india 1857-1914 Flashcards
When was the Indian mutiny and what was it
-rebellion of sepoys serving under the BEIC
-lasted a year
-Britain dispatched troops to help crush the rebellion- example of BR using force to maintain empire
When and what was the government of india act
1858-
BEIC now controlled by the Queen/Crown
-Secretary of State for india created
Indian councils created, 15 members, an advisory body for Indian affairs
Viceroy appointed to replace governor general of company
indian councils act
1861
-revamped the way India was governed
-implemented parallel to gov. of india act
indian national congress
1885
set up for Indians to discuss public affairs and voice concerns and criticisms
-NOT FORMED TO CHALLENGE BR RULE
-reflected growing political consciousness and demand for Indians to be In power
empress of india
1877
outline the administration
-viceroy represented by provincial governors in each province, with their own legislative councils
-the British administration relied upon cooperation with indian rulers in independent princely states
-agents and residents were placed to oversee the affairs of the independent states
outline India’s defence
-EIC armies controlled by the crown
proportion of British to indian troops went to 1:2
indian troops were trained and stationed in their own districts to prevent any unity
many Bengali regiments disbanded 62-74
3,000 miles of railway built allowed for swift administration and deployment
benefits and drawbacks of br rule 1857-1890
-railways but geared to territorial control
-br agricultural markets- led to indian dependency on exports due to specialisation
-land and irrigation improvements- limited to only 6% of the land
-cheap British manufacturers- stunted domestic growth
-br schools and universities- only the privileged, still widespread illiteracy
-jobs provided- working on railways, army police and civil service
-poverty continued- high death rate from famine
education 1857-1890
-schools and universities opened up across india
-60,000 Indians attended between 1857-1887
-Mary carpenter was key in female education
administration 1890-1914
-right to self rule was explicitly denied
-no doubt about the need to maintain British control
-uphold social darwinist idea of European racial superiority
viceroy curzon
1899-1905
-aimed to appease elite Indians, with only the goal of consolidating British rule in india
-staunch imperialist and was reluctant to give Indians any responsibility
-reformed univiersities and the police, lowered taxes and adopted the gold standard to provide a stable currency
-during famine from 1899-1902, he refused to provide aid to villages, believing they needed to develop self-reliance.
north west frontier province
1901
-created to protect the border from feared Russian incursions- Russia seen as the main threat by curzon
-merged the Pashtun lands with the Punjab, installing a chief commissioner
-curzon additionally launched a temporary invasion of tibet 1903-1904, to counter perceived Russian ambition
-dispute resolved after curzon left office- agreement respecting tibet’s independence reached in 1907.
the partition of bengal
1905
-divided bengal into two provinces
-east bengal being muslim majority
-West Bengal being hindu majority
-signifcant backlash from hindu elite
-led to strikes, protests, boycotts of br. goods
-new wave of nationalism began, inc divided between extremists and moderates
-caused cursor’s resignation the same year
all india muslim league
1906
-a response to partition of bengal
-formed to safeguard rights of indian muslims
-favourable initially to the br, the religious division justified br rule; there to prevent religious conflict
-following bengal’s reunification, the league adopted India’s self-governance as its main goal in 1913
viceroy minto
1905-1910
-introduced reforms to appease Bengalis
-encouraged the foundation of the muslim league to play into his ‘divide and rule’ policy
