Modern Period of India
Middle of 18th century to present. 250 years. revolutionary changes in USA, FRANCE, RUSSIA, CHINA, ITALY, GERMANY. FUCRIG
How is this period significant?
Indian people Right of freedom and become independent in 1947.
Importance of Dates
They allow students to arrange past events and processes in terms of sequence and duration.
First General-Governor
Warren Hastings
Last VIceroy
Lord Mountbatten
Who divided Indian History into Hindu, Muslim, and British Periods?
When Scottish economist and political philosopher James Mill publish “A History of British India”.
What did James Mill think?
Before British rule, hindu and muslim despots ruled the country and religious intolerance, social evils, and superstitions. British rule introduced modern IMAC. (insti., manners, arts, culture.
Modern Indian History Division
Ancient, Medieval, Modern
Modern Period
Growth of modernity, LEDRS(science, reasons, democracy, liberty, equality.
Medieval Period
A society where modern features didn’t exist.
British period AKA
Colonial period bcz no LEF (liberty, equality, freedom.)
Colonialism
Extension of a nation’s sovereignty over territory beyond its borders by the establishing settler colonies where indigenous populations are directly ruled or displaced. System of direct political, economic, and cultural intervention and hegemony by a powerful country over a weaker one.
Process of colonisation
Colonising nations dominate the resources, labour, and markets of the colonial territory. Also impose SCRL structures on indigenous population. (socio-cultural, religious, and linguistic)
Administrative Records
Important source of information. Provided basis of what happened in particular period. Invention of printing press → production of books, magazines, newspapers, journals.
Literary Sources
Individual writings as well as government records of British administration. British felt need of preserving important documents and letters. Thus record rooms, museums, archives preserve important records.
Newspapers
important literary source as carry spirit of the time. carry news, cartoons, letters, editorials, ads.
National Archives of India
built in 1920s. proceedings of meetings of government officials, diaries of officials, letters, eyewitness accounts, court proceedings.
The National Museum in New Delhi
Preserved PAJCW of the period. (coins, paintings, weapons, jewellery and other artefacts.) Located close to the Viceregal Palace, reflects importance of these insti.
The Salarjung Museum in Hyderabad
43k art objects, 50k books. Indian art, European art, childrens art, rare manuscript section.
Surveying and mapping
Was a common practice of colonial admin. Was implemented because british had to know country to administer. The survey of india detailed maps of towns, villages, mountains, and coasts. Ex. The India Census, botanical surveys, etc.
First comprehensive census of India
The 1871 India Census.
First modern census
in 1881
Census
Held every ten years. Preparing detailed records of people in provinces in india.
Types of Surveys
Revenue Surveys, botanical, zoological, archaelogical, forest, etc.
Official Records
What officials thought, interested in, wished to preserve for prosperity. They do not tell us what people in the country felt or lay behind their actions.
Other sources
diaries of people, accounts of travellers, biographies, autobiographies, magazines and journals.
First woman to write an autobiography
Rassundari Devi, in bengali
Neel Darpan by
Deenabandhu Mitra, based on exploitation of workers in indigo plantations
Vincent Smith
wrote books of history of india. first time books on economic history of india were written in this period.
newspaper languages
in english, tamil, gujarati, bengali, urdu, persian.
famous newspapers
Kesari by Bal Gangadhar Tilkak & Mirat-ul-Akhbar by Raja Rammohan Roy