Chapter 8, Section 4

INDIA UNDER BRITISH RULE

The first European explorers to gain a foothold in India were the Portuguese.

The Dutch, French, and British soon followed.Initially the Mughal rulers kept tight control on

European activities. However, Mughal power declined over time and the British

looked to become conquerors instead of just traders.

EUROPEAN EXPLORERS

Since the Portuguese were the first to arrive in India they set up a trade monopoly on Indian markets. When other European

nations arrived in India they broke the Portuguese monopoly.

Missionaries also traveled with the Portuguese and converted many Indians to Christianity.

MUGHAL EMPERORS AND EUROPEAN TRADERS

In 1600, England set up the British East India Company. The East India Company

won rights from the Mughal rulers to set up trading posts and forts at Madras (Chennai), Bombay (Mumbai), and Calcutta (Kolkata).

The English traded gold and silver for Indian goods such as cotton, silk, and tea.

EARLY TRADE

The decline of the Mughal emperors caused a power vacuum to form in India. British and French forces fought for

control of major trading centers. By the 1760s, British forces had

ousted the French.With its main European

competition now gone, the British East India Company began establishing immense economic and political power in India. Major-General Robert Clive helped

to establish this dominance.

A STRUGGLE FOR POWER

Internally, the East India Company was able to gain more power in India through the exploitation of traditional rivalries between Indian rulers.

The East India Company forced Indian rulers to sign unfair treaties and won the right to collect taxes.

EAST INDIA COMPANY RULE

The British government took steps to check the growing power of the East India Company.

By the 1850s, Indians had many grievances against British rule. The British outlawed some traditional Hindu practices. High taxes angered farmers. Both Hindus and Muslims resented the efforts of

missionaries to convert them to Christianity.

For many Indians, foreigners were a threat to their whole way of life.

BRITISH RULE

Sepoys were Indian troops who served in the British army. In the 1850s, sepoys heard

rumors that the cartridges for their new rifles were greased with beef or pork fat.

Another law required sepoys to fight for Britain in foreign lands.

The Sepoy Rebellion broke out in 1857 near Delhi and quickly spread across northern India. During several months of fighting,

both sides committed savage acts.

In the end, the British brutally put down the uprising.

THE SEPOY REBELLION

THE SEPOY REBELLION

The Sepoy Rebellion led to a number of political changes in India: In 1858, the British

government took over India as a colony. Now formally known as the

British Raj. They sent the last Mughal

ruler into exile and named Queen Victoria of Britain the Empress of India.

The British used a system of direct and indirect rule to govern the nation.

A BRITISH COLONY

BRITISH INDIA, 1909