Notes Chapter 4 Class 8 Social Science CBSE Board

The Colonial Era in India

Introduction

• Colonialism: When one country takes control of another region, sets up settlements, and imposes its own political, economic, and cultural systems.
• European powers like Portugal, Britain, France, and the Netherlands colonized India starting from the 15th century.
• India was a wealthy and flourishing country before colonization, contributing about one-fourth of the world’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product).
• British rule, especially, caused immense hardship, including famines, economic exploitation, and cultural destruction.

Timeline of Key Events

1498: Vasco da Gama arrives at Calicut, marking the start of European presence in India.

1560: Portuguese establish the Inquisition in Goa to enforce Christianity.

1612-1690: English East India Company sets up trading posts in Surat, Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta.

1674: French establish a trading post in Pondicherry.

1741: Travancore defeats the Dutch at the Battle of Colachel.

1757: British win the Battle of Plassey, gaining control over Bengal.

1770-1772: Great Bengal Famine kills millions due to harsh British tax policies.

1818: Third Anglo-Maratha War ends Maratha power.

1835: Macaulay’s Minute on Indian Education promotes English education.

1857: Great Indian Rebellion against British rule.

1858: British Crown takes direct control, starting the British Raj.

The Age of Colonialism

Definition: Colonialism involves one country controlling another, often through settlements, military conquest, and imposing its systems.

History: Began with ancient empires and continued with European expansion from the 15th century.

Motivations:

• Political: Gain global influence and compete with other European powers.
• Economic: Access new resources, markets, and trade routes; often through plunder.
• Religious: Spread Christianity.
• Scientific: Explore unknown lands for geographic and natural knowledge.

False Claims: Colonizers claimed to “civilize” people, calling them “savage” or “primitive,” but caused exploitation and destruction of local cultures.

Europeans in India

1. The Portuguese

• Arrival: Vasco da Gama reached Calicut in 1498.
• Actions: Captured ports like Goa (1510), controlled spice trade with a “cartaz” (permit) system, and used force against local merchants.
• Religious Persecution: Established the Inquisition in Goa (1560), targeting Hindus, Muslims, and others, destroying temples and forcing conversions.
• Resistance: Rani Abbakka I and II fought Portuguese attempts to control Ullal.

2. The Dutch

• Focus: Focused on spice trade, setting up posts in Surat, Cochin, and Nagapattinam.
• Decline: Defeated by Travancore in the Battle of Colachel (1741).

3. The French

• Arrival: Set up trading posts in Surat (1668) and Pondicherry (1674).
• Strategies: Governor Dupleix trained Indian sepoys and used indirect rule through puppet rulers.
• Carnatic Wars (1746-1763): Fought against the British, lost major territories except Pondicherry.
• Cultural Impact: Limited interference in Indian social/religious life, except for rare cases like the destruction of a temple in Pondicherry.

4. The British

• From Traders to Rulers: English East India Company started as traders, gained a royal charter, and gradually took political control.

Strategies:

Divide and Rule: Exploited rivalries between Indian rulers and communities.

Battle of Plassey (1757): British, led by Robert Clive, conspired with Mir Jafar to defeat the Nawab of Bengal.

Doctrine of Lapse: Annexed princely states without male heirs, disregarding Indian adoption traditions.

Subsidiary Alliance: Forced Indian rulers to maintain British troops and follow British foreign policies.

Economic Exploitation: Collected heavy taxes, causing famines (e.g., Bengal Famine of 1770-1772, killing 10 million).

Cultural Impact: Imposed British education, laws, and governance, disrupting Indian traditions.

Impact of British Rule

1. Devastating Famines

• Bengal Famine (1770-1772): Harsh tax policies led to crop failures and 10 million deaths.
• Great Famine (1876-1878): Up to 8 million died in the Deccan plateau; British exported grain despite starvation.
• British policies like high taxes and “free market” worsened famines, with minimal relief efforts.

2. Drain of Wealth

• British extracted billions of pounds from India through taxes, trade control, and infrastructure costs.
• Estimates suggest $45 trillion (in today’s value) was taken from 1765 to 1938, funding Britain’s Industrial Revolution.
• Indian wealth was used to build railways, telegraphs, and support British wars, leaving India impoverished.

3. Decline of Indigenous Industries

India’s textile industry (cotton, silk, etc.) was renowned but ruined by British policies:

• Heavy taxes on Indian textiles exported to Britain.
• Forced import of British goods with low tariffs.
• Artisans became poor, and India’s GDP share dropped from 25% to 5% by Independence.

4. Dismantling Governance

• Village councils and regional kingdoms were replaced by centralized British bureaucracy focused on tax collection.
• British laws ignored Indian customs, making justice expensive and inaccessible.

5. Education Changes

• Traditional schools (pāṭhaśhālās, madrasās) were replaced after Macaulay’s 1835 Minute, which favored English education.
• Goal: Create Indians who were “English in taste, opinions, morals, and intellect” to serve British interests.
• Resulted in a cultural divide between English-educated elites and the masses.

6. Economic Transformation

• India became a supplier of raw materials for British industries and a market for British goods.
• Railways and telegraphs, built with Indian taxes, served British economic and military needs, not local welfare.

Early Resistance Movements

1. Sannyasi-Fakir Rebellion (1770s-1800s)

• Hindu and Muslim ascetics in Bengal resisted British tax and land policies.
• Attacked British treasuries; defeated by British forces.
• Inspired the novel Anandamath and the song Vande Mātaram.

2. Tribal Uprisings

• Kol Uprising (1831-1832): In Chota Nagpur, tribes fought against land policies favoring outsiders.
• Santhal Rebellion (1855-1856): Led by Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu, Santhals resisted land loss; brutally suppressed by British.

3. Peasant Uprisings

• Indigo Revolt (1859-1862): Bengal peasants protested against forced indigo cultivation and exploitation by European planters.
• Supported by educated Bengalis, leading to some reforms.

4. Great Rebellion of 1857

• Also called the “Sepoy Mutiny,” it was a widespread revolt against British rule.
• Causes: Sepoy discontent (e.g., greased cartridges offending Hindu/Muslim beliefs), land revenue issues.

Key Events:

• Started in Meerut, spread to Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow, and Jhansi.
• Leaders like Mangal Pandey, Rani Lakshmibai, Nana Saheb, and Begum Hazrat Mahal resisted.

British Response: Brutal suppression with massacres and village destruction.

Outcome: Failed due to lack of unified command but inspired future freedom movements.

Aftermath: British Crown took direct control in 1858, starting the British Raj.

Legacy of Colonialism

1. Negative Impacts:

• Exploitation, famines, and poverty devastated India.
• Cultural heritage was stolen (statues, manuscripts sent to European museums).
• Traditional systems of governance, education, and industry were dismantled.

2.Unintended Benefits:

• British documented India’s geography, ethnic groups, and monuments, starting archaeology.
• Sanskrit texts were translated, influencing European culture.

3.Cultural Exchange: India’s ancient texts impacted Western philosophers and writers, showing cultural influence flowed both ways.

Key Figures

• Rani Abbakka I and II: Resisted Portuguese control in Ullal.
• Rani Lakshmibai: Led Jhansi’s resistance in 1857, known for bravery.
• Begum Hazrat Mahal: Defended Lucknow during the 1857 Rebellion.
• Dadabhai Naoroji: Highlighted Britain’s wealth drain from India.
• Romesh Chunder Dutt: Documented economic exploitation in his writings.