Unit 3- Britain- India Flashcards
What are the 4 main features of the India section?
1) Nature of Company rule changing in the 1st half of the 19th Century
2) Power of the Bengal army
3) Attitudes of the British towards Indians
Lord Bentick and Sleeman attack on religion and customs- land ownership by native princes
4) Attitudes of Indians towards the British
Two causes of the Indian Rebellion
1) Nature of Company rule
2) Attack on Indian culture
In some ways, the Indian Rebellion occurred because of the attack on Indian religion and customs by the British
Sleeman’s campaign against thagi and and Bentick’s campaign against sati
Impact of British missionaries attack on Indian religion which created discontent between the Indians leading to a widespread rebellion
Widespread nature of the rebellion shows it had roots in a protest against Company rule
Campaigns against thagi and sati
1836- 48 legal Acts were passed outlawing thagi and the suppression of thagi became a justification for further ‘modernisation’ by the British
William Sleeman- superintendent had an vigorous and highly publicised campaign ensued during which more than 1,000 thagi were transported or hanged for their crimes
Sleeman’s activities in the suppression of thagi led to his identification as a true imperial hero in Britain, which was opposed by many Indians
However there are some cases to suggest that his actions wasn’t widely resented by Indians as some thought the campaign was intended to protect native Indians from the ‘menace’
Similarly, the drive against sati was not accepted by Indians- most commonly practiced in the Bengal presidency; having 600 deaths per year
British officials disliked it so they banned the practice in Calcutta in 1798
For higher caste Indians who practised sati, the interference by the British was a deliberate attack on caste purity and presumption of cultural superiority inherent in the new law ranked
Missionaries
Key in the promotion of Christianity through the medium o teaching in English
First arrived in 18th Century and they were opposed by many Company officials as they were anxious to avoid trouble- as a result of a clash of belief system
1830- Alexander Duff- part of the missionary Church of Scotland, promoted teaching English in schools which appealed to higher castes
He tried convincing children that Christianity as better than Hinduism, attempting to destabilise locals system
Nature of Company rule changing in the 1st half of the 19th Century Power of the Bengal army
Change in Company function from commerce to administration and tax collection was a long term cause of dissatisfaction with British rule
Charter Act 1813- renewed the Company’s charter but removed its trading monopolies on goods, apart from tea and trade with China and these monopolies ended in 1833
The Company became far more involved in admin and tax collection over their increasing territory
1830’s- the Punjab and Sind came under Company rule and Dalhousie pursued an aggressive policy of annexation from local princes under his doctrine of lapse
Although the British were fair when it came to tax collection, they were now involved in more and more in the system of landownership and tax collection and this cause opposition to their rule- particular issues in Awadh which was one of the most serious centres of rebellion
The fact that people flocked to support the Mughals in Delhi and Hindu princes as well shows that there was opposition to the social changes which replaced local rulers with British administrators
Proposals for the Bengal Army
Doctrine of lapse and annexation of Awadh under Dalhousie were important preconditions for the Great Rebellion
Acts of Parliament passed in the 1770/80s had made the governor of Bengal effective governor over all British territories and, although there was a governing council, the governor could overrule this
This meant that a governor like Dalhousie could instituted sweeping changes without being checked easily
Board of Control in London, but with slow communication it meant that executive power was basically in the hands of governors
Dalhousie threatened the traditional fabric of society by threatening to remove all land from the traditional landowner class, the talukdars, if they could not prove legally with documents their ownership of land
1856- Canning the new Governor General proposed changes to the conditions of service of the Bengali army meaning that sepoys thought that they could be forced to travel over seas causing them to lose their caste
As many sepoys in the Bengali presidency army were recruited from the province of Awadh, it is clear hat changes instituted in their home province combined with changes to their conditions of service made a revolt in the Bengali army highly likely
Although London tried to oversee what governors did, distance and issues with communication meant that executive power rested with individual governors
