Unit 2 - British Raj Flashcards
(41 cards)
The ways in which trade with India contributed to British economic prosperity and how Britain developed Indian agriculture and industry to foster this prosperity
The way in which trade with India contributed to British economic prosperity:
- the East India company was a stable, but spectacular, part of the British economic scene. It handles about 13% of British important and 5 per cent of britain’s exports
- India became the single largest market for British goods
How did Britain develop Indian agriculture and industry to foster this prosperity;
- India did not undergo industrialisation in the nineteenth century in the way Britain did
- India was a relatively urbanised and commercialised nation with buoyant trade, devoted largely to cotton textiles, but also including silk, spices and rice
- the colonial government made institutional changes in agriculture by transforming traditionally circumscribed property rights into something more closely resembling the ‘unencumbered’ private property characteristic western capitalism
- they created tariffs: in this way imported goods became more expensive than home produced ones, thus allowing domestic industries to grow and develop
- helped protect India and helped protect Britain from competitors
- queen Victoria’s title helped increase capital investment into agriculture and industry
- by the beginning of the 20th century, India received about one tenth of British overseas investment - about £250 million. By 1910, this had risen to 365 million
The importance of the Indian empire to Britain and to the British economy
- the British first became seriously involved in India because of trade. India had cotton, calico, Muslims, chintzes, pepper, indigo and spices.
- all British trade was with the East Indian company
- in the early days, spices dominated the Indian european trader and by the end of the eighteenth century, Indian textiles had overtaken spices as the must have commodity back in Europe.
How did India influence Britain?
It was the Indian people, finance, products and circumstances that dictated how trade and commerce developed. They created the framework within which trade was possible. India had well established trading links and patterns with India, Asia and beyond
- India had a huge population which Britain used in order to form the back bone of britain’s military power
- India provided a central location for the British to conduct their trade with various other colonies
- indian were also used for cheap labour by the British
The significance of making queen Victoria empress of India and the jewel of the crown concept
The significance of queen v:
- this title was a gesture to link the monarchy with the empire further and bind India more closely to Britain
- helped give Britain better and easier control over India
- it showed her interest and great Britain’s interest in world colonisation, throughout the 19th century
Jewel in crown concept
- India was the most populous and valuable economy to Britain
- India was abundant with valuable natural resources like gems, cotton, tea etc
- due to its high population, Britain made a lot of money through taxation
- on average Britain made £12m per year from India alone
- india’s jewels gave the British access to other parts of Asia
- natural mineral wealth provided
- much of the early empire was built around India, areas conquered or influenced in order to provide routes to India, or protections for India. A framework like the metalwork for the crown
The structure of British rule (the raj) in India at the beginning of the 20th century and the impact this on relationships between India and British living in India and the attitudes held towards each other
Structure:
- The caste system was basic to the Hindus, who made up over two thirds of Indian society
How they operated:
The majority of Indians were born into the hierarchical system of caste
No one could leave caste
System was one of selection, it was also one of interdependence
Attitudes of Indians towards British raj
- when tab was at height, It was difficult for ordinary Indian people to be openly critical of those who ruled them
- raj how did however, employ a great number of Indians, this providing roof over their heads and food to eat. Also an occupation
- it was an alien rule, not one from culture unlike the Mughal empire
- english language: they could pass examinations; Better understanding of democracy and imperialism
Indians and British living in India and the attitudes they held towards each other
- the impact of the Indian mutiny of 1857 meant that the level of racial mistrust raised between the British and Indian. As a result of this the British response was to be separate themselves from the Indian people. This also created a separate caste, a ruling elite
- wealthy raj officials lived in the great eighteenth century houses. They were also looked after by Indian servants
- poorer raj officials lived in bungalows but still had Indians as their servants despite this
- after Indian mutiny, far fewer British men took Indian wives or mistresses
- the British lived lavishly in Calcutta and Simla
- Anglo Indians not respected. Relations hostile between cultures
- Lord curzons views towards Indians; the princes are unruly and ignorant and rather undisciplined school kid
- White mans burden ideology
-‘Can these thieves really be our rulers?’ - growing discontent and resentment amongst Indians towards alien rule
- Indians had no influence in decisions
- the Indian economy was made for the needs of the British only
- Curzon was seen as having little interest in indian opinion:
He believed that the Bengal province was too large and wanted it to be split into East and West Bengal. Hindus were angry and they though East Bengal would be dominated my Muslims
The details of the Morley minto reforms and the impact on British administrators in India and on Indians on inc, British and Indians
Reforms:
- sixty Indian representatives were to be elected to serve on the viceroy’s executive council; 27 of which would be from special interest for groups. However, officials remained the majority
- the provincial councils were to be enlarged sufficiently to create non official majorities
- separate electorates were provided for Muslims and Hindus in order to allow the majority Muslims to have a voice in the various councils
- 6 muslim representatives
- Morley appointees two Indians to the council in London
- minto appointed Indians to key posts in India
Impact
For British
- British administrators were disappointment and disheartened by the changes, which diluted their power. They were no longer in the majority on provincial councils and had to contend with a substantial Indian minority on the viceroy’s executive council
- administrators also believed that dispassionate judgement, on the Indians parts, could not be achieved. They also believed that they have weak influence
Impact for Indians
They had no real influence in admin
They tended to divide Hindus and Muslims by treating them like separate communities
Very few Indians could actually vote. The franchise was restricted to the very wealthy and privileges, who were likely to continue to support British rule
Impact on Indian national congress
The inc claimed to represent all Indians although most members were Hindu
It objected the principle of communism which they thought would divide india
It protested that the qualification to vote was lower for Muslims than for Hindus
The economic effects of the war on India and its political repercussions in that country
- India had poured men and materials into the war effort and in doing so had become a critical source of supple for the allied cause
- by the end of 1919, some 1.5 million Indians had been recruited into combatant and nom combatant roles and nearly all of them has been sent overseas including 184,350 animals
- by the end of ww1, Indian revenues had contributed over 146 million to the allied war effort
- revenues demand in India were raised by 16> in 1916-19, 14% 1917-18, 10% 1918-19 -> ordinary people felt the effects of the war through increased taxation. Prices of food grain rose by 93%
Political repercussions: - British v India
- broad nationalist shifts created
- Indian soldiers had increased self esteem
- relationship between them strengthened
- Indians were beginning to apply their own situation of democracy
How was India governed at the beginning of the 20th century?
