1. The British Take Over India
CHAPTER 24, SECTION 4

2. East India Company and Rebellion
The Mughal Empire had ruled India for almost 200 years, but by the 1700s, it was weakening due to weak rulers
Britain then began to get interested
As the Mughal Empire weakened, the different cultures in the region fragmented
England took advantage of this to encourage competition and disunity
Also used weapons

3. British East India Company
Main goal: MAKE MONEY
Also worked some to improve roads, preserve peace and reduce crime
British officials also worked to spread Christianity, end slavery and the caste system, and improve the lives of women (banned sati)

4. Growing Discontent
In the 1850s, the British did several things that upset Indians
Required sepoys (Indian soldiers) to serve anywhere, which went against their religion
Allowed Hindu women to remarry. Many Hindus viewed both of these things as Christian conspiracies to undermine their beliefs
In 1857 the British issued new rifles to the sepoys, that needed the tips of cartridges off before loading them into the rifles. The cartridges were greased in animal fat (cows or pigs). When the troops refused they were sent home without pay.

5. Rebellion and Aftermath
Angry sepoys rose up against the British officers
The rebellion spread across India, and they tried to recognize the last Mughal ruler as their leader
In some places, the sepoys brutally murdered British families and children
British quickly stopped the revolt and sought revenge by burning villages and killing thousands of unarmed Indians
Result: Hatred on both sides, as well as major changes in British policy  Pariament put India directly under British rule, and ended the EIC.
Raised taxes, sent more troops, and slowed reforms

6. Impact of British Colonial Rule
After 1858, British Parliament set up colonial rule, called the British Raj
A British viceroy governed in the name of the Queen of England
British officials held the top positions, while Indians had most other jobs
British policy tried to incorporate India into the overall British economy, while also trying to get India modernized to Western culture

7. An Unequal Partnership
Britain saw India as a market and a source of raw materials, so they improved Indian transportation to help move their factory-made goods across the land
The telegraph and Suez Canal also gave British more control
British factories ruined India’s hand-weaving traditions
Forced nomadic farmers to settle, and pushed farmers to grow cash crops like cotton, which led to deforestation

8. continued
The British introduced medial improvements and new farming methods which led to a population boom
This put a strain on the food supplies, especially as more land was being used to grow exports such as cash crops
In the late 1800s, famines swept India

9. Benefits of British Rule
Revised the legal system in India to promote justice for Indians regardless of caste
Railroads helped Indians move across the country
Telegraph and postal service helped communication, and better communication helped bridge regional differences and develop a sense of national unity
The upper classes of Indians sent their kids to British schools, and some grew rich

10. Different Views on Culture
Some educated Indians were impressed by British power and technology, and wanted the Indians to follow
Others felt that change should come from their own Hindu and Muslim cultures
In the early 1800s, a man named Ram Mohun Roy thought that India should learn from the West but also reform their own culture
Condemned some traditions such as the caste system, child marriage, sati and purdah.
Also set up educational societies that helped renew pride in Indian culture
He is often considered the founder of Indian nationalism

11. British Attitudes
The British could not decide on how to feel about Indians, either
Some admired Indian philosophy and culture
But most British knew almost nothing about Indian culture, and dismissed it
Most people did not bother to get to know Indian culture or traditions, they just assumed it was not necessary

12. Indian Nationalism Grows
The British educated some Indians for high positions, assuming that it would encourage British power
Had the opposite effect: it had led to a nationalist movement based on Western ideas of democracy and equality
In 1885 nationalist leaders organized the Indian National Congress. They believed in peaceful protest and hoped for self-rule with Western-style modernization
Muslims and Hindus worked together some, but Muslims resented Hindu leadership in the congress, and in 1906 they created their own Muslim League to follow their own goals
Some even talked of a separate Muslim state