Why did British take control of India?

Answer 1

British merchants founded the East India Company in 1600 . During the Seven Years War (1756 - 63 ) company troops under Robert Clive all but expelled the French . From 1784 British India was governed jointly by the company and a committee responsible to the British government , which took complete control in 1858 , after the Indian Mutiny . By then Britain ruled almost the whole of India , and in 1877 Queen Victoria became Empress of India . The British brought Western education , law and administration , developed commerce and improved communications which helped unite the country .

In less than a century, the British occupied a large part of India. The reason for the success of the British can be explained by a number of factors.

1. The Indian states lacked unity. Powerful states such as Punjab, Mysore and the Marathas failed to act unitedly against a common foreign enemy. All of them fell prey to the British policy of 'Divide and Rule'. The British, on the other hand, were a united lot and under a unified command.

2. The Indian rulers failed to create a stable social, political and economic order. Most of them were short-sighted in the pursuit of their goals. They failed to win the loyalty of their subjects.

3. The badly-trained and poorly-paid Indian armies were no match for the disciplined and well-trained British forces.

4. The Indians were technologically backward whereas, the British had developed new techniques of warfare.

5. The British were strong at sea. None of the Indian states had a strong navy.

By the middle of the nineteenth century AD, the British had firmly established their position in India. A large part of the country was under direct British rule. The areas that remained independent were indirectly under British influence. India was subjugated politically as well as economically. The economic exploitation of India was a result of its political subjugation.

Answer 2

There were three main points for taking control:

1. huge benefits through large volume of trade;
2. strategic importance of India; and
3. fear of Russian expansion.

These points should be highlighted and explained.

EXPLANATION OF THE POINTS

The East India Company was founded in 1600. It carried on profitable trade and gradually became a formidable military power and had planted itself firmly in India. Between 1757 and 1857 the British expanded their control over Indian territories in order to ensure their trade. India provided food grain and raw material for British industries and it was a huge market for British manufactured goods. In fact British industrial development was financed by the profits obtained from trade with India.

The British looked after their possessions in the Middle East and the Far East from their strong hold in India. The volume of trade and strategic importance of the subcontinent meant that it was too valuable to be left in the hands of a trading company.

In the 19th century the British became fearful of the Russian expansion in Central Asia. It worried the British so much that they made moves to secure Afghanistan. Although the British adventure in Afghanistan in 1839 failed miserably, but in 1858, after the failure of the War of Independence 1857, the British assumed full and proper control of whole of India. Through a declaration i 1858 the control of East India Company was ended and India went under the control of the British government.

In short, the huge volume of profitable trade, the strategic importance of India, and fear of expansion of Russia in Central Asia were the reasons why the British took control of the affairs of the East India Company in the early nineteenth century.

Answer 3

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