[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
possession of Mughal Emperor Babur but was plundered by Nadir
Shah of Persia and taken to Afghanistan from where Ranjit Singh
brought it to the Punjab. It is now on display at the Tower
of London.
HISTORY
61
THE BRITISH RAJ
Sepoy Mutiny of 1857
The Indian mutiny of 1857, also known as the Sepoy Mutiny, was a
significant milestone in the history of British rule in India. It brought
an end to the corrupt and excessive practices of the British East India
Company and marked the beginning of the direct rule of the British
crown, referred to as the British Raj. The mutiny was triggered by pent-up
resentment against the governance of the British East India Company. The
common man was tired of the harsh land policies of Governor General
Lord Dalhousie and his successor, Lord Canning, the steady expansion of
the company holdings and the growing westernisation that threatened
Indian culture.
The first spark occurred in the Bengal Army. Indian soldiers had a
multitude of grievances, chief among them dissatisfaction with the denial
of foreign service allowances and postings to Burma and other places
outside India. The final trigger was the new rifle given to soldiers, which
had a cardboard cartridge. Soldiers were required to bite off the end of
the cartridge to load the rifle. When rumours began to spread that the
waterproofing grease of the cartridge was made of beef or pork fat, making
it religiously impure for both Hindus and Muslims, the soldiers refused
to use the rifles. The British authorities allowed them to make their own
waterproofing, but the rebellious mood persisted.
On 10 May 1857, 85 soldiers at the army camp in Meerut were
imprisoned for refusing to use the new rifles. This angered the other soldiers
who shot the British officers, took over the camp and marched to Delhi,
where they proclaimed Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah II as their leader. The
mutineers were joined by other soldiers and Mughal nobles as the uprising
spread to Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, growing into
a large-scale rebellion against British rule.
The Crown Takes Charge
The Sepoy Mutiny was confined to the northern part of the country where
there was more dissatisfaction compared to Calcutta, Madras and Bombay,
62
which had enjoyed a greater measure of prosperity under company rule. By
the end of 1858, the rebellion was finally contained, the mutineers defeated
and control wrested back by the British. Bahadur Shah II was exiled to
Burma for supporting the mutineers and the Mughal Empire officially came
to an end.
As a direct fallout of the mutiny, the British government dissolved the
British company in India and assumed control of Indian affairs. It appointed
a secretary of state for India who was chosen by the British prime minister
and answerable to the British Parliament. His representative in India was
the governor general who was given the title of viceroy. Queen Victoria
was proclaimed Empress of India in 1876. The seat of power of the British
Raj, as it was during the days of company rule, remained at Calcutta until
1911 when it was shifted to Delhi.
Society and Economy under British Rule
The British executed thousands of suspected rebels after quelling the mutiny,
before turning its attention to the business of governing India. One of their
immediate tasks was to woo back the educated and elite classes and the
princely states. The princes received land and titles and guarantees that their
states would not be annexed by the British. Rural leaders received judicial
powers while members of the elite were made magistrates and knights in
the cities.
To enhance internal security, the Indian Army began recruiting soldiers
from communities such as the Sikhs and Punjabi Muslims who had helped
them in their fight against the mutineers. Nonetheless, the British soldiers
retained exclusive charge of the artillery, and their numbers were increased
in India.
The British developed cantonments as secure, self-contained residential
townships for their officials and their families. These communities had
markets, churches, hospitals and houses for comfortable living. During the
hot summer months, the British moved to the cooler hill stations such as
Simla and Nainital, where they developed residential colonies. They indulged
in sports, parties and picnics with the help of cheap domestic labour. The
British influence produced a new breed of Indians, who were Indian in
HISTORY
63
appearance but English in taste, mannerisms and the way they spoke. They
were informally referred to as Brown Sahibs .
The Indian economy, primarily dependent on agriculture, grew steadily
during British rule. Over 70 per cent of the population worked in agriculture
and reaped profits from the exports of raw cotton, jute, tea and grain. India
supplied 20 per cent of Britain s wheat requirement and 59 per cent of its
tea.Tea was grown mainly on British-owned plantations. By the 1890s, power
looms were being installed in textile factories in Bombay and this became
an important manufacturing industry in the country.
The growth of the economy was enhanced by the development of the
railways, telegraph and cheap postal service. However, while landowners and
businessmen grew affluent, the poorer classes received few benefits under the
British and made little progress. Education reforms, which gained momentum
by the 1920s, helped improve literacy in English and the Indian languages.
