DoNow If you were captured by a militant band of World History professors that forced you to choose one historical figure to get a giant tattoo of on your back, who would you choose and why? What is imperialism? Write a list of things you remember about Imperialism.

British Domination of South Asia EQ - How did Britain gain control of India and South Asia?

British imperialism in India started as a trading business (not the British government) interested in Cotton Tea and Spices A market for British Goods!

British Opium Warehouse- Patna, India Selling Patna Opium in China

The British East India Company The British established the East India Company to establish trading posts in the 1600’s The Mughal Dynasty controlled the East India Company traders until 1700 when the Mughal Empire began to collapse Many small states led by rulers called maharajah declared their independence from the Mughal Dynasty and everything changed…

The Growth of the East India Company The East India Company took advantage of the decline of the Mughal Dynasty By 1757 it was the leading power in India It governed nearly the entire subcontinent with little interference from the British Government It even had its own army led by British officers and staffed by sepoys (Indian soldiers)

Sepoys

The Sepoy Mutiny In 1857 the sepoys rebelled against the British They discovered that British rifle cartridges were sealed with beef and pork fats Soldiers had to bite the ends of the cartridges to use them This outraged both Muslims (can’t eat pork) and Hindus (can’t eat beef)

Though the British corrected this cultural oversight, the sepoys remained suspicious On May 10, 1857 the sepoys at Meerut rebelled and marched on Delhi where they joined more soldiers The soldiers captured the city and the rebellion spread into northern and central India

It took the British East India Company more than a year to regain control The British government sent troops to help Additionally, the Muslims and Hindus weren’t united and that aided the British AND nearly all the princes, maharajahs AND Sikhs remained loyal to the British Why do you think princes and sikhs were loyal to the British?

India After 1857 This mutiny was a MAJOR turning point in Indian history In 1858 the British government took direct control of India A cabinet minister in London directed policies and a governor (later called a viceroy) in India carried out those orders The British did promise to respect treaties made with local sovereign princes

Advances The British built bridges, dams, canals, and public buildings (courts, schools, etc.) They irrigated land opening millions of acres to farming They created networks of roads, railroads and telegraph lines that linked major cities The railroads boosted trade in tea, cotton, indigo, etc.

The Roots of Indian Nationalism The British were proud of all they’d accomplished in India but the Indians were discouraged that nearly all the improvements had come at the expense of Indian taxes In addition, the British had delegated most of the hard labor associated with these projects to the Indian workers, saving the management and technical positions for themselves

The Indians resented a system that increasingly made them second-class citizens in their own country They resented segregation, discrimination, and inequality They were banned from the top posts in the government and made less money than British workers with the same jobs

The Indian National Congress and the Muslim League were formed to fight for equal opportunities for Indian workers in the civil service but eventually broadened their demands By the early 1900’s they were calling for rule The British had NO plans to give control of India back to the Indians and as competition for colonies grew, Britain tightened its grip on Southern Asia