They were first controlled by the East Indian company
They lost power and then they were governed by Westminster:
Secretary of State was responsible for policy
The Secretary of State was advised by the council of India - who were 15 non Indians
India was run by the indian civil service (British) 70,000 of them
India was defended by the indian army
The viceroy put British policies into practice. This was Curzon
Britain only rules two thirds of India, the rest was by Indian princes
Indian princes were loyal to the British and relied on their support. The British could intervene and dispose rulers and they had limited control on their own affairs alie though they were independent
All decisions counter to British interest were disposed off
Caste
It is determined by birth and determined which occupations may be followed, to whom one may marry and even the extent to which one may appear in public
The Aligarh Movement 1875
Leading Indians also took steps to regenerate society through education and modernisation. the aim was to create a westernised intellectual class and increase both Indian self-respect and British confidence by the adoption of corporative and forward-looking ideas amongst Indians
Partition of Bengal 1905
Western Bengal and eastern Bengal
Hindus left outraged as they saw it an attempt to divide and rule
Too many Muslims in eastern Bengal otherwise Muslims were delighted with this
Resulted in the swadeshi movement.
The Ilbert bill
The Ilbert Bill was a bill introduced in 1883 for British India by Viceroy Ripon that proposed an amendment for existing laws in the country at the time
to allow Indian judges and magistrates the jurisdiction to try British offenders in criminal cases at the District level, something that was disallowed at the time.
The Simla delegation
The fury of Hindus over the creation of a muslim majority province in the partition of Bengal had convinced Muslims that, as and when Indians were permitted to take part in the government, they would be overwhelmed by the general Hindu majority.
New viceroy Lord minto delegated 70 muslim leaders to the British summer capital of Simla to present their plan for separate electorates for Muslims.
The 1909 Indian councils act
The Morley minto reforms became law in the Indian councils act 1909.
There were moderate changed to the provincial central and executive councils
Most councils retained a majority of officials rather than elected members. Moreover, the Indian members were to be elected indirectly. The variations organisations and social groups were permitted to choose a specified number of representatives who were recommended to the council in question
Did it satisfy Indians?
Congress who had once supported the reforms protested whilst the Muslims who had once complained were satisfied. This was because council seats were reserved for them
British?
It placed the elected Indian members in the position of being able to complain all the time without having to do anything about the matters in question. The Indian groups became the official opposition to the British government
Bengal reunification 1911
The partition had created a muslim majority. However the reunification meant that Muslims were disappointed
The Lucknow pact
Muslims had pre existing resentment:
The 1911 reunification of Bengal was meant to benefit muslim politicians
So …
The heart of the scheme was to set out the proportions of seats in the provincial legislative councils reserved for the Muslims
Agreements
No Muslims would contest a seat outside the reserved quota
No bill or clause could proceed if 75% of effective community opposed it
The central legislative Council would increased to 150 members of whom 80% would be elected and one third of them would be muslim in the proportions set out for the provinces, thus giving Muslims additional weightage at both of provincial and central levels
Provincial counsellors will serve for five years
Councils would have powers over revenue collection, loans and expen denture
More simply:
It was an agreement between congress and the Muslim league whereby it was agreed that Muslims would have a fixed proportion of seats in an Indian Parliament and extra seats in areas where they were in a minority
The First World War and its effects
Tilak, the most radical leader of congress, supported it. Gandhi also gave support whilst in South Africa.
India supplied more than 1.25 million men and £150 million to the war effort
Why did Indians support it?
