British Colonialism in Greater

India
 British Imperialism
• The british empire comprised of the colonies
and territories all over the world that was
ruled or administered by the UK.

• At its height, British empire was the largest

empire in the world both in terms of land
territory, wealth and power.
 British Empire
• The empire was so vast, it was known as “the
empire on which the sun never set”.
Q)How did British Empire come to be in India?
i) Military Conquest
ii) Diplomacy
iii) Trade
 Origin of the British Trade in India
• During the 15th and 16th century (Age of discovery), Spain and
Portugal pioneered European exploration of the globe and in the
process established large overseas empire.

• Other powerful countries of the time, England, France and

Netherlands became envious of them and also started
establishing colonies and trade posts in the Americas and Asia.

• United Kingdom was in frequent conflict with these other

countries and navy battles often occurred. In 1588, England
defeated the Spanish Armada and occupied many ships that
granted it the opportunity to launch its own global expeditions.
 Origin of the British Trade in India
• The focus on india first came not from the UK government but
rather by a group of “Adventurer Merchants”.

• This group of merchants realized the business potentiality of the

greater India because of the various exotic goods that originated in
this region.

• The merchants raised money (₤68373) and sought the official

approval from Queen Elizabeth 1. After multiple attempts, they
persuaded the queen that formal expeditions in Indian
subcontinent was needed to (i) reduce French and Dutch monopoly
in that region (ii) procure various exotic goods and raw materials
 Raw Materials Taken from India
• Tea • Indigo (dye for clothing)
 Raw Materials Taken from India
• Coffee • Cotton
 Raw Materials Taken from India
• Jute (fiber for making rope) • Opium (plant that heroin is
made from)
 The Spice Trade
• Pepper, cinnamon, rice, tea, cotton, indigo etc. all
were in great demand in Europe
• Very expensive due to taxes and tariffs by Italians and
Turks
• India was a potential market where these spices
could be obtained at a cheaper cost
 Origin of British Trade in India
• Persuaded by the merchants, Queen Elizabeth
provided a royal charter to the merchants and
thus an organization was formed on 31
December, 1600.

• The organization finally evolved into – East

india Company (EIC) also known as “HEIC”,
“BEIC”, “John Company”, “Company Bahadur”
 Foothold in India- Beginning
• The company set its first voyage in Asia and built factories in Java. In 1608, the first
factory was built in South India.

• English trades frequently fought with the Dutch and French traders. In 1612, the
company achieved a major victory over the Portuguese in the Battle of Swally in
1612 fought in Surat (city of Gujrat).

• This impressed the Mughal Empreror Jahangir. Seeing the opportunity, The company,
upon instruction from King james, achieved Emperor jahangir with a proposal.

• They asked for exclusive commercial rights to set up factories and trade routes in the
region and in return offered to provide valuable goods and rarities from the
European market to the emperor. The emperor agreed.
• The company started off by building a factory in Surat (1612), Madras (1639),
Bombay (1690).
 Foothold in India- Expansion
• The company, benefitting from the imperial patronage and support of mughal Emperor,
expanded its operations in India.

• It soon eclipsed portugese traders and Portugal finally ceded three of its major bases in Goa,
Chittagong and Bombay to England as part of a dowry for the royal marriage between
Portugese princess Caterine of Braganza with English King Charles II.

• The Mughal emperor extended his hospitality allowed the company to trade in Bengal in
1634 and in 1717 completely waived customs duties for their trade. However, relationship
between Mughals and the company soured for a while in between this time

• EIC set up factories all over India in Calcutta, Madras, Bombay etc. It also fought four wars
with the Dutch (Anglo-Dutch) war and severely weakened dutch operations.

• Through these activities, it expanded and solidified its operations in india.

 • So, EIC entered India to trade. But did they have any
intentions to occupy/rule this region from the very
beginning?

• Historians have differing viewpoints with regards to this question. Some claim
that England did not have any initial ambitions to rule India and did so only when
they saw that such an opportunity occurred when the mughal power was
waning. Another group of historians argue that the british always had ulterior
motives and this was apparent from the location of their trade posts and the
level of fortifications they did to their trade posts (Bombay Castle).
 Momentary conflict between Mughal
Emperor and EIC
• In 1689, Mughal fleet led by Sidi Yaqub attacked the Bombay Castle held by the British due to
dispute in Bengal (attempt by EIC to takeover Chittagong port by force). EIC surrendred to Yaqub,
pleaded allegiance to Mughal Emperor, paid reparations. Aurangazeb allowed them to continue
operations.

