British Raj

The British Raj is the nonofficial denomination of the British period of domination of the Indian Sous-continent, i.e. the geographical area extending on the following countries: the India, the Pakistan, the Sri Lanka, the Bangladesh and the Burma.

This domination lasted of the end of the 18th century with 1947, when the Mouvement for the independence of India arrived at its ends.

The first British counter in Asia of the south was established in 1612 with Surat, on the north-western coast of the peninsula, in the actual position of the Gujarât. Later, during the same century, the English Compagnie of the Eastern Indies installed other counters with Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta, each one under protection of the local leaders.

The British increased their influence starting from these bases until the Années 1850, where they dominated the major part of the actual positions of India, of Pakistan, of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Attempts to also associate the Afghanistan there failed. In 1857, following the Revolt of Cipayes, a rebellion in India of north, carried out by revolted Indian soldiers, the British Parliament transferred the political power held by the East India Company , the English Compagnie of the Eastern Indies to the crown of the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom then started to directly manage the major part of India, while controlling the remainder by means of treaties passed with the regional kings and princes (self-government).

Towards the end of the 19th century, the first measurements were taken to lead to an autonomy of the British India by the nomination of the Indian advisers near the Vice-roi of the Indies and the comprising establishment of provincial councils of the Indian members; the British opened the participation in the legislative councils later. The progressive passage of a mentality imperialist (“to introduce a higher civilization in India”) to an approach frankly colonialist (“to exploit the resources of the country, while closing the English market with the Indian products”) contributed to radicalize the Party of the Congress which at the beginning required a simple autonomy within the empire. These members of the Congresses, called the Moderate ones, hoped on goodwill Crown so that it granted favorable reforms in exchange of an unconditional honesty. The partisans of the radical current, called the Extremists, emerged with a project defined by the trio Lâl-Bâl-Pâl : Lâlâ Lâjpat Râi, Lokamânya Bâl Gangâdhar Tilak and Bepin Chandra Pâl. Aurobindo Ghose introduced a revolutionary dimension there going until an open propaganda for independence through the passive resistance and the boycott of institutions and English products, twinned of a secret society preparing an armed insurrection. Guided by the vision of India, the Motherland, identical to the Divine Mother (Shakti), such as Bankim Chandra Chatterjee sang in its anthem " Bandaged Mâtaram" , the Extremists learned from Jatindra Nath Mukherjee or Bagha Jatin the lesson of the Swâmi Vivékânanda: the political independence of India was essential for the spiritual progress of humanity. A measurement of controlled violence and with limited duration would be essential like fuel to awake fixed people, to purge his unconscious resentment and of anger stored since of the centuries of slavery, to destroy the adversary and, especially, to learn how to sacrifice itself in the name of the Fatherland. By two successive stages (individual martyrs; guerilla) they preceded and prepared, thus, the advent of the movement of mass.

Starting from the Years 1920, Gandhi transformed the Parti the Congress into a movement of mass intended to fight against the British colonial domination. The movement finally succeeds in obtaining independence by means of parliamentary speeches, but also by using the civil Désobéissance and nonviolent resistance.

Stages of the political representation in the British Indies

  • 1833 : Named legislative council, initially composed of official British

  • 1853: opened with representatives (also British) of the provincial governments
  • 1861: opened with members chosen by the Viceroy for two years, being able to be Indians; provincial councils are created, on the same model
  • 1892: opened with members chosen by the Viceroy, among the people proposed by the Chamber of commerce of Calcutta and among the nonofficial sections of the provincial councils, whose members themselves were proposed by the municipalities, the universities and the chambers of commerce
  • 1909: reform of Lord Pinto, who fixes the composition of the Legislative council thus:
    • 7 members of the Executive council
    • 28 civils servant
    • 5 not-civils servant appointed by the viceroy
    • 13 elected officials by the nonofficial members of the provincial councils
    • 6 elected officials by large the popriétaires land of the 6 provinces
    • 6 elected officials by the Muslim population of the 6 provinces
    • 2 elected officials by the European chambers of commerce of Calcutta and Bombay
It is also in 1909 that the first Indian was named within the Executive council, two others being it within the Council from the Indies, in London.
  • 1919 : the Indian Act transferred a series from competences to the provinces, which preceded the Indian federal system, the provincial governments being responsible before assemblies of which at least 70% of the members were to be elected with the vote censitaire and capacitaire (starting from a certain amount of paid taxes, or for those which were useful in the army); the specific system of representation of the communities, founded in 1909, was maintained; two assemblies were created near the central government, a legislative Parliament, elected with the five seventh, and a Council of State, elected official to the three fifths of his members. The elections were done on the mode of the vote censitaire.
  • 1935 : new Indian Act , by which the right of vote is widened, and the central government and the two rooms include from now on the princely States, excluded before from this legislative system; the two national rooms thus comprise, at the sides of direct elected members, of the representatives of the minorities elected by the indirect suffrage, as well as representatives designated by the princes

