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Colonialism and imperialism in india
Colonialism and imperialism in india
Colonialism and imperialism in india
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The 1857 uprising marks India’s initial war of independence. The revolt is attributed to the efforts of disgruntled sepoys, Muslim elites that were dissatisfied with British rule, and the organization of a number of Indian leaders. The main reason for the war is that the Indians were dissatisfied with British efforts to erode their traditions, especially following the introduction of Christianization. Indians intended to get back what they to Great Britain. Though the Indians thought that they would be successful in their revolt, the British army managed to defeat them. As a result of the uprising, Britain gained complete control of India.
Trade between Europe and Asia opened up during the 1500s with sea routes becoming the alternative to overland routes. The travelling of the English traders along the coast of India marked British interests in India. In 1600, some of the traders established the East India Company, which later became one of the wealthiest and most influential trading organizations on the globe. Following the establishment, the company constructed trading centers and forts in premeditated regions all over India. Similarly, the French East India Company constructed posts and forts challenging Great Britain for authority over Indian trade. In 1757, East India Company, using British and Indian military, was able to defeat the French in the War of Plassey. In the next 100 years, Britain widened its territory in India through battles and commercial actions.
There was a rapid expansion of British authority notable in the annexation of the Punjab, 1848, and of the Awadh, 1856. The last defeat of the Punjab had frustrated many soldiers in the Bengal military that had acquired extra pay, or batta, for ...
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...warupa "Economic and Political Weekly." 1857 and Ideas about Nationhood in Bengal: Nuances and Themes 42, no. 19 (May 18, 2007): 1762-69. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4419582.
Mukherjee, Rudrangshu. Awadh in revolt, 1857-1858: a study of popular resistance. Delhi: Permanent Black, 2002.
Pati, Biswamoy. The 1857 rebellion. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2007.
Pati, Biswamoy. The Great Rebellion of 1857 in India: Exploring Transgressions, Contests and Diversities. London: Routledge, 2010.
Singh, Ganda. The Indian Mutiny of 1857 and the Sikhs. New Delhi: Gutenberg Printing Press, 1969.
Streets, Heather. “The Rebellion of 1857: Origins, Consequences and Themes.” An Internet Journal of Pedagogy 1, no. 1 (2001): 85-104.
Wagner, Kim A. The Great Fear of 1857: Rumours, Conspiracies and the Making of the Indian Uprising. Oxford: Peter Lange, 2010.
middle of paper ... ... His tone leads me to believe that he values the Indians as pawns in an international battle for British wealth. As seen in the line “.I have made it pretty clear to you, that there will be little or no difficulty in obtaining the absolute possession of these rich kingdoms.”
These improvements and benefits from British rule eventually led to Indian nationalism. The exposure to European ideas caused an Indian nationalist movement, the people dreamed of ending Imperial rule.
Not only did the inequality and separation of the Indian society frustrate the citizens of India, but the imperialism Britain had upon them as well. In the early 20th century, Indian nationalists wanted to take a stand against the British rule and make India independent. The British created unfair laws that created a nationalist movement in India to regain their freedom. He believed that there should not be a Caste System because of one’s birth.
A new era was dawning on the American colonies and its mother country Britain, an era of revolution. The American colonists were subjected to many cruel acts of the British Parliament in order to benefit England itself. These British policies were forcing the Americans to rebellious feelings as their rights were constantly being violated by the British Crown. The colonies wanted to have an independent government and economy so they could create their own laws and stipulations. The British imperial policies affected the colonies economic, political, and geographic situation which intensified colonists’ resistance to British rule and intensified commitment to their republican values.
In the late 1800’s Europeans and Americans sought out land in Asia and Africa to expand political empires. This unstoppable and in most cases unwanted influence was call imperialism. Native people from Africa and Asia responded in many ways but these responses can be categorized in two different groups. People who welcomed the change that came with imperialism were called modernizers and the people who opposed imperialism were called traditionalists. I feel that the response of the people classified as modernizers to imperialism was more effective than the people who clung to traditional ideas and culture. This is my personal opinion for four reasons. Reason number one being that imperialism from the West was too advanced to be opposed. Secondly, modernizers maintained more control of their land. Thirdly, instead of concentrating on the opposition of imperialism like the traditionalists had, modernizers used Western intelligence for their benefit. The fourth reason why I believe this is because sticking with traditional ideas and not moving forward with world progression creates a weak state.