• In 1695, An English Pirate- Captain Henry Every teamed up with other pirates to attack a Mughal
convoy returning from annual pilgrimage of Mecca.

• The mughal convoy included many riches and wealth and all of this was stolen by the pirates.
Other atrocious crimes were also committed on board the mughal fleets by the pirates.

• Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb became furious after hearing this news and ordered Sidi Yaqub and
Nawab Daud Khan to attach British Factories in India, arrest all British officers and shut down.

• Once Again, EIC agreed to pay all reparations to the Mughal Emperor and declared the world’s first
manhunt for the pirate through a bounty of 500 pounds. However, deep down the
company realized that it needed to strengthen its private army.
 • When did EIC proactively started pursuing
their imperial/political ambitions?

This started to happen as the Mughal empire

started to lose its strength due to internal
conflicts, war of successions and rebellions.
 Weakening of Mughal Empire- Political
opportunity for EIC
• Overtime, the glorious Mughal Empire started to lose its power
due to internal conflicts, rebellions, dispute regarding succession
etc.

• The empire started to disintegrate and many small states declared

autonomy and started ruling by themselves.

• The disintegration started to happen with the death of

Aurangazeb in 1707. Immediately afterwards, a war of succession
broke among his three sons with the eldest son Bahadur Shah
taking over the throne. However, Bahadur Shah was a weak ruler
who allowed the nobles to become extremely powerful.
 Weakening of Mughal Empire- Political
opportunity for EIC
• After Bahadur Shah’s death, once again war of succession brewed
and the nobles started conspiring with different nobles supporting
different candidates of the throne.
• In a period of 7 years, 2 new emperors ascended and descended
the throne. Moreover, in this time the Marathis, Sikhs, Jaths,
Rajputs started growing powerful and disdainful towards the
Mughal Empire.
• In 1719, the 18 year old Grandson of bahadur Shah, Mohammad
Shah ascended the throne. He ruled for 28 years but was weak and
busy with internal conflicts. In his time, some states like Bengal,
Hyderabad, Awads, Mysore etc. started acting autonomously by
offering nominal loyalty to the Mughal Emperor.
 Weakening of Mughal Empire- Political
opportunity for EIC
• Basically, the Mughal appointed governor Murshid Quli khan became
practically independent. He and his successors Shuja- Ud –Doula and Alivardi
Khan plead allegiance to mughal emperor and paid tributes but ran the state
according to their own will with little interference from the Mughal.

• Seeing the lessening power of Mughal Empire, the persian ruler Nadir Shah
attacked India in 1739. He easily defeated Mohammad Shah who
surrendered. Both of them entered Delhi together.

• However, a riot (based on assassination rumor) broke out resulting the death
of 3000 soldiers of Nadir Shah. Infuriated, Nadir Shah ordered the “Qatl-e-
aam” which resulted in the killing of 20000-30000 unarmed Mughal civilians
in a few hours. Nadir Shah plundered Delhi riches and took the “peacock
throne” and Kohinoor diamonds.
 Weakening of Mughal Empire- Political
opportunity for EIC
• Ultimately, Nadir shah had to focus elsewhere as he was also battling the
Ottomans in another frontier as well as trying to occupy Central Asia.

• Thus, Nader Shah didn’t want to establish political domain in India and made
Mohammad Shah the emperor again but only after
– conquering some territory,
– taking Mohammad Shah’s daughter as the bride for Nader shah’s youngest son
– Establishing Qamaruddin Khan as the gradn Vizier of Mohammad Shah

• The invasion of Nader Shah left the Mughal empire in disarray. The treasury
was almost zero, the nobles were corrupt, the various states started to act
autonomously and Hindu states like rajputs, Marathis became powerful.
Mohammad Shah died in 1948 after falling sick in grief from the death of
Qamaruddin Khan in the battle of mounpur. Successor of mohammad Shah
were also weak.
 Weakening of Mughal Empire- Political
opportunity for EIC
• All this political chaos, disintegration provided a great
opportunity to EIC.
• EIC started playing the “divide and conquer” game by
supporting the different small, newly autonomous states and
pitting these states against each other.
• The entry of French forces in this region also exacerbated the
situation. For example, France supported Tipu Sultan of
Mysore whereas EIC (british) were against him.
• As conflict between these states were growing, the political
power of EIC also grew. Even more so, because the Mughal
Empire was not able to focus on this threat.
 Weakening of Mughal Empire- Political
opportunity for EIC
• EIC started providing funding, military technology to the small
states to aggravate the condition.