source: Pierre GUILLAUME, Le Monde colonial XIXe-20th century, Paris, Armand Colin (collection " History contemporaine"), 1994 (" 2nd edition entirely refondue" ; 1st ED.: 1974), pp.163-165

Chronology

  • 1818 : Edition of the first Bengali newspaper in

  • 1823: The chief sikh Ranjit Singh seizes the Cachemire. The Rajput S are submitted to the British.
  • 1824 : Opening of the first school for girls, with Bombay. First war britanno-Burmese. (end in 1826)
  • 1825: India knows large a Famine.
  • 1829 : Prohibition by the British of the tradition of the Satî, the suicide of the widows
  • 1829: Eradication campaign of the Thug S. (fine in 1837)
  • 1831: The Râja of Mysore is deposited and its administration ensured by the English Compagnie of the Eastern Indies.
  • 1832 : Beginning of a general famine in India. (end in 1834)
  • 1833: Renewal of the charter of the English Company of the Eastern Indies; abolition of the commercial rights of the company.
  • 1834 : The chief sikh Ranjit Singh seizes Peshawar. Nomination of the first Indian magistrates.
  • 1835 : First British schools.
  • 1837 : Beginning of a great famine in India. (end in 1838)
  • 1838: Tripartite treaty between Shah Shuja, Ranjit Singh and the British
  • 1839: First Afghan war. (end in 1842)
  • 1843: War of Gwalior. The British seizes the Sind. Slavery is removed.
  • 1845 : The Dutchmen sell their Indian territories to the British. First war britanno-sikh. (fine in 1846)
  • 1848: Lord Dalhousie becomes the General governor of the Indies.
  • 1848 : Second war britanno-sikh: the British annex the Panjâb following the defeat of Sikhs. (end in 1849)
  • 1852: Second war britanno-Burmese.
  • 1853 : Opening of a railway line between Bombay and Thana; Line of telegraph between Calcutta and Âgrâ. The Oudh is annexed.
  • 1857 : Foundation of universities with Calcutta, Madras and Bombay. Revolt of Cipayes or first war of Indian independence. (end in 1858)
  • 1858: The British crown ensures the government of India, which becomes a colony.
  • 1861 : Indian Councils Act ; Indian High Courts Act; Introduction of the penal code. Famine in India of North.
  • 1865 : Famine in Orissa. Creation of a ministry for the State education with Ceylon. The first telegraph line in India and Europe is open.
  • 1868 : Punjab Tenancy Act; opening of a railway line between Ambala and Delhi.
  • 1870 : Famine with the Bihar.
  • 1876 : The British are with the Balouchistan. Famine in India of the South.
  • 1877 : Famine in the North of India. Delhi Durbar: The Reine Victoria of the United Kingdom is proclaimed empress of the Indies.
  • 1878 : Vernacular Close Act : first newspapers in vernacular Language. Second Afghan war. (end in 1880)
  • 1881: Factory Act ; Rendering of Mysore
  • 1885: Foundation and first meeting of the Left the Congress to Bombay; Bengal Tenancy Act.
  • 1886 : The Burma is annexed in British India. Death of Râmakrishna. The northern border of the Afghanistan is traced.
  • 1886 : Vivekânanda founds the Ramakrishna Mission.
  • 1891 : Indian Factory Act .
  • 1892 : Promulgation of the Indian Councils Act to regulate the Indian administration.
  • 1893 : Vivekânanda is invited to the Parliament of the Religions with Chicago.
  • 1896 : Whole India knows the famine.
  • 1897 : Disorders at the borders of the North-West; plague in Bombay; Famine Commission.
  • 1899 : Lord Curzon becomes Governor-General and Viceroy. Famine in the north of India.
  • 1900 : Creation of a border in the North-West.
  • 1904 : British forwarding with the Tibet.
  • 1905 : First partition of the Bengal by Lord Curzon. An earthquake of magnitude 8,6 fact 20.000 victims with Kangra.
  • 1906 : Foundation of the Moslem League with Dhâkâ; Declaration of the congress relating to Swaraj.
  • 1907 : Council off India Act.
  • 1908 : Newspaper Act; Reform Minto-Morley.
