British Imperialism in India

By: Cole and Alessandra

Motives for British Imperialism in India

The four motives for British imperialism in India were racism, nationalism, economic competition, and missionary impulse.

How each motive was used

Nationalism had been used against India to justify the colonization of India. Economic Competition had been used in India because India had been a thriving nation and was considered The Jewel in the Crown. Missionary Impulse had been used against the Indians because they wanted to christianize the population. Racism had been used because Britian felt that they were superior to other nations.

Image of Sepoy Mutiny

This image is showing the Sepoy Mutiny in India. The Sepoy Mutiny had been a rebellion of the Indians from when the British had given the Indian-British soldiers, known as sepoys, the enfield rifle whose cartridges they had to bite to use. These cartridges were rumored to have been lined with pork and cow fat by the British. When the sepoys refused to use the rifle, Britain jailed all of the rebels, known as the Sepoy Rebellion. Britain didnt care for the sepoys religious values. It was against these soldiers religion to eat pork and cow. This is an exemplary of racism.

This image is a tutorial of how to use the Enfield rifle. In step 1, a soldier must bite the paper casing. The Sepoys had thought the casing was lined with cow and pig fat, which is against the Hindu and Muslim beliefs.

British control of India

The British kept control of India in two ways. When India was first colonized by the British, it was controlled indirectly. This lasted until the Sepoy Mutiny. After the Sepoy Mutiny, in 1858, the British government had taken direct command of India. The area where British took direct control is referred to as the the British Raj.

Indian Nationalist movements

Rowlett Act Amritsar Massacre Salts Acts Government of India Act

Rowlett Act
One of the Nationalist movements that the Indians had was the Rowlett Act. This act took place in 1919 and allowed the Indian government to jail protesters without trial for as long as two years.

Amritsar Massacre
The Amritsar Massacre had been a protest against the Rowlett Act. People didnt approve of the jailing methods that had been created.

Salt Acts
The independence movement, also known as the Salt Acts was led by Mohandas K. Gandhi. Gandhi had used civil disobedience while conducting this movement. This civil disobedience method, what Gandhi had called, satyagraha (truth-force), is a refusal to obey an unjust law. This method is a rebellion without the element of violence. This had been used to weaken the British government authority, as well as economic power. The Salt Acts had been a movement in which the Indians could buy salt from no other source but the government. On top of only purchasing salt from the government, the Indians had to also pay sales taxes on the salt. Infuriated Gandhi had taken himself, as well as many other followers, and walked 240 miles to the seacoast where they began to produce their own salt. This had been called the Salt March.

Gandhi
Gandhi was an Indian nationalist who devised and used a method known as Civil Disobedience to resist British rule.

Government of India Act

The Government of India Act had been an act that was passed by British parliament. This happened because of gained political power for Indian people. This act had provided local self-government and limited democratic elections.

Impact of colonization in India

When India was colonized, they changed vastly in all elements of life. India had been considered, The Jewel in the Crown. They were considered to be Britain's most precious, and most valuable piece of land. Because of this, India became a new market for the British. They made it so that the Indian people could only buy British goods and could only sell raw materials to Britain.

How India gained independence from Britain

Many of Indias movements had contributed to how India gained independence from Britain. With the help of Gandhi, in 1935 British parliament passed the Government of India Act, which allowed for more self rule and limited democratic elections. Because of this act, India had moved toward full Independence from Great Britain.