india Flashcards
What was India like pre 1813
A harmonious place to live- there was no obviously dominant religion, Muslims Sikhs Hindus lived in harmony- the EIC blocked British missionaries and EIC chaplains were banned from preaching to Indians. The elite of the EIC were well aware that religious harmony was good for business as it was fundamental to smooth company rule
The British that were in the region (from the EIC) were deeply interested in Indian culture, learning local language and reading classical Indian literature, some went to the extent of taking Indian mistresses and having mixed race babies
Why were evangelical missionaries allowed into India post 1813?
There was a scheduled charter renewal to continue company rule in the region. Over half a million signatures were given putting pressure on parliament to allow Christian missionaries into the region (however population of Britain and Wales was 16 million during 1841), and so that became a defining characteristic of the new terms of their charter
influential men like William Wilberforce who was viewed as the personification of Christian morality by Victorian society (after 1807 slavery act) regarded the British as the soldiers of Christ and preached when talking about the religions in India ‘there is a cruel religion’
In attempt to ‘modernise ‘ Indian culture, what traditions did the British seek to eradicate?
- Female infanticide
- Sati- widows set themselves alight (self-immolation). In Bengal alone it killed almost 8000 women 1813-1825
- Thugge- A Hindu cult who were renowned for being murders and thieves
What did the British missionaries want to introduce into India to aid its modernisation?
- growing concept that by definition the whiter and area, the more modernised it was: inter-racial marriage and relationships was on a serious decline post 1813 as the EIC men were encouraged to bring their wives and children with them to India, creating segregated white communities that seemed to rule over the rest of India
- Education: post 1813 there was a drive to educate Indians, this was focused mostly towards the developing middle class, this set up a group of people that could emulate British view in India, creating a self sustaining system of modernising. Mary Carpenter went to India and sought to increase female participation in the education system, in hopes that the young girls she would effect would grow up to ensure the inclusion of the next generation. Many Indians however felt this was paternalistic and patronising, an attack on their ability to look after their own women
Indian also felt the education system was merely ‘servant training’ as they were being streamlined into low ranking positions into the countries administration
Prove that British missionaries flooded India as soon as they could
- A Christian Bishop of India was appointed
- History remembers Christian figures like Mary Carpenter (education reformer) and Jennings (who ran the society for the propagation of the gospel’s mission in Delhi) who were later killed in the mutiny
- Hindu scriptures retell the fear felt by the community, who felt they were being infiltrated by a foreign force they new nothing about
- A brand of Islam formed to combat the hard-line Christian involvement marking the divide of the East and West coast religion
How did the legal system change post mutiny ?
pre mutiny: legal system made up of two strands. 1st was managed by EIC officials who administered Hindu, Muslim and English law, The 2nd were run by crown officials who were sent directly from Britain to administer British and Indian subjects
The India Hight Courts Act of 1861 changed this. 3 High courts were created , the majority of the judges being crown appoint and prominent barristers being sent in directly from Britain. However Judges were drawn from serval categories in equal numbers, one of which being the Indian Civil service (the Indian played a role) so the Indian people did play a minimal role in the administration of their legal system
how did education change post mutiny?
the British style education system was extended, but only to the wealthy, producing a new professional class that would uphold British authority in India. Having been infiltrated with British culture projected as societal 'norms' through the extraneous education system designed to produce templates of British leaders, these men were expected to occupy the lower roles in the administration of India to continue the smooth running of British rule Public opinion concluded their was no point in attempting to educated the lower classes of Indians (majority Muslim). The nation was split as the conservatives held the belief it simply wasn't in their genetics to civilise and the liberals remained hurt that their kind hospitalities were rejected with such violence
how did the economy change post mutiny?
-changes that were made were directed towards attempting to curb the economic progress and industrial independence of the indigenous people to secure British control over India.