• They also started hiring “Sepoys” from the state to build their
private army. This “sepoys” were indian men who were
trained with European military tactics and were given
European weapons.

• The outright political dominance of EIC in India was marked

through the victory of EIC against bengal nawab Sirajuddoula
in the Battle of Plassey in 1757.
 Weakening of Mughal Empire- Political
opportunity for EIC
• The Battle of Plassey was fought because of growing dispute between Siraj-ud-
Doula and company officials regarding a host of issues such as abuse of trade
power by EIC, EIC giving shelter to Siraj-ud-Doula’s political rivals , EIC
strengthening /fortifying its trade posts in Bengal etc.

• By the help of Mir Zafar, EIC defeated Siraj-ud-Doula in 1757 and reinstated Mir
jafar as a puppet nawab. Mir Jafar later became fed up with EIC’s excessive
demands and tried to create a pact with the Dutch. Hearing this, EIC defeated
the Dutch at Chinsura and replaced Mir-jafar with his son-in-law Mir Qasim.

• However, Mir Qasim too started to become frustrated with the British and
developed his own army. Finally, in 1764 Mir Qasim of Bengal, the nawab of
Awadh and Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II joined forces and fought against EIC in
the battle of Bauxor. EIC won despite being putnumber by 4:1 mainly due to the
lack of coordination between the three allies.
 Weakening of Mughal Empire- Political
opportunity for EIC
• As an aftermath of the Battle of Baxur, the Treaty of Allahabad was
signed in 1765 between Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II and Robert Clive
of EIC.

• The treaty granted EIC the Diwani of Bengal. In other words, EIC was
granted the legal right to collect taxes and on behalf of the mughal
emperor in Bengal. A portion of these taxes was given to the Emperor
as tribute the rest was kept by EIC.

• Thus, EIC got the legitimate political influence in India for the first time
through this treaty and virtue of control in bengal. This, power
increased over time and ultimately EIC started ruling the majority of
the India especially after Mughal empire completely ended in
 Consequences of Treaty of Allahabad – Dual
government in Bengal
• The “treaty of Allahabad” basically resulted in Robert Clive of EIC
instituting a “dual government” system in Bengal.

• Under this dual government system, the right to collect taxes

(Diwani) was in the hands of EIC and the right to administer the
state (Nizamat) was in the hand of the nawab in Bengal.

• In reality, EIC had all the power as the Nawab had to rely on EIC
for its treasury funding. EIC paid only 50 lack rupees annually to
the Nawab for this purpose which was inadequate. Moreover, EIC
intruded in the “Nizamat” as well by holding the right to appoint
the “deputy subahdar”.
 Consequences of Treaty of Allahabad – Dual
government in Bengal
• The dual government system had massive adverse implications for Bengal.

• The Nawab became powerless and his ability to rule became limited. The
crime rate in Bengal increased rapidly and the nobles became oppressive.
Moreover, the EIC greatly enhanced the tax rate on trade and agriculture in
Bengal. Agricultural land was converted for Opium cultivation. These,
along with a drought, culminated in the great famine of 1770 which
resulted in almost 1/3 rd of the population losing their lives. Nobel
Laureate Amartya sen dubs this famine as a “man made” one and argues
that EIC is partially responsible for it.

• The chaotic condition and crumbling administration in Bengal resulted in

the abolishment of the dual government system in 1772 by Warren
Hastings and Bengal was brought under the direct governance of EIC.
As EIC started to effectively control a major
portion of India, how was its treatment
towards the Indians?

Ans: Largely, Oppresive.

 EIC Oppression
• The EIC greatly extorted the wealth and riches of India. It is said
that, it was Indian wealth that financed the “Industrial
revolution” in Great Britain. So much so, that india was known
to be the “Crown Jewel” of Great Britain.

• This is apparent from the quote by A. V. Hodson – Advisor to the

viceroy of India
• “Without India and the naval power that cemented it, Great
Britain was but a medium –sized country. With it, she was great
among the greatest, boasting a worldwide Pax Britannica.
Without India, the subordinate empire would be scarcely more
than a string of colonial beads.”
 EIC Oppression

• Some examples of oppressive behavior from the EIC

include:
– 1. Unfair and excessive tax imposed on the native people
and traders
– 2. Illegal/private trades being undertaken by EIC officials
resulting in them amassing huge amounts of personal
wealth.
– 3. Racism and persecution by the English
– 4. British Missionaries Forced (direct/indirect) local people
to convert into Christianity
 EIC Oppression
• - 5. Local businesses “freedom of choice” was violated and
they were forced to produce mainly those products which
were used by British companies as raw materials (i.e tea, jute,
indigo, coffee etc.)
• 6. India was forbidden to enter into trade with other
countries. They could only sell goods to British companies (at
a unfair low price) and were forced to purchase the finished
goods from the British businesses (at an unfair high price).
• 7. Cultural aggression – Local customs, tradition, culture etc.
got diluted by English ones. i.e Tea, Tie, Cricket etc.
So, EIC was oppressive to the locals? How did
the local indian’s react to such oppression?

