AF RI C A , TH E M I DDL E EAST, … .

The British Take Over India!

It was only a matter of

time!

A. OVERVIEW1. EARLY 1600S; THE BRITISH

EAST INDIA COMPANY WON TRADING RIGHTS ON THE FRINGE OF THE MUGHAL

EMPIRE.2. BY THE MID-1800S, IT

CONTROLLED 3/5THS OF INDIA.

I. The East India Company & the Sepoy Rebellion

B. Exploiting Indian Diversity

1. With different traditions and dozens of different languages, Indian were not able to unite against the newcomers.

2. British took advantage of Indian divisions by encouraging competition and disunity among rival princes.

3. When diplomacy failed, superior weapons did not! Offered a “Maxim”um advantage

C. British Policies

1. Win-win situation? a. Main goal of the East India Company

was to make money. b. To make money, you’ve got spend

money: company improved roads and preserved the peace.

2. By the early 1800s, British officials introduced western education, law, and religion.

Got a feeling of déjà vu?!!?!

3. Cultural Differences resulted in an attempt to force social change.

a. disapproval of the caste system

b. wanted to improve the lives of women

c. outlawed sati!!!!

A closer look at sati…

The Tradition of Sati in India by Dr. Jyotsna Kamat via www.kamat.com/kalranga/hindu/sati.htm

Sati (Su-thi , a.k.a. suttee) is the traditional Hindu practice of a widow immolating herself on  her husband's funeral pyre. 

"Sati" means a virtuous woman. A woman who dies burning herself on her husbands funeral fire was considered most virtuous, and was believed to directly go to heaven, redeeming all the forefathers rotting in hell, by this "meritorious" act. The woman who committed Sati was worshipped as a Goddess, and temples were built in her memory.

Sati was prevalent among certain sects of the society in ancient India, who either took the vow or deemed it a great honor to die on the funeral pyres of their husbands. Ibn Batuta (1333 A.D.) has observed that Sati was considered praiseworthy by the Hindus, without however being obligatory. The Agni Purana declares that the woman who commits sahagamana goes to heaven. However,  Medhatiti pronounced that Sati was like suicide and was against the Shastras, the Hindu code of conduct. It is believed that they were not coerced, although several wives committed Sati. The majority of the widows did not undergo Sati.

More on sati

Indian leader Rajaram Mohan Roy, through his organization Brahmo Samaj was among the first who fought to eliminate Sati. The ritual of sati was banned by the British Government in 1829 (see a timeline of Sati). However, it took a large scale social reforms by Mahatma Gandhi and the like to actually stop the practice. In the modern times,  there was one instance of a Sati reported in Rajasthan (late 1980s),  and another in Madhya Pradesh (in year 2002) that caused a lot of  controversy and social turmoil.

Were the British right to

outlaw it?

– arrogance or compassion?

4. Brewing Discontent

a. 1850s; East India Company makes several unpopular moves.

1.)1st it required sepoys, or Indian soldiers in its service, to serve anywhere, either in India or overseas.

So what’s the problem?!

A.) For high caste Hindus, overseas travel was against their faith.

B.) It passed a law that allowed Hindu widows to re-marry.

C.) Hindus viewed moves as part of a Christian conspiracy to undermine their beliefs.

2. 1857: the British issued new rifles to the sepoys.

A.) troops were told to bite off the ends of cartridges before loading the guns.

B.) Cartridges were greased with animal fat (either cows or pigs)

C.) Refusal to obey orders = no pay OR imprisonment.

Sepoys & the straw that broke the camel’s back!

5. Sepoy Rebelliona.Several sepoy

regiments marched to Delhi and hailed the last Mughal ruler as their leader.

B. Sepoys brutally massacred British men, wind own.

C. Eventally, it would be crushed by the British.

D. The results left a bitter legacy of fear, hatred, and mistrust.

E. Major changes were initiated including in 1858, Parliament ended the rule of the East India Company, and instead officially colonized India

II. British Colonial Rule

1. Viceroy ruled in the name of the Queen2. British officials held the top government

jobs and army positions3. made India “the brightest jewel” in its

empire4. Goal of Modernization: adoption of

western technology and culture…B. An Unequal Partnership1. India was to serve “the mother country”

via raw materials and markets

Britain in India…

a. Britain invested in roads and railroads

b.Introduced and used the telegraph

3. After the Suez Canal opened in 1869, British trade with India soared.

D. Population growth and famine!

1. Better sanitation and increased food production led to rapid population growth.

2. BUT the food supply was strained as farmland was increasingly used for cash crops instead of food

3. Famine further aggravated the situation – can’t blame Europe for that but it certainly didn’t help!

1. DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY (PEACE)

2. TRANSPORTATION AIDED MOBILITY

3. TELEGRAPH AND POSTAL SYSTEM IMPROVED COMMUNICATION

4. UPPER CLASSES SENT SONS TO BRITISH SCHOOLS AND TRAINED

FOR GOV’T POSITIONS.

Benefits…

III. Different Views on CultureA. Indian Attitudes Varied

1. Some educated Indians were impressed by British power and technology and urged Indians to embrace it!

2. Others felt that Hindu and Muslim cultures shouldn’t be abandoned or diminished/ compromised!

3. Ram Rohum Roy felt that India could simultaneously learn from the West but did NOT want to abandon heritage – simply revitalize and reform it.

B. Western Attitudes Varied

1. Admiration, respect, and adoption of ideas surrounding Hinduism and Buddhism existed but tended to be an ethnocentric view

Overall, the British knew very little about Indian achievements and exhibited “ethnocentrism.”

Revealing quotes:

Say what?

English Historian: Thomas Macaulay wrote,

That “a single shelf of a good European library is worth the whole native literature of India and Arabia”

“We must at present do our best to form a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions of whom we govern; a class of persons, Indian in blood and color, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals, and in intellect.

An Enlightenment Backfire for Britain?

IV. Indian NationalismA. Late 1800s: Western-educated

Indians spearheaded a nationalist movement

B. Schooled in Enlightenment thought (democracy, equality), they dreamed of ending imperial rule.

And what do you think the IndianStudents are thinking about this Contradiction? Hmmm…..

Introducing the INC

a. Indian National Congress

b. Formed in 1885c. Consisted of mostly

urban Hindusd. Believed in

peaceful proteste. Would eventually

be led by Mahatma Gandhi

2. The Muslim League

a. Formed in 1906b. Resented Hindu

domination of the INC

C. Feared potential oppression

d. Wanted independence and a separate Muslim state (partition which is now Pakistan)

e. Led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah

a.REALITY OF LINGERING HINDU-

MUSLIM RESENTMENTb.KASHMIR:

CONSIDERED THE UNFINISHED BUSINESS

OF PARTITION!

3. Achieved independence after World War II (1947)

ConflictMade InternationalHeadlines in 1998 – brinkOf Nuclear War….

?

Is that the fault of New Imperialism, too?!