HIS103Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 22: The Great Game, Democratic Peace Theory, Martial Race
Britain -independent and isolated on island
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Aren't really concerned with continental Europe
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East India Company ruling parts of India in agreement with Indians
>
India Regular Troops
▪
European officers
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Regiments of British army
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About 300k soldiers
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1750-1850s : Army in Asia
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Britain becoming more than just a naval power, but a land power as
well
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Parliament starts to challenge East India Company
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Break monopoly on trade
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India open to free trade
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Do away with company that hold monopoly
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Gradually East India Company is taken apart, losing total
control in India
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Ruling India by fire power alone
▪
No political order
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EIC very corrupt
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Asserting some control as to how India is governed
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British want to bring India under 'civilized' government
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More Christian missionaries coming to India, evangelize
Muslims / Hindus
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Transform society / culture / religion
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British want to change specific Indian practices - marriage /
infanticide / etc
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'Can change their customs to act and think as we do'
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Thomas McCauley - 'British goal should be to create a race of
Brown Englishmen'
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1820s/1830s, Great Game begins
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British recognize that it must be a buffer zone between
India and any other great power
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Russians are pressing South as British are pressing North -
Afghanistan between them
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Invade Afghanistan
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Must be ruled by someone friendly to India, not pro-
Russian
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700 Europeans, rest are Indian
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Almost everyone is killed before leaving Afghanistan
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'graveyard of Empires'
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Russian relations fizzle
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British decide to ignore Afghanistan for now - turn
attention back to India
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Anglo-Indian army, about 16k people, begin to escape from
Afghanistan back to India -taking mountain passes
▪
Kabul is going to entertain Russian envoy
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1800s
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India & the Great Game
February 8, 2017
7:36 PM
LECTURE Page 107
attention back to India
Underlying causes are British efforts to transform India
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East India Company's efforts to annex more land rather
than operate by treaty
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Complex revolt
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Begins when Indian soldiers rise up against British
officers
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Seen as another effort by religion to break
their castes / reform religion
Rumours capture growing fraught relationship
between British / Indians
Shootings between soldiers
Siege settlements - massacre whole settlements
of British
British with some Indian allies put down the
revolt - takes about a year
Rumour that they used cow or pig fat - Indians
offended, endangers religion / spiritual beliefs
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New rifles coming with cartridges -bullet, gunpowder -
cartridges were greased to be waterproofed (grease comes
from animal fat)
▪
Between 2k and 2500 dead of British
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100ks of Indians killed -wide scale slaughter
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Enormous and bloody event
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Idea that British women were widely raped -no evidence
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Indian Mutiny 1857
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Britain will now govern India not through the company,
but from the power of the Crown
▪
1858 Government of India Act
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Responsible for India
□
Minister of State for India responsible to the Queen
Victoria -Empress of India
▪
Focus less on transformation of Indian Society -find
Indian collaborators who will learn from British and help
run empire
▪
Reconstruct military forces of India
▪
For every 2 Indian soldiers, needed to be 1
British soldier
Ratio - how many Europeans in comparison to Indian
soldiers
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2/3 of India's power
Privilege groups who had come to aid in Mutiny -
'Martial Races'
Continue to by seqoy army - Indians officered by
Brits
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Ensure there is no overall sense of Indian army
Policy of divide and conquer
'If one regiment mutinies, I should like to have
the next so alien it would fire into it'
Different units were isolated
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European / British Component
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Important decisions
▪
London : something must change in India
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LECTURE Page 108
Document Summary
East india company ruling parts of india in agreement with indians. Britain becoming more than just a naval power, but a land power as well. Gradually east india company is taken apart, losing total control in india. British want to bring india under "civilized" government. Asserting some control as to how india is governed. British want to change specific indian practices - marriage / infanticide / etc. Thomas mccauley - "british goal should be to create a race of. "can change their customs to act and think as we do" Russians are pressing south as british are pressing north - British recognize that it must be a buffer zone between. Must be ruled by someone friendly to india, not pro- Anglo-indian army, about 16k people, begin to escape from. Afghanistan back to india - taking mountain passes. British decide to ignore afghanistan for now - turn attention back to india. Underlying causes are british efforts to transform india.