REFORM MOVEMENTS
The British had a major influence in the genesis of the reform movements
in India. Knowledge of English and exposure to Western culture encouraged
Indian intellectuals to form their own associations to reform society and [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl wyciskamy.pev.pl
possession of Mughal Emperor Babur but was plundered by Nadir
Shah of Persia and taken to Afghanistan from where Ranjit Singh
brought it to the Punjab. It is now on display at the Tower
of London.
HISTORY
61
THE BRITISH RAJ
Sepoy Mutiny of 1857
The Indian mutiny of 1857, also known as the Sepoy Mutiny, was a
significant milestone in the history of British rule in India. It brought
an end to the corrupt and excessive practices of the British East India
Company and marked the beginning of the direct rule of the British
crown, referred to as the British Raj. The mutiny was triggered by pent-up
resentment against the governance of the British East India Company. The
common man was tired of the harsh land policies of Governor General
Lord Dalhousie and his successor, Lord Canning, the steady expansion of
the company holdings and the growing westernisation that threatened
Indian culture.
The first spark occurred in the Bengal Army. Indian soldiers had a
multitude of grievances, chief among them dissatisfaction with the denial
of foreign service allowances and postings to Burma and other places
outside India. The final trigger was the new rifle given to soldiers, which
had a cardboard cartridge. Soldiers were required to bite off the end of
the cartridge to load the rifle. When rumours began to spread that the
waterproofing grease of the cartridge was made of beef or pork fat, making
it religiously impure for both Hindus and Muslims, the soldiers refused
to use the rifles. The British authorities allowed them to make their own
waterproofing, but the rebellious mood persisted.
On 10 May 1857, 85 soldiers at the army camp in Meerut were
imprisoned for refusing to use the new rifles. This angered the other soldiers
who shot the British officers, took over the camp and marched to Delhi,
where they proclaimed Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah II as their leader. The
mutineers were joined by other soldiers and Mughal nobles as the uprising
spread to Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, growing into
a large-scale rebellion against British rule.
The Crown Takes Charge
The Sepoy Mutiny was confined to the northern part of the country where
there was more dissatisfaction compared to Calcutta, Madras and Bombay,
62
which had enjoyed a greater measure of prosperity under company rule. By
the end of 1858, the rebellion was finally contained, the mutineers defeated
and control wrested back by the British. Bahadur Shah II was exiled to
Burma for supporting the mutineers and the Mughal Empire officially came
to an end.
As a direct fallout of the mutiny, the British government dissolved the
British company in India and assumed control of Indian affairs. It appointed
a secretary of state for India who was chosen by the British prime minister
and answerable to the British Parliament. His representative in India was
the governor general who was given the title of viceroy. Queen Victoria
was proclaimed Empress of India in 1876. The seat of power of the British
Raj, as it was during the days of company rule, remained at Calcutta until
1911 when it was shifted to Delhi.
Society and Economy under British Rule
The British executed thousands of suspected rebels after quelling the mutiny,
before turning its attention to the business of governing India. One of their
immediate tasks was to woo back the educated and elite classes and the
princely states. The princes received land and titles and guarantees that their
states would not be annexed by the British. Rural leaders received judicial
powers while members of the elite were made magistrates and knights in
the cities.
To enhance internal security, the Indian Army began recruiting soldiers
from communities such as the Sikhs and Punjabi Muslims who had helped
them in their fight against the mutineers. Nonetheless, the British soldiers
retained exclusive charge of the artillery, and their numbers were increased
in India.
The British developed cantonments as secure, self-contained residential
townships for their officials and their families. These communities had
markets, churches, hospitals and houses for comfortable living. During the
hot summer months, the British moved to the cooler hill stations such as
Simla and Nainital, where they developed residential colonies. They indulged
in sports, parties and picnics with the help of cheap domestic labour. The
British influence produced a new breed of Indians, who were Indian in
HISTORY
63
appearance but English in taste, mannerisms and the way they spoke. They
were informally referred to as Brown Sahibs .
The Indian economy, primarily dependent on agriculture, grew steadily
during British rule. Over 70 per cent of the population worked in agriculture
and reaped profits from the exports of raw cotton, jute, tea and grain. India
supplied 20 per cent of Britain s wheat requirement and 59 per cent of its
tea.Tea was grown mainly on British-owned plantations. By the 1890s, power
looms were being installed in textile factories in Bombay and this became
an important manufacturing industry in the country.
The growth of the economy was enhanced by the development of the
railways, telegraph and cheap postal service. However, while landowners and
businessmen grew affluent, the poorer classes received few benefits under the
British and made little progress. Education reforms, which gained momentum
by the 1920s, helped improve literacy in English and the Indian languages.
REFORM MOVEMENTS
The British had a major influence in the genesis of the reform movements
in India. Knowledge of English and exposure to Western culture encouraged
Indian intellectuals to form their own associations to reform society and [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]