Migration - Part Three and Four Flashcards
Why did Britain want control over India?
India is rich in natural resources like iron ore, silk, copper, gold, silver, gemstones, tea, timber and spices
Who discovered the route to India? When was this?
Vasco De Gama discovered it in 1497
What did Europeans do in India?
They set up permanent, well-protected bases.
Some people brought their families to the ports.
When was the East India Company set up?
1600
What did the EIC do?
Their ships carried British goods and traded them with foreign powers.
Fine china, silk, coffee and spices were brought back to Britain and they made a fortune.
India became an important base for British trade as a result.
What were the first trading posts set up by the EIC? When were they set up?
Surat in 1612
Madras in 1638
Bombay in 1668
What did the EIC have that made it powerful?
Its own army and navy and trained Indians to be soldiers
What happened in India in the 1500s?
The Mughals, Muslim groups, invaded India and took control of areas run by Hindu princes.
Who ruled India between 1658 and 1707? What did he cause?
Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, wars broke out across India and Mughal rule was coming to an end.
Some European powers took advantage of this to take control.
How did European powers gain land in India?
They would support certain Indian princes and soldiers with goods or land from other princes and then they would receive these as rewards.
Which battle did the EIC fight in 1757?
The Battle of Plassey, where around 3000 troops led by Robert Clive defeated an Indian army of over 40,000 men.
What did the Battle of Plassey result in?
The EIC took Bengal.
The company also fought other companies like the Dutch.
The EIC’s influence expands further in the years after.
How did the EIC decline?
It was making huge profits in India but little elsewhere.
The British government intervened as it didn’t want them going bankrupt.
What did the British government do in 1773 to defend their interests in India?
They passed the Government of India Act stating that both the British government and the EIC control the territory jointly. Warren Hastings was appointed Governor General of India.
Who was Robert Cilve? What did he do?
He was originally an office clerk.
He joined the EIC army and proved effective.
While Governor of Bengal, he won the Battle of Plassey. He made a personal fortune here.
He returned to India as Governor and Commander-in-chief of Bengal between 1764-67. His greed led to the 1700 Bengal famine, where around 10 million died.
Who was William Hastings? What did he do?
He was the first Governor General of India (1773-85)
He strengthened British control in India.
He reorganised tax systems, tightened anti-corruption laws, dealt with gangs.
Faced accusations of corruption, mismanagement and poor military judgement from rivals.
He faced trial in England in 1787 over concerns about standards in India, he was later found not guilty.
Who were sepoys?
Local Indians recruited into the EIC
What causes were there for Sepoy discontent?
Many felt they weren’t treated well.
There was little hope for promotion.
They were often sent to the most dangerous areas to fight in.
Some felt they were being pressured into becoming Christian.
In 1857 a new cartridge was introduced that they needed to rip off with their mouth. For Hindus, it contained cow fat and for Muslims, it contained pig fat.
What happened during the Sepoy rebellion?
They first objected to new cartridges.
On the 9th May 1857 in Meerut, 85 sepoys refused the cartridges and went to jail for 10 years.
On the 10th May, Sepoys rose up in support of the prisoners and broke them out of jail. British army officers were killed and barracks and homes of British civillians were set on fire.
The situation escalated and Sepoys in Northern India also rebelled.
What battles were there during the Sepoy rebellion?
Delhi, Cawnpore and Lucknow
Which battle enfuriated the British public?
At Cawnpore, 200 women and children were massacred, a mass outcry for revenge spread across the country.
What happened after Cawnpore in the Sepoy rebellion?
70,000 fresh troops were sent to India, the conflict continued for another year.
When did the Sepoy rebellion end?
8 July 1858
What were the consequences of the Sepoy rebellion?
Politicians were shocked.
A new government was set up, ran by a viceroy.
The new government interfered less in India.
A limited number of Indians were allowed jobs in local government. A new middle class emerged, able to use English and their own language.
The Indian Universities Act helped build universities in Kolkatta, Bombay and Madras.
What were the positive impacts of British rule on India?
By 1900, thousands of kilometres of roads and railway as well as many schools had been built.
They introduced a new legal system and helped settle ancient disputes between groups.
What did Britain do with India’s economic resources?
They made fortunes with raw materials by selling them and manufacturing products with them.
The increased trade made jobs for Indians and British in shipping, transportation and sales.
The British introduced an irrigation programme.
The British introduced coal mining to India.
How did Britain start factory work in India?
Many areas in India became industrialised like British towns.
Local Indians worked in factories and mills were built and owned by the British.
British made goods were sold in India.
How did the British try to improve health in India (and fail in parts)?
The British started vaccinating people.
Some families were hit by famine.
Many blamed the British for helping cause the famine as they forced Indian farmers to replace food crops with high value crops.
