Timeline

Map of India

British imperialism in India extended over a long time period, and the following is a timeline of events that occurred before, during and after the British Raj (Reign) in India. The British and Indians contact began in the 1600's and ended, finally, in 1947. The British East India Company that was established in India was basically made up of a British army in India, therefore, the reason they had so much control over India for so long. The British began trading with India in about the 1600's, but did not begin to actually take over large parts of land until 1757.

Battle of Plassey

 1757: The Battle of Plassey (Palashi): This battle had 3000 British East India company soldiers against a 5000 men strong army of the young Nawab, of Bengal, Siraj ud Daulah, and the allies from the French East India Company. However, on the day of battle, which was June23rd, 1957, heavy rains spoiled Nawab's cannon powder, while the British had cleverly covered theirs, therefore they won. The British also managed to take around 5 million dollars from the Bengali treasure, which funded continued expansion.

East India Trading Company Logo

1770: The East Indian Company and India: The British East India company heavily taxed Bengali farmers and common workers in India, and other policies too had made them very poor indeed. While the British became wealthy and healthy, the Indigenous people of Bengal were starved. This was not favourable in the eyes of the Indian, but the British believed it to be a great step toward really expanding and improving upon their empire. Many described the British Empire in India to be "the jewel in the British crown."

1857: The Indians Rebel: By 1857, the British Empire in India had expanded substantially. The Indians, unfortunately for the British, were sick of paying the ridiculous taxes and such, so they attempted rebellion. "Many Indians were distressed by the rapid 

Indians Fight Back

culture changes imposed by the British. They were worried that Hindu and Muslim India would be 'Christianized.'" (Szczepanski, 2012). Finally, on May 10th of 1857, the revolt started when a large handful determined Bengali soldiers made their way to New Delhi to pledge their allegiance to the Mughal Emperor and not the East India Trading Company. The rebellion took a long time due to both sides moving fairly slowly with their own reactions to the rebellion itself, and the Bengali soldiers finally surrendered their plight on June 20th, 1858. To the Indians, it was a largely unsuccessful rebellion. The British, however, saw this as an opportunity to strengthen their hold on the resources and land in India.

Queen Victoria - New System of Governance

1858: A New System of Governance: After the rebellion that lasted over a year in India, without much success, the East India Company handed their powers to the British monarch who at that time was Queen Victoria. She promised to “better the Indian subjects”(Szczepanski, 2012), but that could mean anything from giving them a better quality of life to making them more ‘civilized’ and like the British. According to Szczepanski, the British practiced a military strategy of divide and conquer in India and as a result, the Muslims and the Hindus were pitted against each other. The British rule continued until people began to demand their independence, and although many movements including Gandhi’s were sprung on the British, the army always managed to defeat them…Until 1947, that is.

1947: Independence for India:  Due to World Wars I and II, the British had now become short on finances, and a lot of their war efforts had been supported by the wealth they found in India. During that time, the feud between the Muslims and Hindus grew to a dangerous war and therefore, the Muslims fled north and created what is now known as Pakistan. The majority of Hindus stayed in India, and finally gained their independence once the British realized they were more or less powerless. This was due to their lack of money, and the rising strength of the Indian population. Finally, on August 15^th, 1947, India was declared an independent country, the day after Pakistan was declared a whole separate country.