India Under Colonial Rule: 1700-1885

 

Each book in the Seminar Studies in History series provides a concise and reliable introduction to complex events and debates. Written by acknowledged experts and supported by extracts from historical documents, a chronology, glossary, who’s who of key figures and guide to further reading, Seminar Studies in History are the essential guides to understanding a topic.

 

 

Between 1700 and 1885 the British became the paramount power on the Indian subcontinent, their authority extending from Sri Lanka in the south to the Himalayas in the north. It was a massive empire, inspiring both pride and anxiety amongst the British, and forcing change upon the lives of its Indian subjects.

 

Yet this is not simply a history of conquest and subjugation. Interaction and interdependency powerfully shaped the histories of all involved, resulting in a hybrid empire, though one which increasingly the British sought to define and control. By 1885 India may have become the jewel in the British crown, but already a series of changes had occurred within Indian society that would set the foundations for the modern states of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Providing a concise introduction to these dramatic changes, this volume:  

• Introduces the major historical developments and debates
• Considers both the British and the Indian perspectives on colonialism
• Analyses the social, economic and cultural dimensions to colonial rule, in particular how race and gender helped structure British and Indian relationships
• Explores how colonial rule impinged on the average Indian

Douglas M. Peers teaches Indian and Imperial History at the University of Calgary. Previous publications include Between Mars and Mammon: Colonial Armies and the Garrison State in Nineteenth-Century India (1995), and two co-edited books, Negotiating India in the Nineteenth Century Media (2000) andJ.S. Mill’s Encounter with India (1999).

 

Each book in the Seminar Studies in History series provides a concise and reliable introduction to complex events and debates. Written by acknowledged experts and supported by extracts from historical documents, a chronology, glossary, who’s who of key figures and guide to further reading, Seminar Studies in History are the essential guides to understanding a topic.

 

 

Between 1700 and 1885 the British became the paramount power on the Indian subcontinent, their authority extending from Sri Lanka in the south to the Himalayas in the north. It was a massive empire, inspiring both pride and anxiety amongst the British, and forcing change upon the lives of its Indian subjects.

 

Yet this is not simply a history of conquest and subjugation. Interaction and interdependency powerfully shaped the histories of all involved, resulting in a hybrid empire, though one which increasingly the British sought to define and control. By 1885 India may have become the jewel in the British crown, but already a series of changes had occurred within Indian society that would set the foundations for the modern states of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Providing a concise introduction to these dramatic changes, this volume:  

• Introduces the major historical developments and debates
• Considers both the British and the Indian perspectives on colonialism
• Analyses the social, economic and cultural dimensions to colonial rule, in particular how race and gender helped structure British and Indian relationships
• Explores how colonial rule impinged on the average Indian

Douglas M. Peers teaches Indian and Imperial History at the University of Calgary. Previous publications include Between Mars and Mammon: Colonial Armies and the Garrison State in Nineteenth-Century India (1995), and two co-edited books, Negotiating India in the Nineteenth Century Media (2000) andJ.S. Mill’s Encounter with India (1999).

Written by a dynamic expert in the area, this introductory book has been written for anyone finding out about Indian history for the first time.

• Indian and imperial history are increasingly popular subjects
• Unlike most other books on the subject, this book looks at colonial rule in the context of Indian history instead of just from the perspective of European imperialism
• Features such as maps, a chronology of main events, a glossary and a guide to the major Indian and British figures during the period make the subject easy to understand

Between 1700 and 1885 the British became the paramount power on the Indian subcontinent, their authority extending from Sri Lankain the south to the Himalayasin the north. It was a massive empire, inspiring both pride and anxiety amongst the British, and forcing change upon and disrupting the lives of its Indian subjects.

Yet it is not simply a history of conquest and subjugation, or dominance and defeat: interaction and interdependency powerfully shaped the histories of all involved. The end result was a hybrid empire. India may have become by 1885 the jewel in the British crown, but by that same year a series of changes had occurred within Indian society that would set the foundations for the modern states of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. This book provides a concise introduction to these dramatic changes. 

Douglas Peers teaches Indian and Imperial History at the Universityof Calgary. Previous publications include Between Mars and Mammon: Colonial Armies and the Garrison State in Nineteenth-Century India (1995), co-edited books on J.S. Mill and Indiaand on Indiain the Victorian mass media, and articles on many different aspects of Indian military, literary and political history.

Introduction to the Series

Acknowledgements

Maps

Preface

Note on Spelling

Chronology

 

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.    BACKGROUND AND HISTORIOGRAPHY

PART TWO: ANALYSIS

2.    EMPIRES AND ENTREPRENEURS, 1700-65

Environment and the Physical Setting

Mughal Eclipse and the Rise of Regional Powers

Europeans and the Trading World of the Indian Ocean

Competition and Conflict in South India

The Revolution in Bengal

3.    CONQUEST AND CONSOLIDATION, 1765-1857

British-Indian Relations on the Eve of Conquest  

Institutions and Ideologies of the Raj

Imperial Priorities: Security, Stability, Profitability

An Age of Reform?

Indian Reactions and Initiatives

4.    REBELLION AND RECONSTRUCTION, 1857-885

The Indian Rebellion, 1857-58

Legacies of the Rebellion  

Economies and Communities under Strain  

The Indian National Congress and the Limits of Nationalism

 

PART THREE: ASSESSMENT

5.    THE LEGACIES OF EMPIRE IN BRITAIN AND INDIA

 

PART FOUR: DOCUMENTS

Glossary

Whos Who

Further Reading

References

Index