AIM WAS EUROPEAN IMPERIALISM IN INDIA A BLESSING

AIM: WAS EUROPEAN IMPERIALISM IN INDIA A “BLESSING OR A CURSE”?

What does this cartoon convey about life in India under British rule? What type of methodologies could Indians have utilized to fight British Imperialism?

I. THE SEPOY REBELLION a. 1857: a large number of Sepoys, rebelled against British officers.

b. Sepoys rebelled because their bullet cartridges were greased with pork and beef fat which violated their religious beliefs.

c. Underlying Cause: Indian discontent of being mistreated as second-class citizens in their own homeland the British taking India’s cultural identity and all of it’s wealth.

WHY WOULD THE BRITISH UTILIZE THE CONCEPT OF RELIGION AS A POLITICAL MECHANISM IN THEIR IMPERIALIST ENDEAVORS?

“It is this consciousness of the inherent superiority of the European which has won for us India. However well educated and clever a native may be, and however brave he may prove himself, I believe that no rank we can bestow on him will cause him to be considered an equal of the British officer” - Lord Kitchener How did Lord Kitchener view the Indian people?

II. EFFECTS-TURNING POINTS 1. 1858 - British Government obtained direct control of India, (era identified as “The Raj” 1757 -1947). 2. Indian Nationalism emerged with Nationalist groups such as the Indian National Congress (1885) and The Muslim League (1906) that promoted independence in the early 20 th CT.