India 1857-1890 Flashcards
Who ran India before 1857?
- Formerly run by the East India Company - had gained a monopoly over India and oversaw expansion of British Influence
Why did rule over India change in 1857?
- The East India Company became aggressively expansionist, provoking the Indian Mutiny, where Sepoys on the East Indian Army revolted
- 1000s were killed and after the Mutiny, the government decided to cease the EIC and hand all rule over to the queen
Indias Administration/The Indian Mutiny(rebellion)
- Longstanding grievances among the Indian population sparked a rebellion of Indian sepoys serving in the British East India Company in 1857
- The rebellion lasted a year and caused 1000s of deaths
- Britain dispatched British troops to support EIC proving the British resolve to protect India at all costs
- After the rebellion had been violently squashed and ruthlessly punished, British govt decided on change of rule
What/When was the Government of India Act?
- 1858
- Established British rule in India
What were the terms of the Government of India Act 1858?
- Passing territories of EIC to the Queen (known as the “Empress of India in 1876)
- Creating a position of Secretary of State for India, who received powers and duties formerly administered by the company’s directors.
- Establishing a council (the India Council) of 15 members who assisted the Secretary of State. Acted as an advisory body (all 15 = white British)
- Crown appointed a Viceroy to replace Governor-General
- Indian civil service placed under control of Secretary of State
What were the years of the British Raj?
1858-1948
- priority for British govt was to maintain its control
- 1877 Queen = Empress of India
British Administration/Hierarchy of rule in India? (Viceroy, legislative council)
- Viceroy ruled with a Legislative Council of 5 who held responsibility for finance, law, the army, economy and home affairs
- In provinces, Viceroy was represented by provincial governors with own Legislative Councils. On a day-to-day basis, district officers oversaw local councils and reported practical issues
What were the Princely states?
- states which Britain did not control under the EIC, relied on native rulers
- the 565 normally independent Princely states formerly passed onto the British after the line of descent had ended. This was stopped and helped ensure loyalty from PS to the Empire.
- 40% of India was made up of Princely states and British installed ‘residents’ to maintain the interests of the Viceroy
Growing respect for Indians/help in development in years following the Mutiny(1857)
- Traditional Indian practises and customs were respected, particularly in regard to marriage and family law
- Christian missionaries were actively discouraged but the government accepted responsibility for the promotion of education and did so
- The British helped build a vast railway network. 288 miles in 1876 to 20,000 miles in 1890
What was the caste system?
A traditional Indian custom whereby people are divided at birth into particular social classes
+ there is a hierarchy of castes:
- Lowest ranks are Dalits or Untouchables who historically suffered from much discrimination, while the Brahmin are the ‘highly’ or ‘priestly’ class
- Some historians believe caste system was intensified by British imperial rule as it institutionalised the treatment of different castes as part of the system of government
India’s defence: efforts to strengthen British presence?
- The evident risk to British lives posed by the 1857 Rebellion showed that Britain’s controlling influence over India could not be taken for granted
- From 1858, efforts were made to strengthen the British presence in Indian Army which, at outbreak of Mutiny, numbered less than 40,000 British troops
What did Britain do to increase defence in India?
- EIC’s armies were brought under control of the Crown and proportion of British to Indian troops was roughly 1:2 (Army of 70,000 british troops/125,000 native troops by late 1880s)
- Native troops trained and stationed in own districts, cut off from one another to prevent sense of unity - deliberately mixed by caste and religion
- Army enlisted greater number og Gurkhas and Sikhs who had been loyal to Britain during the Mutiny, replacing Bengali troops who hadn’t
- British officers increased and field artillery was handled by British, Indians also placed under British commanders and denied officer rankings.
How did the growth of railways help India’s defence?
- 3000 miles of track build in the decade following the Mutiny, exaggerated British presence and enabled swifter deployment of troops in the event of trouble
- An armoured gun train introduced for mobile enforcement purpose and first Viceroy Lord Canning set up Imperial Police Force as an extra layer of security. Avoided over-reliance on the army
When was the Indian Rebellion?
1857
What caused the Indian Rebellion 1857?
- Mutiny had begun among Sepoys in Bengal army, mainly peasant soldiers from north India proud of their military status.
- Has been argued that Mutiny began because of issues with Enfield rifles being greased in animal fat, which offended both Hindu and Muslim religious sensibilities.
- Real cause was that nobles and landlords were deprived of land by Governor-General Dalhousie. Peasants also rebelled due to resentment towards taxation.
