Nearly losing an empire: the British in India 1829-58 Flashcards
When was the EIC Charter originally granted?
1600
What occurred in the 1770s for the EIC?
It almost went under
What change was made to the EIC in 1786?
It became a regularized subsidiary of the crown
What did the 1813 Charter Act do in terms of trade?
Renewed the EIC’s charter for 20 years at the expense of the loss of all monopolies bar tea with China
What did the 1833 Charter Act do?
Remove EIC’s role in commercial activities, and reorganises it’s administrative function, leading to a greater emphasis on this area, and creating a governor-general role in Fort William
What had occurred by 1818?
A vast expansion of EIC land in India which took control of the entire Indo-Gangetic Plain
Where was the company presidency for the newly taken land during taken by 1857?
Still Calcutta, even though much of north-east and north-west had been taken
How many armies where there in India?
3, 1 for every company presidency
What was passed in 1773?
The Regulating Act which created a council of 5, 3 of which were chosen by Parliament, and made the governors subject to approval by a council of 4 crown officials
What did the 1784 Act for the EIC do?
Create the Board of Control to regulate political functions of the EIC now under crown control
How did the 1786 Act empower the Governor General?
He could override the Board of Control
What did the 1813 Charter Act do in terms of Indian politics?
Made provisions for education of Indians, and permitted missionaries to enter the country to preach and teach English
Which growing group made the EIC’s changing role in India during the early 19th Century more easy?
The increasing size of the army allowed for easier tax collection, as local leaders allied with the EIC after seeing such a force
Why was the Fort William governor so much more powerful than the rest?
Only they could declare war or make peace with an Indian prince
Why was governor-general power so strong in India?
Due to the long time delay between India and London, and the powers of the governor in terms of administration and legislation
Which castes made up the army and why was this a problem?
The top castes, Brahmins and Rajput, who were more worried of losing caste/pollution issues
How many sepoys and British were in the army in 1857?
278,000 vs 46,000
Which changes to the EIC training structure show the changing attitude of the EIC towards India?
More training, in particular for the civil servants, shows a more long term interest in India, past commercial affairs
What occurred between 1848-52 and what was it’s cost?
Auckland’s Folly, First Afghan War, £15m wasted and 20,000 dead
What occurred in terms of EIC expansion in the 1840s?
Taking of Sind and Punjab in the north to check Russian advances
What was a result of the taking of Punjab?
British met Sikh soldiers who wold go on to be very effective against sepoys in the mutiny
What was the main success of the Cornwallis governorship?
The Code of Conduct, which set out land tenure rules, with tax collection as well as use of local magistrates and courts as the first location for cases
Where did the Bengal Army come from and why?
Awadh, so that the soldiers did not fight their own
How did the mindset of the British in India in terms of their role change by 1829 and why?
They saw themselves as superior, and should change India to better itself, born out of evangelical Christianity,
How did the social prejudice of the British in India change by 1829?
Mixed-race families were becoming less fashionable, as whit British women turned up at ports to find gentlemen to marry
What occurred between 1836-48?
A secession of laws were passed to control the thagi and dacoity
Who led the anti-thagi campaign and why?
William Sleeman, as in 1835 he arrested a thagi and became heavily involved in the practice’s eradication
What was created in 1835 and how successful was it?
Thugge and Dacoity Department, which punished 3,000 thagi people, causing much self-congratulation among the British
Why was the thagi programme important in terms of causing the Mutiny?
It provided an example of successful reforms by the British, which would be repeated with less popular reforms like sati
Which law was passed in 1829 of grand importance?
Act of Abolition, which banned the practice of sati
Who took part in sati?
Higher castes, mainly around the originally non-British Sikh Punjabi area and Bengal Presidency
Who fought hard to end sati?
Governor Bentinck and evangelicals like Wilberforce as well as Ram Mohan Roy the Hindu polymath
Why was sati important for Indians?
It was a religious tradition, and showed the sanctity of marriage
What occurred between 1795 and 1802?
The banning of female infanticide
Who enforced female infanticide laws and what was the result of this?
Bentinck, which led to some seeing the laws as another government intervention on Indian culture
Who was Alexander Duff?
Scottish missionary who promoted teaching of English to higher caste Hindus and converting them to Christianity through Bible studies
What was passed in 1835?
Education Act
What did the missionaries do while in India?
Teach in native languages and translated the Bible to these languages for preaching
What was the long-term picture for missionaries in India?
An educated, English-speaking and Christian caste would rise up and weaken dominance of Brahmin class
What change did Bentinck make to the Indian government?
He changed the official language to English, as well as the language of the courts
Who were the Bengal Resistance?
