Topic D- The British RAJ

1 How was the “British Raj” different from indirect rule under the British East India Company?
2 What were some of the effects of British rule in India?
3 What is one more important fact you can pull from the images?
4 What did you learn that you found most surprising/interesting? Record that in your notes


In response to the Sepoy rebellion, Britain made major reforms in the way it controlled and administered India. The East India Company was abolished in favor of the direct rule of India by the British government. A cabinet minister in London directed policy, and a British governor-general in India carried out the government’s orders. To reward the many princes who had remained loyal to Britain, the British promised to respect all treaties the East India Company had made with them. They also promised that the Indian states that were still free would remain independent. Unofficially, however, Britain won greater and greater control of those states.

The British set up restrictions that prevented the Indian economy from operating on its own. British policies called for India to produce raw materials for British manufacturing and to buy British goods. In addition, Indian competition with British goods was prohibited. For example, India’s own handloom textile industry was almost put out of business by imported British textiles. Cheap cloth and ready-made clothes from England flooded the Indian market and drove out local producers.

Indians hated a system that made them second-class citizens in their own country. They were barred from top posts in the Indian Civil Service. Those who managed to get middle-level jobs were paid less than Europeans. A British engineer on the East India Railway, for example, made nearly 20 times as much money as an Indian engineer. Growing discontent with British rule led to the founding of two nationalist groups, the Indian National Congress in 1885 and the Muslim League in 1906. At first, such groups concentrated on specific concerns for Indians. By the early 1900s, however, they were calling for self-government.





pic 1

Looking at this image, you can see the relationships and hierarchy between the British and the Indians. Take note of all the ways the Indians in the image are depicted as serving the needs of the British family. How would this tie to the Indian desire for independence from British rule?

pic 2
The Royal Titles Bill was brought before Parliament in 1876. It faced opposition from Liberals who feared that the title was synonymous with absolutism. In 1877, Benjamin Disraeli, Conservative Prime Minister, had Queen Victoria proclaimed as Empress of India. India was already under crown control after 1858, but this title was a gesture to link the monarchy with the empire further and bind India more closely to Britain.