Transcript British in India - Walker World History

British in India
24.4
Gaining Control
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British East India Trading Company
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Gained trading rights in the 1600s from the Mughal Empire
Mid 1800s controlled 3/5 of India
How?
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Exploit diversity  Encourage competition and disunity
Westernize
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Built roads
Education
Legal procedures
Encouraged Christianity
End of slavery and caste system
Banned sati
Rebellion
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1850s East India Company made several mistakes
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Sepoys
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Required soldiers to serve anywhere, even overseas. For high-caste
Hindu’s this was an offense against their religion
EIC passed a law that allowed Hindu women to remarry
New cartridges for weapons violated religious traditions
Sepoy Rebellion
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1857 soldiers rebelled against British officers which sparked a
massacre of British troops, women, and children
British crushed the revolt and took revenge
Left a legacy of hatred, fear, and mistrust
British Control
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1858 India was put under the direct control of the British
government
 Sent more troops to India
 Taxed Indians to pay the costs
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British Raj
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Viceroy – governed in the name of the Queen
British officials believed they were helping India to modernize
Conflicting Views
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Some Indians appreciated British technology and urged
others to follow westernization
Others believed firmly that westernization was a threat
to their own culture
Some British acquired respect for Indian culture
Most British knew little about Indian culture and
dismissed it as uncivilized