Led by Ram Mohan Roy, they mixed Eastern and Western philosophy - seen as a positive of the proselytizing missionary action
Why were the missionaries so irritating to government administrators?
They were often less than pragmatic in their desire for change, as they were on a mission from God, which often stirred up trouble
Why did missionaries living choices annoy the Indians?
They desired to live side-by-side with the native population which often caused discontent among the more conservative members of Indian society
Who was governor general from 1848-56?
Lord Dalhousie
What was Lord Dalhousie’s big picture for India?
A reformed society under the principles of utilitarianism, where all of India is under EIC rule
Why did Lord Dalhousie want to take over the princely states of central India?
The previous arrangements with them were made at times when the EIC was in a much weaker position
Which 2 laws did Dalhousie push which irritated the native rulers?
Paramountcy and Doctrine of Lapse
Which 3 ways allowed the EIC to take over from a native ruler?
No hereditary heir (DoL), misgovernment of state, and by legal rulings redefining a rulers titles
Who was dethroned in 1856, for what, and where?
Wajid Ali Shah in Awadh was dethroned for maladministration
Why did Dalhousie really take Awadh?
It was a prosperous province which could help the EIC fiscally
Why was the annexation of Awadh resented by sepoys?
Many had been recruited from there originally
How many annexations occurred under Dalhousie’s rule?
7
Who did Dalhousie’s new land policy in Awadh annoy the most and why?
The talukdars, as they had to prove their legal rights to the estates they owned, which left some areas unstable and disrupted the social order
What was passed into law in 1856?
General Service Enlistment Act
Why was the General Service Enlistment Act so unpopular?
It meant the army may have to travel over water, which polluted the higher castes status, and while this was only for new recruits, the fear of the law being extended very much existed
Where was the beginning of the revolt and what happened?
At Meerut, sepoys rose up to free the 85 sepoys who had been imprisoned for refusing to load new rifles
Why did peasants fight against the British in the mutiny?
They were disconcerted with excessive tax collection and changing land structures
Why did the situation in Delhi weaken the mutineers?
The situation stagnated, and their leader, Bahadur Shah II, was nonplussed about being a leader who the troops could rally around
Where was there a slaughter of 600 British in the mutiny?
Cawnpore
What was a short timeline of events at Lucknow?
Siege for 87 days, relief arrives, more siege, more relief arrives, evacuation, 24 VCs given out
Why did Indian organisation make the law mutiny more easy for the British to control?
The different groups of mutineers had different aims, from land owners, peasants and princes, and the split of 3 leaders led to British ability to pick one off at a time
Why did sepoy loyalty aid the British?
2 of the 3 armies did not rebel, and even of those that did, many stuck around with the British (3,500 in Lucknow)
Why did EIC rule end after the mutiny?
It’s creaky machinery and presidency armies were blamed for the mutiny
How was leadership in India reformed after the Government of India Act of 1858?
The colony was to be run by a viceroy, and to be accountable to Parliament through an India Council and Secretary of State for India
What was sent out after the end of EIC rule to the Indian population?
A royal proclamation which promised tolerance and respect for the culture and religions in India
How were the princely states treated after the mutiny?
They were brought under direct British rule, but the princes were able to retain their privileged existence
What did the British try to do with the native princes after the mutiny?
Turn them into bastions of conservatism and collaborators so they did not rebel again
How did the British treat the talukdars after the mutiny?
They were allowed to have many of the rights they had before, and no land tenure changes were made afterward
How did the British try to control the missionaries?
They attempted to decrease proselytizing in local communities
What was the result to the British mindset of the Indian Mutiny?
Increase in racial prejudice toward Indians
How was the ratio changed in the armies after the mutiny in terms of white men to sepoys?
9:1 went down to 3:1
Who made up the army after the mutiny in terms of sepoys?
Instead of high caste Hindus, Sikhs from the Punjabi region and Muslims from the north-west were used
How did army policy change after the mutiny in terms of locations of troops and grease?
No adjacent regiments from the same ethnic group to stop a mutiny spreading, and sepoys could use whatever fat they wished to grease weapons
Which reforms were made to India after the mutiny?
Instead of social reforms like ending sati, infrastructure improvements like railways and telegraph lines were built across the nation
What was the name of the violence after the mutiny according to Indians?
Devil’s Wind
How many soldiers were in the EIC army in 1803 and what did they do in that year?
260,000 taking Delhi
Phrase to describe British reform attempts
Mission civilisatrice
What did Macaulay desire to create while a shareholder in the EIC?
‘A class of persons, Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals and in intelligence’
Why were Indians particularly unhappy in Oudh?
Christian colleges were set up, landowners felt they had lost control of estates, high taxes and few opportunities for enterprising individuals