Answer: Resistance, Rebellion and Revolution

 Indian Resistance to EIC rule
• The most notable event of Indian resistance
was the “Sepoy Revolution” also known as
“Sipahi biplob” or ‘First war of Independence”
in 1857.

• The rebellion had many underlying causes.

 Sepoy Mutiny of 1857: Underlying and Immediate Causes
• Underlying Causes
– Religious Frictions: Some British officers actively attempted to convert the
sepoys to Christianity although the British East India Company discouraged it.
The sepoys resented imposing Christianity and Christian laws in India.
– Doctrine of the Lapse: The Company automatically seized land from a feudal
leader who died without leaving an heir.
– Unfair justice system toward Indians. British officers accused of crimes against
Indians were granted multiple appeals and advantages when being tried.
– High Caste Sepoys: The Bengal Army of sepoys were recruited from a higher
caste of Indians. Therefore, if the high caste sepoys were considered to be
"polluted", they would have to expend considerable sums of money on ritual
purification before being accepted back into society.
• Immediate Cause
– The Enfield Rifle: It required the soldier to bite the cartridge and hold the ball
in his mouth when loading the rifle. The belief that the cartridge was lubricated
with animal fat (either pork or beef) offended both Muslims and Hindus.
– Execution of Mangal Pandey on March of 1857
 Sepoy Mutiny – the beginning
• In March 1957, 29 year old Mangal pandey, a sepoy of 34th BNI regiment stationed in
Calcutta created a commotion by declaring he would revolt against superior officers.

• His superior officer, Lt. Henry Baugh came to investigate and mangal pandey shot
him. At this point of time, General John Hearsey ordered the indian commander of
the quarter guard – Jamedar Prashad, to arrest Mangal Pandey and use force if
necessary. Prashad and all other indian soldiers refused to do so with the exception
of one soldier – Shaikh Paltu. Shaikh Paltu restrained Mangal Pandey and Pandey
attempted to commit suicide after failing to incite his fellow sipahis into active
rebellion.

• Mangal Pandey got arrested and was hanged for treason. Jemedar Prashad was also
court martialled and sentenced to death. The entire regiment was disbanded and
stripped of uniforms and arms. Only, Shaikh Paltu was promoted to the rank of
Havildar but was murdered shortly thereafter.
 Sepoy Mutiny – spreading out
• The news of BNI regiment in Calcutta soon spread and unrest started to occur in
other cities. Sepoys in Agra, Allahabad and Ambala also refused to use the
cartridge and their superiro officers allowed them to rip it using the fingers instead
of the teeth.

• At Meerut, 90 sepoys of the 3rd bengal light cavalry were ordered to parade. 85 of
them refused to do so. All of them were court martialled and sentenced to 10
years of prison with hard labor. As they were publicly stripped of their military
uniforms, they berated their fellow comrades for not joining them.

• The next day, plan was being taken to free the imprisoned soldiers by force. Some
indian sepoys warned the british Commanding officers but they didn’t pay heed.
Soon after, the mutiny and revolution started to happen. Many british officers were
killed along with their families. The indian citizens also joined the revolution.
 Sepoy Mutiny – spreading out
• Soon, northern Indian sepoys
rose up against British
• Rebelling sepoys from meerut
reached delhi and the sepoys of
Delhi Soon joined.
• Eventually gained control of Delhi
• Other cities like Agra, Oudh, Jhansi,
bengal etc. also fell in control of the
rebels
• Bahadur Shah Zafar, Mughal
Emperor and son of Akbar II was
proclaimed the emperor of India by
the rebels.
• Violence of rebellion
ferocious
• Both sides committed
atrocities
• Sepoys killed British
officers, as well as wives,
children
• Captured mutineers
strapped to cannons and
shot; villages burned
• Fighting continued two
years
 Sepoy Mutiny – End
• The British used their full force. They diverted
forces from China, Crimea, Persia etc. to india
to fight the rebels.

