Relations with the indigenous peoples (6) Flashcards
Why did the Indian Mutiny begin?
Short term - Grievances about pay and new Enfield rifle which used pig and cow fat in cartridges (forbidden in Muslim and Hindu beliefs)
Long term - Anger felt by landlords and nobles who had been deprived of their lands by Governor-General Dalhousie
Events of the mutiny?
- Sepoys in Bengal refused orders in Feb 1857
- Sepoys turned on their British officers and started a mob against Europeans
- Sepoys seized control in Northern cities e.g Lucknow and Cawnpore
- Emperor’s sons executed by British so rebels could not restore the Mughal dynasty
- Devastations in Cawnpore, Lucknow where villages were burnt, mutineers tortured and British officers and their families murdered
- British rule was not entirely reasserted until June 1958 after a final battle in Gwalior
Impacts on how India was ruled after the mutiny?
India passed directly to British rule
= India became a single, centralised government
East India Company rule ended
Britain compensated for the costs of the revolt through rapid expansion of rail network and e.g tea trade
Societal impacts of Mutiny
- British questioned whether the Indians could actually be ‘Westernised’ and increased belief in Social Darwinism.
- Reports of the savagery of the Indians by the press
- British became more aloof
After Viceroy Lord Canning’s tour in 1859-1861 - Some land and titles were returned to Native Indians
- Star of India medals introduced
- Positions in the Statutory Civil Service posts were given to the Nobility
Government impact of Mutiny
Although Indian Raj was administrated under British notions of fairness, legal systems favoured the white man and were far to complex and expensive to help the poor e.g in land tenure
Pros and Cons of British Raj
- British built railways but only for movement of troops and trade: 1857 (288 miles), 1881 (9891 miles)
- British offered schemes of irrigation and land improvements but they supported British interests and only covered 6% of land (30 million acres of land irrigated, 37,000 miles of metal roads and 36,000 unmetalled roads)
- Britain provided India with cheap manufactures but this led to dependency and Indian industry could not develop
- British provided jobs but only a minority could obtain them
- Establishment of law and order and the end of practices such as cannibalism and human sacrifice
Educational changes after the mutiny
- Universities established in Bombay and Calcutta in 1857 BUT only the few privileged could attend
- Elite schools setup to produce ‘Westernised Oriental Gentlemen’
- 1/3 of Calcutta students worked in government service and administration
- Mary Carpenter opened girls’ schools in Bombay and female Indian teacher colleges
Economic changes after the mutiny
- Growth of investment, particularly in railways
- Tea plantation numbers rose from 1 in 1851 to 295 in 1871
- Increase in domestic production of raw cotton: £1.6 million in 1854 to 5.8m in 1876
- Wheat production began (£0 1854 - £1,6m 1876)
Wars with the natives in South Africa?
Xhosa War 1877-1878 - Disarmed tribesmen and annexed their territory to the Cape
Zulu War - Invasion of Zulu land in 1879
Relations with the Boers
- British annex transvaal in 1877 to protect them from Zulus and Pedi tribe
- British defeat Zulus in 1879
- Boers declare independence from British in 1880
- Boers turn on British - humiliating victory at Majuba Hill February 1881 (150 Britons killed)
- Britain forced to sign Treat of Pretoria. Recognised Boer self-government in Transvaal but B. still had right to control over external affairs.
- British annex Bechuanaland and make it a Crown Colony in 1885 to prevent Boers &Germans uniting
- In 1886, new gold discoveries at Witwatersrand attracted Uitlanders and created further instability.
Treatment of the Bantu
Widely disregarded
Gold/ diamonds bought wealth to the area but profits were in the hands of the white settlers.
Given low skilled, manual labour jobs, whilst whites got skilled jobs
Black workers were forbidden by law to live where they wanted
- Lived in segregated neighbourhoods
= horrible treatment
