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