• Gurkha regiment from nepal was drafted in.

• Ultimately, they defeated the rebels and ended

it by severely punishing the accused. i.e
Bahadur Shah’s sons were executed at Delhi
Gate by British forces.
 Failure of Sepoy Mutiny: Indians Did Not Fully
Unite During Sepoy Mutiny
• serious splits between Hindus • unclear inconsistent leadership
and Muslims

• Many Indian princes did not take • Sikhs (Indian religious group)
part in the rebellion (made remained loyal to the British
alliances with
British)
 Effects/Results Sepoy Mutiny
• Sepoy rebelled against East India Company rule

• British government became embarrassed and took direct

control to protect their valuable trading empire and ruled
from 1858 to 1947

• Thus, the rule of EIC ended in India and came the official
British Rule.
• The Indians could not unite against the British due to weak
leadership and serious splits between Hindus and Muslims.
• The mutiny increased distrust between the British and the
Indians.
 Raj
• India was divided into 11 Provinces and 250 districts

sometimes a handful of
officials would be the only

British amongst millions of

Indians in a district

• Mutiny increased distrust between British and Indians: it fueled more

 • So, the British rule over India was
characterized by Oppression. But, was there
any good that came out due to the British?

Ans: They did make some positive reforms.

 EIC reforms in India
• By the early 18th Century, EIC had become the most
powerful territorial, political and military force in
India. As such they were in a position to make
significant reforms in this region. These reforms
were associated with
– 1. Education System
– 2. Social and Legal System
– 3. Transportation System
– 4. Postal and communication system
– 5. Administration System
 Education Reforms
• The British made significant reforms to the education system of India.
• Initially, the education system of India was dependent upon Pathshalas and Madrasas
with hindi, Sanskrit, farsi as the medium of instruction.
• In 1835, an act was passed making English as the medium of instruction and English was
made the official language in 1844. Declaration was given that individuals having good
English language skill will get preference in govt. jobs.
• In 1857, universities were established in Calcutta, Madras and Bombay. In 1858, Bankim
Chandra Chatterjee became one of the first two graduates of Calcutta university.
• In 1921, University of Dhaka was established. The initiative was supported by Lord
Curzon.
• Western education, promoted by the british, was aimed at creating a society which
would be “Indian in blood and color, but English in taste, opinions, morals and intellect”.
• However, opposite happened. Indians became familiar with the work of John locke,
Adam Smith, Jeremy Bentham etc. and their concepts of freedom, liberty, equality and
democracy.
 Social and Legal reforms
• The British made some notable reforms in the
social and legal system of India. For example:
– In 1829, “Sati” or “Satidaho” was made illegal and
punishable by law
– Female infanticide was banned.
– Slavery was made illegal
– In 1856, widow remarriage act was passed through the
advocacy of Iswar Chandra Bidyasagar
– “Bali” or Child sacrifice to appease the gods was
banned
Reforms in Transporation and postal system

• British invested heavily in improving the

transportation infrastructure of India (mainly
to support its trading activities).
• Steamliner ships were introduced.
• By 1869, over 4000 miles of railline was laid.
Infact, india boasts one of the best rail
networks in Asia.
• Telegraph was introduced in 1853.
 Administrative reforms
• The British raj emphasized on re-establishing
the ICS (indian Civil Service).

• However, there is criticism of appointing high

caste individuals in the ICS and those loyal to
the British raj.
 • How did the British rule in India end?

Ans: The British Rule ended in 1947. But the

move towards independence started happening
due to a chain of events.
 1. Formation of Indian National Congress

• The Indian National Congress was formed in 1885. It

was a political party that was set up based on secular
beliefs.

• The INC promoted a formalized movement for self-

government in India.

• In 1915, Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa

and after a few years became the president of
Congress.
 2. Lucknow Pact
• Lucknow pact was an agreement signed
between the INC and the Muslim league . The
Muslim League leaders agreed to join
Congress in the demand for autonomy.

• The pact was the first evidence of hindu-

muslims unitedly demanding political reform
from the British.
 3. World War I’s impact on the British and
ROWLATT act
• The World War I broke out in 1914 and lasted till
1918.
• The British enlisted more than 1 million soldiers from
india to fight for the allies in this war.
• Britain promised partial self government to the
Indians, INC and muslim league for their assistance.
• However, Britain did not act on its promise despite
the Indian soldiers fighting bravely in the WW1.
 3. World War I’s impact on the British and
ROWLATT act
• As the soldiers returned to India after the war, they
faced a crisis of jobs. Unemployment and inflation
rose leading to poor standard of livings.

