India

Question 1

Why did India appeal to European traders?

Answer 1

India is rich in natural resources- iron ore, silk, copper, gold, silver, gemstone, tea and timber and

Spices which were very valuable at the time

Question 2

What is the East India Company?

Answer 2

A company that
- ran British trading stations
- These ships brought goods to trade with other countries bringing mass income to the businessmen in charge of the company

Question 3

How was India split before European control?

Answer 3

Before the 1500s India was divided into lots of kingdoms
- Most ran by Hindu princes

Question 4

How did the Europeans invade India?

Answer 4

Companies (Dutch, French British) helped certain Hindu princes (weapons & soldiers) they could affect the outcome of the war.

-Beating their enemies
- Demanding rewards from the Princes
-land or goods (Loot)

Question 5

Did Britain trade with India ?

Answer 5

Yes, In the early years
- The East India Company set up trading post in Surat (1612) & Bombay (1668)

Question 6

How did Britain use India to increase the power of their military?

Answer 6

• The British created a system to train and pay local people to become soldiers and fight for them.
• Indian soldiers would play a significant role in both world wars

Question 7

Who took over India in the 1500s and what did they do ?

Answer 7

• The Mughals ( who were Muslim)
• The Great Mughal Emperor Akbar united many of the Indian states and ruled over all the Hindu princes

Question 8

Who was Aurangzeb and what did he do to lose control of India

Answer 8

• Akbar’s great grandson

-He was a fanatical Muslim who persecuted followers of India’s other religions

• Caused wars to break out ( 1658-1707)

-Mughal’s began to lose control of India in the late 1600s to early 1700s

Question 9

How did the EIC expand?

Answer 9

• Had its own private army and navy. ( took over more land)
• EIC took over Bengal in the Battle of Plassey in 1757. Lead by Robert Clive
• He defeated a Indian army of 40,000, led by prince Siraj-ud Daula ( helped by french)

Question 10

Why was taking control of the Bengal important to the EIC?

Answer 10

• Bengal was one of the richest parts of India.

Question 11

Why was the EIC losing money and what did the British government do to stop this?

Answer 11

• Decline in trade with America

-1773 the Government of India Act was created

-It stated that both the Government and the East India Company controlled the territory in India jointly.

Question 12

When did India become more important to the empire?

Answer 12

• In the late 1700s when Britain lost valuable American colonies

Question 13

In what years did Britain have control of much of India?

Answer 13

Mid- 1850s

Question 14

How did the British see colonisation of India versus the Indian’s.

Answer 14

British
- According to Queen Victoria, the aim of the British Empire was to ‘protect the poor natives and advance civilisation’

• British felt like they were superior to the indigenous people who lived in the colonies, who were a different colour and worshipped in a different way.
• Claimed they were improving the country : building railways, roads, schools and hospitals, rather than exploiting it.

Indian’s

• Sepoys ( army) were very unhappy.

-Felt like they were treated poorly and that they were the first to be sent to dangerous places.

• Some felt like Christianity was forced upon them
• Anger boiled in 1857 when new rifles with new bullets and cartridges which held the were delivered to troops.

Question 15

What sparked the Indian Rebellion (1857)

Answer 15

• To use the new gun the top of the cartridge needed to be bitten off
• However this caused problems for the Hindu and Muslim Sepoys as the new cartridges were covered in grease to make them slide ( eating pork/beef goes against their religions )