During the French Revolution of 1789 imperialism took a smaller scale, individual companies began to monopolize their profession and expanding to crush their competitors. France expanded internally as well as externally. Jules Ferry believed he could sway people to expand using facts, he said “In the area of economics, I am placing before you, with the support of some statistics, the considerations that justify the policy of colonial expansion…” (Robinquet 167) expressing the many ways people tried to convince others to expand. France and Great Britain split the majority of the world through their settlements and territories. Great Britain’s most valuable and profitable territory was India, which had multiple trade outpost for Cotton, Silk, Opium, Indigo Dye, and most importantly Tea. Great Britain controlled the markets trying to expand more. This fast expansion caused all other European countries to try to compete with Britain’s ever growing empire. In his writing Rise of our East African Empire document Lugard stated that “To allow other nations develop fields, and to refuse to do so ourselves, is to go backward”
The Effects of British Imperialism in India One could approach this topic from two points of view: the British and the Indian. One could choose either party and find very different opinions. When British colonizers first arrived in India, they slowly gained more and more control in India through many ways, the most prominent being trade and commerce. At first, they managed India’s government by pulling the string behind the curtain. However, soon they had acquired complete rule over India, converting it into a true British colony.
The mutiny, regarded by many as India's first War of Independence, was to have important consequences and the structure of British India was to be re-organised extensively. Increasingly, India came under direct Crown rule as the British East India Company was dispossessed of its functions and, in 1877, Queen Victoria was crowned Empress. Despite the severity of European reprisal as each territory had been regained and its subsequent defensive proposals of military alteration, a measure of conciliation had been introduced to administrative policy. Integration of the higher castes and princes was now considered important, land policy was revised and plans for radical social change were shelved.
There were two different time periods where Imperialism occurred. The first wave of imperialism, called the 'Old' Imperialism, lasted from around 1500 - 1800. The 'New' Imperialism lasted from around 1870 - 1914. The three main differences that we will discuss today are the differences in economics, politics, and the motive behind all of this.
Imperialism in India British imperialism in India had many positive and negative effects on both the mother country, Britain and the colony, India. Many people would argue which effects were more prominent in these countries, and some would agree that they were equal. But in both cases, there were actually both. In India, the British colonization had more positive effects than negative. For instance, when the British colonized India they built 40,000 miles of railroad and 70,000 miles of paved roadway.
By the year 1857 the British had established complete political control of India. As Western education was introduced and missionaries eroded Hindu society resentment among Indian people grew and it was joined by unease among the old governing class when the British decided to formally abolish the Mughal Empire.
"All the leadership had spent their early years in England. They were influenced by British thought, British ideas, that is why our leaders were always telling the British "How can you do these things? They're against your own basic values.". We had no hatred, in fact it was the other way round - it was their values that made us revolt." -Aruna Asaf Ali, a leader of the Indian National Congress. (Masani, quoted in Wood, 32, 1989)
1 Moore, Robin J., "Imperial India, 1858-1914", in Porter, Andrew, Oxford History of the British Empire: The Nineteenth Century, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2001a, p.422-446,
There is a distinct difference between popular Indian nationalism, that is the nation believing in a state independent of Britain, and Indian nationalist movements, for example the Muslim League or the Hindu revivalist movement. These movements fought for independence but were far more religiously orientated and were fighting in their own interests. Although Indian nationalism initially found expression in the Mutiny of 1857, its deve...
Despite numerous conflicts with the British and with the Muslims, India fought for its rights by doing what they felt was right. India under the British rule had some benefits as the new school system and outlawing sati but they did manage to trouble the Indians with taxation and other laws. Gandhi who was an outstanding, important figure in India’s way for independence who taught to fight with nonviolence.