• Demonstrations and riots broke out. In order to

tackle this, Britain passed the ROWLATT act in 1919
which allowed them to indefinitely detain and even
jail rioters for two years without a trial. This is known
as the Black act. The Act greatly enhanced bitterness
against British Raj.
 4. Amritsar Massacre of 1919
• Even though the ROWLATT ACT was passed it was not
properly communicated to the people.
• 10 April, 1919 – protests took place demanding the release of
two popular INC leaders in Punjab.
• 11 April, 1919 – A female English Missionary teacher was
caught by a mob of local Indians who then assaulted her
severely. In retaliation, the Raj’s local commander Colonel
Dyer issued an order requiring every indian men using the
street to crawl its length using hands and knees.
• 12 April, 1919 – protests and vandalism occurred in various
parts of the cities. Marital law was imposed
 4. Amritsar Massacre of 1919
• 13 April,1919 : Thousands of Sikh, Hindus and muslims gathered to celebrate the
Baishakhi festival. Colonel Dyer, fearing that this gathering could actually be the
preparation for a full scale attack, instructed his forces to open fire at the gathering.

• Almost 1500 people died in the incident. Though, British sources claim that
approximately 200 people died.

• The Amritsar Massacre greatly enhanced the nationalism amongst Indians.

Rabindranath Tagore repudiated his knighthood as a protest to this incident and
wrote a letter to the viceroy of the British raj stating “"I ... wish to stand, shorn, of all
special distinctions, by the side of those of my countrymen who, for their so called
insignificance, are liable to suffer degradation not fit for human beings.“

• Dyer was removed from the British Army but he was considered widely as a hero by
the British back home.
 5. Satyagraha Movement
• The Satyagraha movement was the “non-violent resistance
movement” initiated by Mahatma Gandhi. It occurred
multiple times in 1920-1922, 1930’s etc.

• Mass boycott of British goods, denying to pay tax, resignation

of Indians from the civil service, returning of awards and
honors by prominent indian figures occurred.

• The Satyagraha movement got mass popularity and media

attention globally.
 6. Lahore resolution
• In 1940, the Lahore resolution was passed in which Jinnah
demanded that the areas in which the Muslims are numerically in
majority as in the North-Western and Eastern zones of India
should be grouped to constitute independent states in which the
constituent units shall be autonomous and sovereign.

• Other prominent muslim leaders including Sher-e-bangla A.K.

Fazlul Hoque supported this resolution.

• The British realized that there could be growing faction between

muslims and Hindus and that would make their job of
administering the country difficult.
 7. World War II- Quit India Resolution and
the INA
• The Second World war started in 1939 and lasted till 1945.
• Britain sent the “Cripps Mission” in 1942 to gain Cooperation from indian
nationalists in the war and promised independence as soon as the war
ended. However, negotiations broke down due to Winston Churchills
opposition.
• As a result, Congress launched the “Quit India Movement” in 1942
demanding immediate withdrawal of all British forces from India or face
countrywide civil disobedience.
• The large British army easily crushed the riots. Shubash Chandra Bose set up
the “ Indian National Army” and garnered German and Japanese support for
an independent india and set up a provisional independent indian
government in Singapore. However, British defeated the Japanese in battles
in Burma. Bose died from a plane crash while fleeing. Even though his
actions failed, his death greatly roused the patriotic feelings of the Indians.
 8. Poor financial condition of Britain
• World War II greatly depleted the treasury of Britain. It’s
financial condition was very poor because of the huge
spending associated with fighting the second world war.

• In 1947, Britain realized it would be very difficult for it to

maintain hold of India with its current financial condition
and the level of opposition in India.

• Thus, it finally decided to end its rule in India and declared

the intention of transferring power by June 1948.
 End of British Rule
• However, riots between Muslims and Hindus exacerbated and Lord Mountbatten,
Viceroy of British raj declared to prepone the transfer of power.

• In June, 1947 representatives from INC, Muslim League, Sikhs etc. and British Raj
agreed to a partition of the country along religious lines in stark opposition to
Gandhi’s views.

• The predominantly Hindu and Sikh areas were assigned to Union of India to be led
by Jawahrlal Nehru and the predominantly Muslim areas were assigned to the
Dominion of Pakistan to be led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

• The transfer of people according to the new border demarcation resulted in further
riots, bloodshed. However, ultimately on August 14th, 1947 Pakistan was born and
on August 15th, 1947 independent India was born. The British Rule came to an
official end.