Tier 2

• Fortify: To put defenses in place to protect from attack.

• Emperor: A man who rules an empire
• Empress: A woman who rules an empire.
• Mughal Empire: a Muslim government who ruled India for 200 years.
• Indian Subcontinent: Area in South Asia that covers India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan,
Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
• Dominions: A country that can rule and govern itself, independent from the British Empire but
the British still have some form of influence there.
• Commonwealth: An international organisation that includes the UK and states (countries/
territories) it once ruled.
• Princely states: Princes who ruled different parts of India that helped the British to rule the British
Raj.
• Genocide: The deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic
group in order to destroy that nation or group.
• Famine: A shortage of food.
• Reform: Make changes to something to improve it
• Enlisted (enlist): To join or sign up for war.
Courageous
The British Empire: India and
Resilient

L/O: To discuss the influence of the British Empire in India

Activity 1: Read the information and answer the questions.

Section 1: Becoming a Colony

The Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire ruled India for about 200 years, from 1526 to the early 18 th century (1700s). The
Mughals were a Muslim power governing a Hindu country. The greatest Mughal emperor, Akbar
gained the cooperation of Hindu leaders which helped him to be successful. Akbar’s rule and
government were considered good as cultural life flourished, as he encouraged at and learning
(education). He reformed the army, the civil service and the collection of taxes. Although inequality
in terms of wealth among the Indian subcontinent affected his success, he promoted tolerance in
religion among Muslims, Christians and Hindus, and wanted non-Muslims to practice their beliefs
openly and freely. As a result, his Empire was very successful, and he became known as ‘Akbar the
Great’.

As different Mughal emperors took over, they lost control of certain parts of land in the
subcontinent and by the mid-18th century, they only ruled a small area. The British took over this
land in 1803. The last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah II ruled until 1857 when the British forced him
to leave India.

The East India Company and the British Raj

The East India Company was started by the English (later British) in the 1600s. They started the
company for trading where they traded spices, raw cotton and silk with India and China. As they
began to have more of an influence in India, the company began to fortify its territories there.
Eventually, as the Mughal Empire fell apart, the British became more influential and gained more
power over areas in India, they created a government that would help them maintain their control.

In 1858 India became a British colony and it was known as the British Raj for 200 years before they
left in 1947. It was agreed that princely states (run by princes in different areas of India) ran their
territories but the British would influence and protect them. In 1876 Queen Victoria became
Empress of India.

1) Which continent is India in?

2) How many years did the Mughals rule India?

3) Explain why Akbar’s rule was successful. Include 3 reasons.

4) When was the East India Company created?

5) Why did the English start the East India Company?

6) What materials or items did they trade?

7) Who did they trade with?

8) Which year was the ‘British Raj’ established?

9) How did the British control India? (Tip: think about princely states)

10) How many years did the British rule the Indian subcontinent?
Section 2: India, WWI and WWII

During World War I and World War II, Britain enlisted soldiers across all its colonies – this meant that
men from dominion countries (like Australia, New Zealand and Canada) and British colonies were
told to fight in the war in the name of the British Empire. The Indian Army served as a security force
in India and fought in battles overseas, particularly in WWI and II.

Over 1 million Indian troops fought during WWI and more than 74,000 of these soldiers died. The
Indian Army fought against the German Empire as they were sent to Egypt and East Africa. During
WWII, the British Raj sent over 2.5 million Indian soldiers to fight under the Empire. They fought in
different parts of the world, including Europe, North Africa where they fought against Germany and
Italy. They fought battles in India, Singapore and Hong Kong too, against the Japanese. Over 87,000
Indian soldiers died.

Also, the British government borrowed billions of pounds to help finance the war. This resulted in
the Bengal Famine of 1943. The people of Bengal (now modern-day Bangladesh) depended on rice,
so when the British decided that they were going to give the rice to the soldiers fighting the war,
ordinary people were left with almost nothing to eat. This led to 3million Bengalis dying as a result of
starvation. The British Prime Minister at the time, Winston Churchill did not send emergency food
relief to help them.

11) What is a ‘dominion’ country?

12) List 2 ’dominion’ countries.

13) Explain why the British enlisted soldiers from the British Army during WWI and WWII.

