Native policy in India Flashcards
Why were the 1876-78 famines, where 58m faced chronic food shortages, poorly handled? [3]
1) There was under-funding
2) The laissez-faire dogma forbade government intervention
3) There was insufficient railway lines
What administrative errors were there in the 1876-1878 famines? what were the results?[1] [2]
1) Temple calculated that every man could survive off 1 pound of grain a day.
1) This led to 3.5-4m deaths in Madras and 1/4m in Mysore
2) Disease followed; 41,000 in 1876 increased to 189,000 in 1877
British responses after 1876-78 famines [2]
1) Increased railway building- by 1900, railway netowrk doubled to 25,000 miles.
2) Increased irrigation schemes- By 1891, new canal systems made over 10m acres available for cultivation and 1/8 of population reliant upon them.
British response to 1895 and 1896 sparse monsoons which led to 53m Indians facing starvation in the first stage [4]
1) By April 1897; 33m were sustained at gov. labour camps, in which epidemics spread rapidly
2) 68m rupees available to finance relief programme, tax collection continued
3) Elgin refused to interfere with the free market, despite Queen Victoria’s pressure.
4) Elgin did not forbid hoarding, leading to many granaries refusing to open until prices had been driven up
Second phase of British response to 1895/96 sparse monsoons [1]
1) Shift from centralised work camps to relief through villages cut spread of infections
1899-1900 drought death-rate was blamed on what? [1]
The chief commissioner for Gujarat blamed the ‘soft’ habits of its people
Response to 1899-1900 drought and was it successful? [2]
1) Curzon injected plenty into the relief programme
2) No, 800,000 died anywa
What was the British response to the failure of 1907 monsoon? [1]
1) Local officials adopted more flexible, and locally tailored measures
Was there a second motivation for technical improvements? [1] What example of this is there? [2]
1) Yes, they were partly contrived to enrich the British
1) 1887 Chenab canal scheme,
2) It received £3m to make fertile an arid region. Members chosen for their quietism and loyalty
What was the British excuse for the failure of famine-relief operations? [1]
1) There was a tendency to blame the laziness of Indian staff
How many universities were founded in 1857 and which was the largest? [2]
1) 5 universities were founded in 1857
2) Calcutta became the largest in the world by 1900 with 8,000 students
What was the problem with the syllabus in Indian unis?
The syllabus responded to student’s aspirations rather than national needs, this led to a lack of doctors
Who benefitted the most from Indian unis?
What was the problem with this?
Upper/ middle class Bengalis, but there was concern that their advancement to positions of authority would exacerbate caste and religous divisions due to prejudice
What acts of junior soldiers were tolerated?
The rape and murder of natives by junior soldiers was tolerated
How were indian subordinates treated in the army?
Indian insubordinates were beaten commonly
How did Curzon try to respond to offences in the army? [2]
1) Curzon tried to discipline offenders where possible.
2) However European support was always overwhelmingly on the side of the white offender
What was the 1905 partition of Bengal a clear example of? [1]
Divide and rule
What religious policy was adopted in the aftermath of the Indian Mutiny? [1]
Religious laissez-faire
Cuts were made to missionary programmes as well as ‘reformist’ plans that had potential to trigger another mutiny
After the religious laissez-faire, what did the British shift their focus to? [2]
1) They shifted policy towards an economic focus
2) Improving the material situation of Indians
Name one key method for improving Indian economics [1] what other benefit did this have?
1) Building railroads
2) This also increased the security of the Raj
By how much did railroads expand 1857-1900?
under 300 miles in 1857 to almost 25,000 miles by 1900
What proportion of cultivated land was supplied with an integrated irrigation system by 1900?
1/6 approximately
What public works were undertaken in India? [5]
Lighting, postal and telegraph/communications systems as well as roads and irrigation systems
What were the motives for the economic improvement of India? [2]
1) To reduce Indian famine, which was endemic
2) To facilitate economic development, which was also in British interests
What was Britain reluctant to directly fund?
What were the results of this?
Britain was reluctant to directly fund industrial development to maintain reduced state intervention and to protect British interests (such as Lancashire cotton industry)
This accelerated the demise of indigenous industries like crafts as they got outcompeted
Despite initiating modernising programmes, what was India’s economic focus? [3]
To provide goods such as; 1) cotton
2) opium
3) rice to the empire
Most trade and development was left to private enterprise
Give an example of India’s provision of goods [2]
Raw cotton industry brought £13 million compared to manufactured cotton industry, valued at £2 million
What did the British do at Lucknow after the Mutiny? [6]
1) British expelled population
2) turned the principal mosque into temporary barracks
3) demolished 2/5 of the town
4) This was all payed for by the inhabitants, who were banned from returning until they had settled their tax bills
5) New Lucknow railway station was structured like a fortress and its platforms were built for disembarking reinforcements
6) Lucknow demonstrated that the foundation of the British Raj in India was military force
Why was Simla used by Europeans?
Indian summer was too hot, Simla was a mountain town that was cooler in summers