-European (mainly British) economic immigrant set up western style factories were made in the production process to maximise profit through mass production, to for fill the growing demand of Britain’s growing interest in tea and demands for cotton. However local Indian were exploited furthering the divide between the rich and the poor (already a caste system pre-mutiny)
post 1813 British good flooded the markets, this continued post mutiny, this also kept the poor poor
-era of railway imperialism prevailed- 3000 miles of track laid (less than 300 under EIC rule) and new canal networks were developed on a large scale, this opened up international markets to Indian farmers, but the amount who could access these opportunities were limited, few local farmers had surplus crops or funding for additional land.
- Some industries grew under British rule such as the manufacturing of textiles, but the famine of the mid 1880s and 1890s showcases just how limited the economic growth was
- Britain’s economic policies actually intended to hinder India’s industrial growth, free trade made it far easier for Britain to bombard India with inexpensive British-manufactured goods, which India would often have provided the raw materials for. India produced raw cotton for export to Britain, yet its textiles industry was crushed by imports of cheaper British cloth. India’s economic development was hence restrained as it remained reliant on exports of raw materials to Britian.
agricultural India was used to benefit industrial Britain this is pre-trade depression of the mid 1880s, Britain is known as the manufacturer of the world, this is a title it must defend
Indian coolies- exploited economically, used as cheap labour for projects such as a luntic line (1896)
How did the governmental rule change post mutiny (political policy)
- essentially the same, changes made little difference for the indigenous population in reality, only changes served as an insurance that the events of the mutiny wouldn’t happen again
- despite the change in title, the new Viceroy of India was in fact the same man who had been Governor General, Charles Canning, and largely took on the same role as before 1857. The only tangible alteration was that he worked for the Government rather than the Company.
- Indian Civil Service was mainly comprised of white British men, and whilst indigenous people were not prohibited from joining, the entrance tests were based in London, so it was made near impossible; this had not even changed several decades later in 1905, when a mere 5% were men from Bengal.
- return of authority to the indigenous rulers of the princely states, a reversal of Dalhousie’s Doctrine of Lapse. While this appeared to be an extreme shift from Britain’s policy pre-Mutiny, the Princes overwhelmingly complied with British legislation and the restoration of their power made little difference to everyday life; the British government gave back their former entitlements solely because it appeared to be respecting tradition. A considerable amount of bitterness had developed in recently annexed states such as Oudh, so this difference in policy was expected to help pacify the indigenous people to prevent future uprisings
How did the military change post mutiny?
- Britain’s modifications to the structure of the Indian military were slightly more radical because it was sepoys in the East India Company’s army who had begun the Mutiny,
- the religions and castes of the regiments were mixed to cut off a sense of unity against the British. this was to a situation like that of the Brahmin caste before the Mutiny – members of the elite Brahmin were forbidden to travel across the sea, yet this custom was often overlooked or ignored by British generals, leaving them to harbour resentment against the British
how did Britain’s informal polices change towards India post mutiny? (eg social engineering)
- social engineering comes to an abrupt end, missionaries sent back to Britain
- Livingstone argued that the mutiny was a message from god that not only should the missionary work continue but intensify. His voice however was a lonely one. Ultimately in a democratic country any policy, but especially policy surrounding the ‘improvement’ of ones society must have the backing of the British people, without it trouble would brew at home. The general British public felt Indians simply couldn’t civilize to the level of the western world, this later intensified by the publication the ‘the origin of the species’ 1859
Who was Jennings?
He lead the society for the propagation of the gospel’s mission in Delhi, was killed during the mutiny- A good example for how missionary work backfired
Who was Mangul Pandey
He attempted to get his unit to revolt against British EIC officers due to discontent over pay cuts, general feelings of mutual disrespect and the intolerance shown toward their religious practises. He was hung for his attempt at result and therefore became a martyr for the movement- post Pandey there wasn’t another face of the movement, some revisionist historians contribute this to the mutiny’s failure
- What was the most short term reason for the Indian mutiny?
The Enfield rifle that cartilages were rumoured to contain both pig and cow fat, offensive to both Muslims and Hindus
When was Curzon viceroy of India?
1899-1905
