Aim #4: Was British rule more beneficial or harmful to India? Homework: – Imp #5 due tomorrow – Test on Imperialism Wednesday, January 13.

1. Identify 3 ways India was profitable to Britain. What did India become known as: Provided raw cotton needed for the textile mills India had 300 million people  Great market for British goods Source of opium (a profitable drug) India was the “crown jewel of the British empire”

2. Who were the Sepoys and why did they rebel against the British East India Company? Sepoys: Indian soldiers (both Hindu and Muslim) who worked for the British East India Company and helped them control India. Sepoys learned that the cartridges of their rifles were greased with lard and beef fat. The cartridge covers would have to be bitten off at the edges before they could be used, which meant the sepoys would have animal fat in their mouths. Hindus and Muslims could not accept this, and rebelled in May 1857 (this is known as The Sepoy Mutiny).

3. How did the British get revenge on the rebelling Sepoys? Unarmed Sepoys were bayoneted, strapped to the fronts of canons, and fired from canons.

4. Who took over rule of India after the Sepoy Mutiny? British government and Queen Victoria took over direct control of India (this was known as the Raj). India would not become independent until 1947.

5. What was the Suez Canal, and how did it help Britain? Waterway in Egypt that connects Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, and allows ships to travel between Europe and South Asia without going around Africa (reducing the journey by 4,300 miles). Makes it easier for the British to get to India either to send soldiers, get raw materials/natural resources or sell British goods.

6. Identify 3 ways British rule harmed India? British crush Indian protests, restrict Indian-owned industries (like cotton textiles/clothing). Indians are forced to produce cash crops like cotton and opium for the British  Leads to famine Many Indians become addicted to opium British officials are racist, missionaries try to convert Hindus and Muslims in India to Christianity.

7. Identify 3 ways British rule benefited India: British built roads, railways, telegraph lines, and schools. “Barbaric” practices like child engagements and sati were eliminated. India learns democratic principles from the British.

Concluding Question Was British rule more beneficial or harmful to India?