  • 1910 : Peshawar knows religious riots. Aurobindo settles in Pondichéry.
  • 1911 : Inauguration of New Delhi, new capital of the British Empire of the Indies; the Partition of Bengal is abandoned to create the presidency of Bengal. Foundation of the Touched Steel Company.
  • 1912 : The imperial capital is moved of Calcutta to Delhi.
  • 1913 : Educational Resolution off the Government off India . Rabîndranâth Tagore is Nobel Prize of literature. Foundation of the party Ghadar, rebellion anti-British, in San Francisco.
  • 1914 : India takes part in the war at the sides of the Allies. (end in 1918)
  • 1915: Gandhi returns from South Africa. Defense off India Act . Foundation of the Committee for the Independence of India in Germany.
  • 1916 : Foundation of the Hindu University with Varanasi. First female universities. The Home Rule League is founded; Foundation of the university of the women with Poona. General famine. (end in 1918)
  • 1919: The Rowlatt act causes protests; Massacre of Jalianwalla Bagh: the British troops massacre demonstrators with Amritsar; the Montague-Chelmsford reform offers a limited autonomy; Third Afghan war.
  • 1920: The movement of Khilafat begins; Mahatma Gandhi directs the congress and engages the movement of “not-co-operation”. Death of Ball Gangadhar Tilak.
  • 1921 : Rebellion of the Moplah in the Hefty fellow; census of India.
  • 1922 : Movement of Civil Disobedience; The violence of Chauri-Chaura brings to Gandhi to suspend the movement. First working trade unions.
  • 1923 : Swarajists with the Indian Councils; Certification of the Salt Tax ; Riots between the communities Hindu woman and Moslem woman.
  • 1924 : Creation of the Indian PC. Beginning of the radio in Madras.
  • 1925 : Abolition of the Devadâsî.
  • 1926 : Royal commission on agriculture; Factories Act .
  • 1927 : Indian Navy Act ; The Simon Report Commission is named to work on an Indian constitution project.
  • 1928 : The Simon Commission comes to India: boycott by all the parts; All Left Conference .
  • 1929 : Lord Irwin promises the statute of dominion for India; the trade unions make scission; Jawaharlal Nehru raises the national flag in Lahore.
  • 1930 : The movement of continuous civil disobedience; Walk of salt (Salt Satyagraha); First Round Counts Conference .
  • 1931 : Second Round Counts Conference ; Irwin-Gandhi pact; census of India.
  • 1932 : Suppression of the movement of the congress; third Round Counts Conference ; Pact of Poona; Gandhi makes countryside for the abolition of the intouchability. Boycott of British fabrics.
  • 1933 : Publication of white paper on Indian reforms.
  • 1934 : Call to the civil Disobedience; Earthquake with the Bihar
  • 1935: Government off India Act , first Constitution preparing a future independence.
  • 1936 : Nehru becomes president of the Congress.
  • 1937 : Inauguration of provincial autonomy; the ministries for the Congress are formed in a majority of Indian provinces.
  • 1939 : Political dead end in India following the resignation of the ministries for the Congress. India refuses to take share with the conflict.
  • 1940 : The Moslem Ligue claims the creation of a Moslem state, the Pakistan.
  • 1941 : The Japan board attack Ceylon.
  • 1942 : Cripps Mission in India; the Congress adopts the Quit India Resolution ; The chiefs of the Congress are stopped; Subhash Chandra Bose sets up the Indian national army.
  • 1944 : The talks between Gandhi and Jinnah stop because of the question of Pakistan. Jinnah and Nehru negotiates for the creation of Pakistan. Famine in Bengal.
  • 1945 : General elections. Disorders between the Hindu and Moslem communities.

See too

Internal bonds

External bonds

  • British India or “the crown jewel” by Claude Markovits, on the site of Clio

Simple: British Raj

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