RESISTANCE

1885 Indian National Congress formed, many upper class Indians had gone to school in Britain, learned about democracy

Early 1900s, self-rule demanded, but Muslims and Hindus divided and Muslim League formed in 1906

EUROPEAN CHALLENGES TO THE MUSLIM WORLD BACKGROUND: In 1500s, 3 great Muslim empires ruled:

Mughals in India, Ottomans in Middle East, Safavids in Iran, all declining by 1700s

Napoleon attacks Egypt 1798

BY 1830S

European powers try to gain Econ. Control in region

Ottoman Empire becomes a pawn in balance of power struggles between European nations

France – Algeria Russia – Turkish Straits (Dardanelles &

Bosporus)

TURKISH STRAITS

EGYPT

1869 – Suez Canal

completed by French 1875 – British gain

control of Suez Canal

in Egypt (access to India) 1882 – Egypt becomes

British protectorate

SUEZ CANAL FROM OUTER SPACE

                                                                             

                   

THE ARMENIAN MASSACRES 1890s – WWI periodic waves of violence

against Christian Armenians by Turkish Muslims

Muslim Turks believed that the Armenians supported Russia and were plotting against the Ottoman Empire

When Armenians protested the oppressive Ottoman policies, they were massacred

GENOCIDE – over 1 million killed

20th CENTURY

1900 – Oil discovered in Iran, Russian, British, and Iranian nationalists all set out to control oil fields

1912 Italy – Libya Post WWI – Europeans gain more spheres of

influence in region (Ottoman Empire on losing side)