England conquers India
_
India was a very prideful and religious country. The two major religion in India is Hinduism and Buddhism. When Britain entered India to spread "Christianity", the British showed no respect for the Indian culture. In reality, the British ruler only wanted to conquer India. The British East India Company controlled three-fifths of India by the mid-1800's. They ordered the Sepoys, active Indian soldiers, bite off the end of animal-fat-covered cartridges to load their guns. The Sepoys refused to follow their British officers as cows and pigs were sacred in their religion. This sparked the Sepoy Rebellion. The Sepoys went on a rampage slaughtering unarmed British men, women, and children. Outraged, the British fired back by killing unarmed Indian men, women, and children. They went through many horrible sacrifices; India faced harsh times that made them a strong country. The Sepoys lost and the life in India continued on. India’s food production went down hill as the farmers were left with no choice but to use their land to grow cash crops to keep up with the economy. In the late 1800’s, India went hungry. Herders settled into farming and pushed farmers to grow cash crops, such as cotton and jute. Cotton and jute were able to be sold on the world market. On the positive side, Great Britain was trying to modernize India. They introduced Western education and legal procedures to the Indians. The new legal system promotes justice for all Indians regardless of class. The Indians in the upper class were able to send their sons to British schools to study civil service and military. |