1. Colonial History of India
Julie Swantek
FYE Presentation
3/6/13

2. The Mughal Empire
A young prince named Babur took control over India in 1526 and established the Mughal Empire
Babur called his dynasty "Timurid," but it is better known as the Mughal Dynasty - a Persian translation of the word "Mongol."

3. Babar’s Reign Died in 1530 Muslim, but with flexible religious views
Established military base in Kabul and went South to conquer the Indian subcontinent

4. Subcontinent: A large, distinguishable part of a continent

5. Religious Issues with the Invasion of the Mughals
India- Hinduism
Polytheistic
Do not hurt/kill cows (Believe cows are sacred)
Vegetarians
Reincarnation
Very stable religion
Muslim- Islam
Monotheistic
Eat meat
Heaven after death

6. The Mughal Empire: Akbar the Great
( )
Akbar and the scholars came up with the Divine Faith in hopes to unify the empire
a mix of religions such as Islam, Hinduism, and other traditions
Conquests for a decade, then centralizes the empire
Well liked because of his religious tolerance and the expansion of the empire

7. The Mughal Empire: Jahangir
( )
“world seizer” or “conqueror”
Returns religion to Islam
Tries to conquer south India
Spends all of Hindu taxes on luxury items & wastes a lot of money

8. The Mughal Empire: Shah Jahan
( )
Better ruler than Jahangir.
Restored the efficiency of government.
Recovered territories.
Maintained peace
Foreign traders were allowed into India & trade grew
The empire expanded greatly
Built the Taj Mahal in honor of his wife who died during childbirth. Took over a decade to build and it nearly bankrupted the empire.

9. The Decline of the Empire
Shah Jahan's third son, Aurangzeb, died in 1707.
Mughal state began a long, slow process of crumbling from within
Increasing peasant revolts
All around the borders, powerful new kingdoms sprang up and began to chip away at Mughal land holdings.

10. The Mughal Legacy in India
Mughal Dynasty left a large and visible mark on India
The mixing of Persian and Indian styles created some of the world's best-known monuments.
Buildings such as the Taj Mahal, the Red fort in Delhi, and Humayun’s Tomb
This combination of influences can also be seen in the arts, cuisine, gardens and even in the language.

11. Taj Mahal
Red Fort
Humayun’s Tomb

12. Conquest of India
In the 16th century, European powers began to conquer small outposts along the Indian coast.
The British colonialists managed to control most parts of India while ruling the key cities Calcutta, Madras and Bombay as the main British bases.
Portugal, the Netherlands and France ruled different regions in India

13. British East India Company
Founded in the 1600s, while Akbar was still on the throne
Initially it was only interested in trade
In 1617 the British East India Company was given permission by Mughal Emperor Jahangir to trade in India.
As the Mughal Empire began to lose power, the British East India Company grew increasingly powerful.
With the invention of this company the British could stake a claim to the weakened Indian subcontinent

14. British Colonization
In 1757, the British East India Company had defeated the Nawab of Bengal and the French Company in the Battle of Plassey
British took control of most of the subcontinent
Set up the British Raj in India
Mughal rulers held on the throne, but were powerless to the British

15. Consequences of the Raj
Famines contributed to failed government policies
Some of the worst ever recorded
The Great Famine of
6.1 million to 10.3 million people died
Indian Famine of
1.25 to 10 million people died
Plague Pandemic
19th Century
Killed 10 million people in India alone

16. Sepov Rebellion (Indian Mutiny)
1857, occurred in the North of India
Half of India Army rises up against British East India Company
First time Indians rebelled in massive numbers against the presence and the rule of the British in South Asia
British home government intervened to protect itself financially and put down the rebellion
This ended the Mughal Dynasty

17. National Indian Congress
In 1885, the “National Indian Congress” was founded.
Demanded that the Indians should have their proper legitimate share in the government.
Congress developed into the main body of opposition against British colonial rule.

18. The Independence Movement
India was forced to fight for the British in WWI and the division of the Ottoman empire after led the movement
Non-violent resistance against British was initiated in 1920 by Gandhi
: non-cooperation movement against the British
: campaign of civil disobedience
1942 he issued the call to the British to “Quit India”
Said they wanted independence immediately
Theodore Roosevelt pressured the Prime Minister to grant independence
Independence was promised to be after WWII ended
Others adopted a militant approach and sought to overthrow British rule
These movements succeeded in bringing independence to India and Pakistan in 1947

19. Bibliography