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British Rule in India and the Response of Indian Society

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British Rule in India and the Response of Indian Society
India is a country that is rich in culture and spiritual beliefs. This all changed when the British landed a company that not only changed the societal business but also the government rule as well as their cultural aspects. This company was named the East India Company. With its gradual expansion, the company managed to build English communities in Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras; the three presidency states of India. Although the East India Company's intentions where to pursue and expand trade with the East Indies, they manage to gain control of India by utilizing military power. The appointed governor-general of this company was Warren Hasting who established the base of British India as a controlled government system. Many Indian's were highly upset and ultimately led to a revolt during the foundation of this new era. After Tipu Sultan of Mysore and the Marathas were defeated, the British found its way to control India by means of indirect rule. The revolt led to the Indian Rebellion of 1857. During the expansion of the company, more and more British army's were added to different states that the British controlled. Both included British populace as well as a recruitment in Indian civilians that were selected from the higher caste. Because of the increase in western influence in the society, many Indians were concerned and upset with the changes that British inflict on India's original cultural values. One insulting western move was the use of pig and cow fat to grease the cartridges that were used by the British army. The cow is a high significance to Hindu's and the pig is a high significance to Muslims. So therefore, this led to a group of Indian rebels to go against the British. This all started when Bengali Muslim troops marched to Delhi and pledged their support to the Mughal emperor. They fought against British army in slow and sneaky way, shocking the British who were unprepared. Even though they have harmed many of the western troops, they ended up


Bibliography: Metcalf, Barbara D. and Metcalf, Thomas R., A Concise History of Modern India, 2nd Edition, Cambridge University Press: 2001, 2006. Stephen Hay, Sources of Indian Tradition, Volume 2, 2nd Edition. Columbia University Press: 1988. Heather Streets, The Rebellion of 1857: Origins, Consequences, and Themes, Teaching South Asia, 2001. Judith Brown, History Today, "GANDHI AND NEHRU: FRUSTRATED VISIONARIES" Vol. 47, Issue 9 (Sept. 1997): 22-27.

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