Edexcel Unit 2 WHI02 Course Notes: India 1857-1948

India in 1857: The extent and nature of British control, including:
  - The role of the East India Company (EIC), the Indian Civil Service (ICS), and the role of Indian functionaries as junior civil servants and administrators.
  - Indirect rule and the princely states
  - Indian society and religion
The changes brought about by the Indian Mutiny:
- The significance of the Royal Proclamation and the Government of India Act 1858
- The Indian Councils Act 1861 and the Royal Titles Act 1876
Later significant changes:
  - The reforms associated with Ripon and Ilbert (1880–84)
  - The significance of Lord Curzon as Viceroy (1898–1905)
  - The Morley-Minto reforms (1905–10)
  - The Montagu Declaration (1917) and the Government of India Act 1919
  - The Irwin Declaration (1929) and the Government of India Act 1935
  - The coming of independence and partition

Changing patterns of British trade with India:
- Including exports to and imports from; India as a trading hub within the wider British Empire.
- The significance of changing tariffs and the decline and growth of Indian industry.
Investment and development:
- Extent of British investment; growth of railways and their impact (1857–1914)
- Irrigation and drainage; port facilities and inland waterways.
Changes in living standards:
- Population growth; famines (1876–78, 1899, 1943);
- Slow but rising living standards in the village economy; impact of taxation.

Significance of the challenge to British rule in 1857:
- Geographical and social extent of resistance; the importance of loyalists within both Army and the Indian elite.
Growth of Nationalism to 1920:
  - Reasons for and impact to 1914 of the formation of the National Congress (1885);
  - The significance of the division of Bengal (1905);
  - The impact of the First World War on nationalism;
  - The relations between Congress and the Muslim League;
  - The growing significance of Gandhi and Jinnah.
Campaigns against British Rule (1920–47):
  - Gandhi’s aims, beliefs, and role;
  - The importance of Nehru and the significance of Jinnah’s beliefs and aims;
  - The British response of control and concession;
  - Varying reactions to the outbreak of the Second World War, including that of Bose.
  - The failure of the Simla Conference (1945);
  - The impact of Indian elections and the setting up of an interim government under Nehru (1946)

The mutiny was characterized by:
- Suppression and punishment; reorganization of the Indian Army and its subsequent importance to Britain, including its use in Imperial defense and World War.
- Loyalty and role during the Second World War.
Repression in the later days of the Raj:
  - Reasons for and the impact of the Rowlatt Acts (1919);
  - Use of the army from 1919–1948:
    - Significance of General Dyer and the Amritsar Massacre (1919);
    - Reliance on the police and avoidance of martial law in responding to later expressions of discontent in the 1920s and 1930s;
    - The response to the Quit India Campaign (1942).

Landmass Comparisons:
  - Compared to Europe (excluding Russia) and half of the USA.
  - Three distinct geographical areas:
    - Indo-Gangetic plain (fertile regions)
    - Himalayas (border defense)
    - Coastal regions in the South (resistance territories)
Demographic Changes:
  - Population growth during the Raj period.
  - Different religions:
    - Hinduism as the core religion (80%).
    - Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism existing alongside Hindu practices.

EIC under Crown Control:
- Legislative acts from 1773 to 1861 that established the governing process for India including the Regulating Act (1773) and Government of India Act (1858).
Governor-General's Role:
- Transition from Company to Crown governance; specific powers given to the governor.
Military Forces:
- Composition and structure of the Indian Army, significant regiments, and implications post-rebellion.

The Indian National Congress (INC):
- Formation details and shifts from moderate to more radical approaches over decades.
The split within Congress:
- Influence of leaders such as Gokhale, Tilak, and their impact on the direction of the INC.
Notable Reforms and Acts:
- Morley-Minto Reforms (1905-10) and further developments leading to the Government of India Act (1919).

Muslim League formation and objectives:
- Separation from Congress’s objectives post-1937 elections and establishment of separate communal identities.
Communal Politics Emergence:
- How partition ideologies were shaped and the role of leaders like Jinnah post-1920.
The demand for Pakistan:
- Spelling out the consequences of the Lahore Resolution in 1940.

Indian loyalty in WWII and the mobilization of Indian soldiers across the globe.
Responses to British Policies:
- The Quit India Campaign and associated turmoil leading to Congress leaders' imprisonment.

Mountbatten's Role:
- His actions leading to impending partition decisions in 1947.
Partition Consequences:
  - Immediate societal impacts:
    - Massive displacement and violent communal tensions.
    - The socio-political atmosphere post-independence, tensions between India and Pakistan continue to simmer onward from this point.

Legacy of the British Raj:
- A period marked not just by colonial rule but by a socio-political evolution that shaped the Indian subcontinent's future.
- Notable advancements were seen in infrastructure, societal norms, and the gradual push for independence which characterized India’s turbulent journey toward self-rule.