The Origins and Rise of Nationalists and Independence Movements in the Indian subcontinent1857-1947

Objective: Demonstrate an understanding of how

India became a British Colony and the origin of the Indian Independence Movement.

Please number your paper 1-8

How do these images relate to the topic?1

2

3.

4. Sir Thomas Macaulay (1800-1859)

5.

SEPOY

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7.

8. The song you are hearing…

Starter continued What do you know about the Indian

Independence movement?

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Gandhi “As I delved deeper into the philosophy of

Gandhi, my skepticism concerning the power of love gradually diminished, and I came to see for the first time that the Christian doctrine of love, operating through the Gandhian method of nonviolence, is one of the most potent weapons available to an oppressed people in their struggle for freedom."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Overview During the 19th century most of Africa

and much of Asia were colonized by the European powers.

South Asia became the British colony of “India” which incorporated what is now Pakistan, Bangladesh and parts of Burma (Myanmar)

What other European Powers controlled India? Portuguese, Dutch, French and British. The Portuguese controlled Goa until

December 19, 1961 The Dutch lost interest and dissolved the

Dutch East Indian Trading company in 1799. The French maintained their control in

Pondicherry until 16th August 1962. India officially became independent from the

British on August 15th 1947.

India before the BritishIndia has been home to many waves of invasions and rulers who have endowed it with a plethora of cultural and religious traditions. For the majority of India’s history it has been ruled by Hindu princes; prior to British rule it was controlled by the Mughal Empire (1526-1858), which was Islamic.

India in general It is estimated that there are 850

languages used daily in India. 21 are officially recognized

Can you name 4? Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil,

Urdu, Guajarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Maithi, Nepali, Dorgi, Konkani, Tulu and Bodo are only a small portion which have over a million speakers.

What religions originated in India? Hinduism (3rd most populated Religion) Buddhism (4th most populated religion) Sikhism (5th most populated religion) Jainism

How many religions are practiced in India? There are sizable communities of nearly

every religion on earth found in India Why is religion and culture significant

when discussing Indian Independence? The British used a “divide and rule”

strategy within India, to create contrary forces within Indian population to prevent a “National movement.”

British rule in India Britain became interested in India when the

English East India Company (EIC) set up trading posts along the coast in the early 17th century. This gradually increased in dominance until the “Indian Uprising” of 1857-58. (1st war for Indian Independence)

The Mughal empire ruled until1858. At this time there was an uprising against the East Indian Company who had considerable power, The British military stepped in. This marked the start of British rule in India.

British Control

British control at time of “Indian Uprising”

British India

Britain in India At the start of their rule, they recognized

through treaty, ‘500 Princely states’ who maintained their autonomy.

These slowly lost authority. India was ruled by a Viceroy and an

administration of 5000 officials sent from London.

300,000,000 Indians were controlled by an army of 300,000 of which 100,000 were British.

Taxes The British took over the Mughal

taxation system and used taxes to finance capital investments (railways), purchase EIC shares, and provide funds for internal investments.

Britain was concerned with uprisings so they stressed differences between communities, playing on caste and religious differences.

“Benefits” It is often argued that India benefited from

British rule because of the rail system, judicial system and efficient administration.

However, by 1914 Britain benefited from a trade imbalance with India. Britain would ship raw materials to the UK, which were then manufactured and brought back to India which was forced into Indian Markets. Indians could have made the clothes cheaper than the British were forcing them to pay.

“Benefits continued” India also served Britain’s interests

elsewhere. Indian soldiers were used to uphold their empires elsewhere. (WWI 1.5 million Indian soldiers)

They also used indentured servants from India to work in other British colonies in Africa and Asia.

This created the larger “Diaspora”-scattering of people around the globe.

The Indian Diaspora Indians were taken to Mauritius, Malaysia, Fiji, Suriname,

Guyana, Trinidad, South Africa, Kenya and other colonies as indentured servants who built the roads, cultivated the land in order to maintain the British empire.

Although, India has independence, indentured servitude of Indians/Nepalese, Sri Lankans continues in the middle east. (Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman) use Indians to build their countries.

Mauritius and the Indian diaspora Images, culture and practices and

understanding “Indian” today. Beliefs of the colonial system ingrained

in indentured servants.

WWI and Indian soldiers Using the readings identify the

following:1. The role Indians played in the Great

war. 2. The impact the war had on the

soldiers.Activity:“Do you think WWI was the motivation Indians needed to begin working for independence?”