Patterns of Conquest:  The example of India

Military Contexts,  Political and Territorial Control, Cultural Changes, Economic Incentives,  Lasting Consequences.

This section of the Quebec program also asks students to consider another country's experience and territorial change as a result of conquest.  Gathered here are several web sites that could be used when exploring the parallel society of India. 

Note: Given the time constraints in the Quebec program,  a teacher may want to divide up research tasks and have students focus on only one of the following suggested aspects of Indian history,  then later have them bring that information back to the class or project working group.

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Military strength of British leads to victory

“The first major movement against British rule resulted in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, also known as the "Indian Mutiny" or "Sepoy Mutiny" or the "First War of Independence".  After a year of turmoil, and reinforcement of the East India Company's troops with British soldiers, the British emerged victorious.”

Summary text above was adapted from The British Raj section on Wikipedia here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_India#Colonial_era

History of India.  Section on British Rule
http://www.geocities.com/historymech/rewindia.html#british

Chapter from scanned book called  World History of Warfare

Parts of this article on the Indian Army History
http://indianarmy.nic.in/arhist1.htm#British%20Era

Note:  One student or group member could research military and strategic differences and explain how the British could have overwhelme the Indians who greatly outnumbered them.

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General Information Sites and Links Collections:

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Political and Territorial Control:  The British Raj 1858-1947

“In the aftermath all power was transferred from the East India Company to the British Crown, which began to administer most of India directly. It controlled the rest through local rulers. The last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, was exiled to Burma and his line abolished.”


Note:  One student or group member could investigate a timeline of British conquest of Indian territory, and report back on key aspects of that control:  where, how, when, who.

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Cultural Changes

This section is under construction

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Economics as an incentive for control and expansion

“The British East India Company had been given permission by the Mughal emperor Jahangir in 1617 to trade in India.   Gradually their increasing influence led the de-jure Mughal emperor Farrukh Siyar to grant them dastaks or permits for duty free trade in Bengal in 1717.”  [However!] The Nawab of Bengal Siraj Ud Daulah, the de facto ruler of the Bengal province, opposed British attempts to use these permits. This led to the Battle of Plassey in 1757, in which the East India Company army, led by Robert Clive, defeated the Nawab. This was the first political foothold that the British acquired in India. Clive became the first Governor of Bengal in 1757. [32] After the Battle of Buxar in 1764, the Company acquired the civil rights of administration in Bengal from the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II, beginning its formal rule in India. [33] The East India Company monopolized the trade of Bengal. They introduced a land taxation system called the Permanent Settlement which introduced a feudal like structure (See Zamindar) in Bengal. By the 1850s, the East India Company controlled most of the Indian sub-continent, which included present-day Pakistan and Bangladesh.”

Source and more information at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_East_India_Company

Suggested source for economic info http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=British%20East%20India%20Company

Note:  One student or group member read more about what the British East India Company traded, and make conclusions as to why they were so interested in India, about economic impact of such trade, etc.

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Lasting Consequences and a British Legacy

The fact that the British influenced India is not a question of debate.  However, whether or not the "British Legacy" in India is one to be celebrated is a matter of perspective.   A few articles are provided here to illustrate this point, but they should be read with caution.