backround to india and the east india company

Question 1

what was india’s climate/geography like

Answer 1

very diverse (from west deserts to north mountains)
people depend on seasonal monsoons for survival making india prone to famine

Question 2

why did india’s climate/geography make it hard to govern

Answer 2

vas geography means a vast strategy is needed
large population means british are outnumbered
famines cause riots for food

Question 3

what were the different religious groups in india

Answer 3

hinduism
mughals
marathas
sikhs

Question 4

describe the hindus

Answer 4

it’s a polytheistic faith and people were divided into castes which were determined by birth status
the brahmins were at the top then kshatryia then vaishya then sudra and the untouchables at the bottom

Question 5

describe the mughals

Answer 5

they were of islam faith in the north
there casey system was based on quality of belief

Question 6

how did the marathas affect brittan

Answer 6

they were the main opposition in the 17th century

Question 7

describe the sikhs

Answer 7

they were in the punjab area and had a fusion of faith between hinduism and islam
amritsar was the holy city

Question 8

how did the variety of ethnic and religious groups make india hard to control

Answer 8

they will have to balance respect for the groups
have to accommodate for each group differently
have not navigate different languages
there was tension between groups

Question 9

who did india’s history make it hard to control

Answer 9

indians have experience of take overs/power struggles
british will have to be careful of who they give power to

Question 10

how did the east india company gain the right to rule india

Answer 10

through the monopoly granted by the monarch in 1600 and a charter

Question 11

when did the east india company have significant presence

Answer 11

from 1757 (post 7 year war) to 1857 (indian rebellion)

Question 12

how did the east india company’s political control increase

Answer 12

through agreements with nawarbs and princes
the mughal empire began its decline

Question 13

how did the east india company have military control

Answer 13

through their own private army of indian soldiers
fortifications in bombay, calcutta and madras establishing law and order

Question 14

what did the east india company’s governing role entail

Answer 14

public administration
tax collection
this encouraged british to migrate for work and money

Question 15

by what year did the british government become concerned with the east india company and why

Answer 15

1773
thought they were too powerful
they also still had the power to take the charter

Question 16

what items did the east india company trade from india

Answer 16

opium- china
jute-world wide post crimean war
cotton- world wide post american civil war

Question 17

what trade laws did the east india company introduce to india

Answer 17

forbid india from trading with other countries on its own
india could only sell raw materials
finished products should be bought from britain
not competition with britan

Question 18

what was the impact of the harsh trade laws the east india company set on india

Answer 18

the indian industry died out
many farmers couldn’t feed themselves as they were made to grow cash crops making famines worse

Question 19

what did the paternalistic attitude of the east india company lead to

Answer 19

attempts to change indian culture and religious beliefs to be ‘more civilised’
westernisation

Question 20

what religious practices did the east india company ban and when

Answer 20

sati- when the widow throws herself onto the cremation prior criminalised in 1829
thuggee- when people would stab random people and kill them banned from 1837

Question 21

what social structures were built and what was their problems

Answer 21

education systems, railways and telegram
no regard of local concerns of pace of change

Question 22

what did the east india company make the official language

Answer 22

english for law administration and government

Question 23

what was the policy of annexation (doctrine of lapse)

Answer 23

if a ruler of an indian state dies without an heir then the province was declared british territory

Question 24

what is the indian rebellion also known as

Answer 24

indian mutiny
first war of indian independence

Question 25

why was it known as the indian mutiny by brits at the time

Answer 25

to play down the breadth of the uprising
it was the first major insurgency against british rule

Question 26

what were some of the main causes of the indian rebellion

Answer 26

doctrine of lapse- caused resentment and job loss
frustration with taxes and annexation
army conditions
religious tensions- mixed caste railways/ attempts to end religious customs

Question 27

what was the final spark of the indian rebellion (last cause)

Answer 27

sepoys outraged by rumours that the new cartridges were greased by pork(islam) and beef(hindus)

Question 28

explain the events of the indian rebellion

Answer 28

85 sepoys refused to use cartridge were court marshalled and humiliated
they were broken out by mutineers who had massacred all local europeans
mutiny spread through bengal army but bombay, madras and sikhs were loyal
very unorganised
rebel leaders called mughal emperor to take control
400 surrendered british killed
large wave of revenge killing and arson attacks
5 month siege at lucknow with 3000 british reports of rape and abuse and freed by the non-sepoy british army

Question 29

when was order restored after the indian rebellion

Answer 29

june 1858 at gawliar

Question 30

what were the consequences of the indian rebellion

Answer 30

retribution for fear
entire villages massacred
indians forced to lick blood off walls eat pork/beef then hung
indians strapped to cannons then blown up
reduction of sepoys in the army
sepoys given choice of grease
systems for quick communication built

Question 31

what was the biggest consequence of the indian rebellion

Answer 31

it led to the british raj

Question 32

why did the mutiny fail

Answer 32

unorganised
mughal emperor didn’t help
no clear/consistent leadership
sikh army was loyal
princes didn’t take part in

Question 33

why was the british raj set up

Answer 33

as the east india company was deemed too powerful and badly managed

Question 34

how did the british raj divide india

Answer 34

into 11 provinces and 250 districts

Question 35

what did the government of india act of 1858 do

Answer 35

gave the east india company’s administrative duty’s to the queen
created a secretary of state, indian council and viceroy