There are many attributes that led to the rise of the British presence in India, but the primary reason can be connected to the crumbling Mughal Empire at the time. The growing cost of war, the rise of regionalism, and the failure of the Mughal financial system were some of the forces that contributed to the decline of the Mughal Empire. The Mughal Empire’s decline set the stage for British colonialism in India, as the waning power of the Mughals allowed the East India Company to slowly expand and take over India through a combination of subsidiary alliances and military domination. However, despite their dominance, the EIC would meet trouble later on as the former independent regions began to rebel due to a variety of regions, varying from
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For one, the various reforms that the EIC implemented contributed to the loss of land rights of urban traders and moneylenders caused discontent in the countryside (Bose and Jalal 77). In addition to this, there was a rise of patriotism and regional nationalism mainly due to the British occupation that was slowly draining revenue from India. There factors were just the fuse for the bomb, as the actual rebellion mainly occurred due to the Lee Enfield Rifle crisis, an alleged “insidious” attempt for the British to convert the Indians to Christianity by smearing pig and cow fat on the cartridges that were ripped open with teeth (Bose and Jalal 74). This led to a widespread rebellion throughout India, with several different rebellions playing out. For example, Awadh would rebel against the EIC because it was annexed much later than other states, which led to more economic and political resentment. During the Awadh Rebellion, peasants and artisans joined together to imprison a British garrison in Lucknow, humiliating the EIC and throwing the state into a panic (Bose and Jalal 74). The more prominent rebellions were in the former Martha Confederacy territories. Leaders such as Rani of Jhansi and Nami Sahib led peasants against the EIC in order to win independence and freedom from British dominance and rule. However, despite their best efforts, the rebellions were subsequently quashed after several years of warfare and after it became evident that the EIC couldn’t hold onto India by themselves, the British intervened and thus beginning the colonization of India by the British Empire
For one, the various reforms that the EIC implemented contributed to the loss of land rights of urban traders and moneylenders caused discontent in the countryside (Bose and Jalal 77). In addition to this, there was a rise of patriotism and regional nationalism mainly due to the British occupation that was slowly draining revenue from India. There factors were just the fuse for the bomb, as the actual rebellion mainly occurred due to the Lee Enfield Rifle crisis, an alleged “insidious” attempt for the British to convert the Indians to Christianity by smearing pig and cow fat on the cartridges that were ripped open with teeth (Bose and Jalal 74). This led to a widespread rebellion throughout India, with several different rebellions playing out. For example, Awadh would rebel against the EIC because it was annexed much later than other states, which led to more economic and political resentment. During the Awadh Rebellion, peasants and artisans joined together to imprison a British garrison in Lucknow, humiliating the EIC and throwing the state into a panic (Bose and Jalal 74). The more prominent rebellions were in the former Martha Confederacy territories. Leaders such as Rani of Jhansi and Nami Sahib led peasants against the EIC in order to win independence and freedom from British dominance and rule. However, despite their best efforts, the rebellions were subsequently quashed after several years of warfare and after it became evident that the EIC couldn’t hold onto India by themselves, the British intervened and thus beginning the colonization of India by the British Empire