14) Where did Indian soldiers fight? Give 2 examples.

15) How many soldiers died during WWI?

16) How many soldiers died during WWII?

17) How much money did the British ‘borrow’ from India?

18) Explain why some people would argue that WWII caused the ‘Bengal Famine of 1943’.

Section 3: Indian Independence, Partition and the Creation of Pakistan

When the Mughals ruled India the three main religious groups: Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs lived
peacefully side by side. During and immediately after WWII, the Indian people grew very angry and
began demanding that they be given independence from the British. However, there were
differences among them. Muslims in India felt like their voices were not being heard and their needs
were not being met. As a result, there were two main political parties:

• The Indian National Congress: A national party made up of majority Hindus. Nehru
was the leader.

• The Muslim League: A party that was made up of Muslims. Jinnah was the leader.

Unfortunately, India began to split politically, and people began to disagree with one another based
on their religion. At the time, there were a lot of changes around the world and people did not
believe that having an Empire was morally correct, as it it meant that countries could not run their
country themselves or have a say in how to do it. As people’s beliefs about Empire changed and
more protests that took place in India, the British government finally decided that India would be
granted independence. So, in June 1947 the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill sent a man
named Sir Cyril Radcliffe to India to draw up the borders between India and a new Muslim state. He
drew two lines: these lines cut through the Punjab and Bengal and created India and Pakistan. This
was called the ‘Indian Partition’. For centuries people of different religions lived in the same villages.
However, the Partition meant that Hindus and Sikhs fled to India and Muslims fled to Pakistan. This
was because, religious groups began killing one another, and escaped to the country that they felt
they ‘belonged’ to. It is estimated that almost 2 million died and 15 million people were displaced as
a result of the Partition. Many people blame the British for this.

Later, in 1971 East Pakistan became what is now Bangladesh. The Bengali people fought the
Bangladesh Liberation war for their Bangla language and culture. This resulted in the genocide of 3
million people.

19) List the main 3 religious groups in India.

20) Why was the ’Muslim League’ formed?

21) Who was the British Prime Minister at the time?

22) Who drew the lines that created India and Pakistan?

23) What year was India (and Pakistan) given independence?

24) What is the name given to the split that Pakistan?

25) Explain the consequences of the split. (Tip: Think about the religious disagreements)

26) How many people died during as a result of the split?

27) Explain why people blame the British for the amount of people that died.

28) What was Bangladesh formally known as?

29) Which year was Bangladesh established?

30) How many people died as a result of the Bangladesh Liberation War?

Section 4: India and the Commonwealth

The Commonwealth is an organization of 54 countries from all over the world: the Pacific, Africa,
Asia, Europe, the Caribbean and Americas. Some of the countries included Australia, Canada, New
Zealand, Uganda, Kenya, Jamaica and Barbados. They were dominions and territories that were once
ruled by Britain and later gained independence from a British king or queen. These places however,
wanted to keep a relationship with Britain. They make up about 30% of all the world’s people –
imagine the influence Britain has! In 1947 India and Pakistan became members of the
Commonwealth.

There are many reasons why these places decided to maintain their relationship with Britain. The
Commonwealth was formed so that members could support one another. It encouraged democracy,
human rights and trade. It meant that the ordinary people of these countries could vote and choose
their leaders. It also meant that if any human rights were violated or taken away, people could turn
to Commonwealth for help support. More importantly, all Commonwealth members could continue
to trade and conduct business with one another as well as with Britain. This of course, meant that
countries could find a way to boost and support their economies.

Ultimately, this allowed Britain to maintain its influence in the world. Some people would argue that
this was like their second empire. Although it meant that the British could not tell these countries
and territories what to do and how to run their country, they still respect Britain as a powerful
country (almost like the UK is their parent). Therefore, to some extent, the British could have a say in
how things were done, whether it is the laws of the country or trading and creating business.

31) How many countries/ territories make up the Commonwealth?

32) How much (%) of the world’s population is part of the Commonwealth?

33) Explain why did these countries want to keep their relationship with Britain. Give 3
examples.

34) Explain why people would say that the Commonwealth is like Britain’s ‘second empire’?

35) Now write your own opinion. Do you think the Commonwealth is a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ idea?