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East India Company Rule
Britian owed it s success in India in part to Robert Clive who was an administrator of the East India Company. He appointed local rulers who favored the intrests of the East India Company. The East India Company forced Indian rulers to sign treaties granting it greater power. -
The Sepoy Rebellion
Sepoys, Indian troops in the British army heard that their rifles were being greased with beef or pork fat. In both the religions of Hindu and Muslim some animals are either not eaten and or not killed because they are sacred. Hearing about these rumors made Indians upset and another law was coming into place upset them mor. This law required sepoys to fight for Britian in foreign lands. The battle lasted several months and the British put down the uprising. -
Mohandas Gandhi (Principles and what he fought for)
Gandhi came from a middle class family and went to England to study law. After studing law he moved back to India. Unfortunately, Gandhi was not sucessful in law and moved to south Africa to pracice law. In South Africa he devolped ideas of nonviolent resistence to end injustice. Gandhi was also inspired by an american philosospher named Henry David Thoreau which whom had practiced civil disobedience. Gandhi's ideas appealed to Hindus of all classes. -
Formation of the Indian National Congress
Indians formed a variety of groups to work for change. One of the successful grops was called the Indian National Congress(INC). Most of the congress members were Hindus. The INC began be calling for gradual change but at the same time, it urged the British to open more govrnment jobs for Indians. -
Formation of the Muslim League
As the Hindu nationalsim grew, Muslims became concerned and founded the Muslim League. This league was under the leadership of Muhammad Ali jinnah. Tensions and distrust kept both Hindus and Muslims apart. -
Salt March
In this March Gandhi used a practice known as satyagraha which is a nonviolent resistence to protest the tax on salt. Indians were forbidden to make salt and the British goods were too expensive for Indians to buy. Ghandi and his followers went to the coast and broke the law by making salt from the sea water. The British responded to this by arresting everyone involved in the Salt March. -
Quit India campaign
The INC refused to support the war unless Britian promised immediate independence. When the British refused, the congress organized a "Quit India" movement. They told Indians to follow a policy of non-cooperation with British officals, The British responded to this movement by arresting 20,000 Congress members. -
Hindu-Muslim Conflict
Divisions grew between the Muslim league and the Hindu Congress. Muslims demanded a seperate Muslim nation. Differences in their religions had led to clashes between the two groups. The Muslims feared that their rights would not be repected in a country dominated by Hindus. Ghandi disagreed and wanted the two groups to work together. -
Indian Independence Act
Hindus and Muslims broke out into a riot and the British knew that if there was nothing done about the fighting there would be a civil war. The British passed a parliment called the Indian Independence Act. This act ended British rule in India.This also led to the making of a partition to divide the nation of India into two sperate independent nations. -
Gandhi Assassinated
A Hindu extremist shot Gandhi because he thought that Gandhi had betrayed the Hindu people.