Out of loyalty
Sinks and some castes because they believed that fighting and dying on the battlefield was their true aim in life
To prove that Indians deserved equal respect to the Europeans
British were forced to make concessions in return for support so politicians were happy as it increased support for home rule
Effects on congress:
The end of the partition of Bengal reduced criticism in congress
The outbreak of the war landed support for Britain
Congress leaders assumed that support for Britain would result in significant concessions after victory
In 1916, congress and the muslim league agreed a joint strategy called the Lucknow pact. Muslims were not guaranteed representation in an indian assembly. In fact, congress was much the more important member of the pact than the muslim league
The detail of the montagu-Chelmsford/government of India act 1919, why the act was passed and the reaction of it in India
Why was it passed:
The British knew they could not ignore the enormous sacrifices made by the Indian people and the steadfast loyalty they had shown to the British crown. They knew the Indians were looking for a reward for this loyalty.
What was it:
The proposals decided by the Secretary of State montagu and viceroy Chelmsford were published in 1918 and became law in 1919 through the gi act.
- the viceroy was to advised by a council of six civilians, three of whom would be Indian
- the provincial and central legislative councils were enlarged
- the provincial councils were given control over indian education, agriculture, health, local self government and public works
- the British retained control of military matters, foreign affairs, currency, communications and criminal law
- there were ‘reserved’ seats for religious groups
DYARCHY:
Government by two independent authorities in the provinces , in this case between the Indians and the British
Reaction:
Montagu saw the act as a welcome further step towards self government
The ics felt its strength and influence was slipping away
Many Indians welcomed the act
Many British and Indian people hated the idea of reserved seats considering them divisive and anti democratic
The inc rejected the reforms and boycotted the first election
Situation:
In 1917 the prices of food rose steadily
In 18-19 there were poor harvests which made inflation worse
Why were the Rowlatt acts important 1919
They came at a time, just after the end of ww1, when many Indians were expecting some form of self government
Hopes had been raised and dashed by the montagu Chelmsford reforms
The act suggested that the British government had no intentions in relaxing its grip on India
When the act was passed Tilak was the most important radical in the Indian national congress.
This allowed mohandas Gandhi to emerge as the real leader of congress. Tilak’s death left him unchallenged
Why was the Amritsar massacre so important 1919
It followed a period of unrest in India brought on by the failure of the British to offer any reward to Indians for their support of Britain during ww1.
On March 18th the act was passed which led Gandhi to proclaim a day of fast
Gandhi’s pacifist ideals were ignored and in Amritsar five Britons were killed in a riot
Further unrest followed with Indian demonstrators being killed
Dyer banned all public meetings but when it was called he made no attempt to cancel it. He apparently wanted to teach them a lesson
The Rowlatt acts and the Amritsar massacre and how these impacted on the relationship between the Britain and India
The massacre:
Dyer ordered his Gurkha troops to fire on an unarmed crowed in the holy town of Amritsar
The troops fired until their ammunition was exhausted, killing 379 people and wounding 1200
- effect:
Many Indians who were previously loyal to the British lost faith and joined campaigns for independence
The violence led Gandhi to call off his campaign of civil disobedience
Dyer was summonsed to Britain and his actions were investigated
Congress’ reaction: it described it an inhuman murder of innocent and unarmed people
It refused to take part in the elections held after
Rowlatt acts
It isolated Bengal, Bombay and Punjab as centres of revolutionary activity and recommended that the old wartime controls should be used there to contain the situation.
These included imprisonment without trial, trial by judges sitting without a jury, censorship and house arrests of suspects.
This is incorporated into the Rowlatt acts and passed in 1919
-Result:
All Indian members of the council were opposed to it
It was clear the promises made in the montagu Chelmsford report were meaningless
Why the Muslim league was formed and the ways in which the league and congress worked together and separately to attain their objectives
The Muslim league was set up in 1906. Its strongest support came from Muslims who were afraid of Hindu domination. But many Muslims including Jinnah were also part of congress
In 1916 the league and congress were United in the Lucknow pact in an effort to win self determination
In 1920 the league supported congress’ campaigns after the Rowlatt acts and the Amritsar massacre
From 1924 the two bodies began to separate. This was because the league published proposals that India should be a loose federation with a weak central government and strong provinces. This was fundamentally different from the official policy of congress
An attempt at compromise by Jinnah in 1927 was rejected by congress
In 1929 he offered the 14 point programme, which called for a weak central government and protection for Muslims. This met the same fate
Jinnah tried again in 1938 to agree to power sharing in muslim dominated areas, this was without success
Rowlatt Acts 1919
Indians couldn’t congregate in public places
These included imprisonment without trial, trial by judges sitting without a jury, censorship and house arrests of suspects.
How congress and the Muslim league reacted to the Second World War
Congress:
Members were furious that they had not been consulted because under the Government of India act, the viceroy was meant to consult the executive committee
Gandhi urged the British government to negotiate with Hitler and to use peaceful methods. However, Nehru believed India should support Britain against fascism. This was supported by congress
In July 1940, congress asked that’s a national government should be set up as a reward for Indian participation
as a result of the viceroy not giving a satisfactory reply, Congress decided to re commence civil disobedience. Nehru and nearly 1700 leading members of Congress were arrested in 1940.
Muslim league
When war broke out in 1939, the Muslim league backed Britain’s declaration of war on Germany. This gave Jinnah the opportunity to press his claims for a separate state.