How did transport and communications change in India under British rule?
30000km of railway and 130000 bridges were built.
Canals, roads factories, mines and farms were also developed,
Some argue this was done to exploit India more efficiently.
How did culture and society change in India?
A legal system was put in place that resembled that of Britain’s.
High courts were set up in Madras, Calcutts and Bombay and parts of Indian law were built into this.
Hindu and Muslim judges ensured Indian traditions were not eroded completely.
Thousands of schools and colleges were opened and English learning spread.
Many Indians had access to new knowledge in science, humanities and literature.
What was the impact of the British Raj on Britain?
British factories brought in raw materials from India.
Many jobs were created.
Indian soldiers fought bravely on Britain’s side in WWI and WWII.
Indian tea became popular.
What reasons were there for European powers being interested in Africa?
Africa was rich in natural resources like gold, diamond and ivory.
Treatments existed for diseases in Africa, allowing for exploration.
This was an era when land grabbing was widespread.
If European countries controlled areas of Africa, they could sell goods to people living there.
Christian missionaries wanted to help bring people towards Christianity.
What did European powers do in the 1870s in Africa?
A land grab started.
French and Belgians were interested in Western Africa.
Germans and British were interested in the east and south.
Portugal, Italy and Spain also made claims.
Which conference was held in 1884 between European powers to prevent war in Europe over control in Africa?
The Berlin Conference, where borders were drawn between powers without regards for ethnoreligious boundaries.
Which areas of Africa were taken by Britain?
16 colonies were taken, making up 32% of Africa. This included Sudan, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Northern and Southern Rhodesia, South Africa, Ghana, The Gambia, Bechuanaland, Nyasaland, Somaliland, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Lesotho and Swaziland
What was the importance of the British holdings in Africa?
They ran in an almost contiguous line from the Cape to Cairo.
They could be used to connect with India easily.
Which gun gave Europeans an advantage over the African tribes?
The maxim gun
What is an example of an African resistance movement that succeeded?
The Anglo-Zulu War of 1879.
What was British rule like for Africans?
Many Africans suffered hardship and hunger as their traditional way of life was destroyed.
What was Cecil Rhodes like?
He was an imperialist and social Darwinist. Streets, schools and two African countries were named after him.
What did Rhodes do in 1870?
He moved to Cape Colony to work in gold and diamond mines.
What did Rhodes do in 1881?
He was elected to parliament in the Cape Colony and became Prime Minister in 1890.
What did Rhodes do in 1888?
He formed De Beers, a company in diamond and gold mining in South Africa. He used his monetary and political skills to gain control.
What did Rhodes do in the Boer regions?
After gold and diamonds were found in the Transvaal, he was refused permission to move there. He tried getting rid of Boer leader, Paul Kruger, by force but failed.
The British eventually won the Boer Wars and gained more territory.
When Rhodes died in 1902, statues of him were erected globally.
What are the differing views on Rhodes?
Some think he brought a large amount of wealth to South Africa and should be celebrated for this.
Some think he was too much of an imperialist to be celebrated and that his Social Darwinist views should be shunned.
What is the Suez Canal?
A canal between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, connecting to the Indian Ocean.
Why did the British have such an interest in Suez?
The waterway could be used to connect themselves with their Indian colony more easily as well as New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong.
What happened in 1869 in Suez?
It was built jointly by Egypt and France.
What happened in 1875 in Suez?
The British and French gave money to Egypt in return for control of their trade, railways, post offices and ports.
What happened in 1882 in Egypt?
They rebelled against British and French interference. The British then bombed Alexandria, destroying its defences. France refused to get involved, Britain then sent 24,000 soldiers from Britain and 7000 soldiers from British India to Egypt. Britain then took control of Egypt.
What happened in 1884 in Sudan?
A religious leader known as the Madhi leads an uprising in Sudan against Anglo-Egyptian forces.
The rebels kill British commander General Charles Gordon and hold out.
What happened in Sudan between 1886 and 88?
The British under Lord Kitchener lead a series of campaigns against supporters of the Madhi.
What happened in Sudan in 1899?
Sudan comes under British control
What were the two states inhabited by Boers after they left the Cape Colony?
Transvaal
Orange Free State
What happened during the First Boer War?
In 1867, diamonds were discovered in the Boer states. The British tried getting the Boers to unite with Cape Colony but they refused. They excellently defended their land from the invasion.
What happened in the build-up to the Second Boer War?
1886 - gold discovered
Cecil Rhodes opened mines inside Boer territory and Brtish workers entered.
What happened early on in the Boer War?
The Boers won a series of small victories.
They were highly skilled and worked in small groups, raiding British forts.
The British sent in 500,000 men to fight approximately 50,000 Boers.
The Boers refused to surrender and carried out many raids.
