When trading began in earnest between Europeans and the Oriental and Middle Eastern nations, Great Britain saw their chance. They started a company called the English East India Company which controlled virtually all trade that went through India. The East India Co. was an independent country, even though it had strong political ties to the British government, and used its power to control most of the land of India.
During the middle of the eighteenth century, the French tried to take over part of India. With the help of the British government, the East India Co. was able to fight off the French and allow them only a few trading posts in the country. From these fights the Company was able to gain even more land in India, and in 1773, it became a semiofficial agency of the British government. British governmental policy was applied to its actions in India, and the Indian people weren't strong enough to fight off the incoming Brits.
The British then went on to slowly overtake the entire subcontinent of India. Along the way, though they faced many conflicts with the Indian people. Great Britain put forth doctrine that stated that the East India Company had the right to annex any territory that was not governed by a born in ruler, and according to this policy the British were annexing territories left and right. In a way, India was benefiting from the British who were bringing in things like railroads, roads, telegraphs, and postal services. The Indian people did not see things like this however, they looked at the British modernization with fear and distrust.
As the unrest in India grew, the native troop employed by the British began to mount a rebellion. These troops soon started a conflict called the Sepoy Mutiny. The Sepoys took towns like Delhi and other strategic points murdering hundreds of British people in the process. The fighting went on for almost three years. As a result of the Sepoy Mutiny, the British government passed legislation, called the Act for Better Government of India, that switched control of India from the East India Company to the British crown. This began a whole new phase in the history of Indian government.
The British government inherited many problems from the East India Company. There was a very impoverished nation that didn't like its colonial status and had a growing spirit of nationalism. Numerous natural disasters, like famines, also added to the political unrest. Taking in all of these facts Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India.
In the next fifty years Indian people began to form secret organizations, lead propaganda campaigns, and try create a higher awareness among the people as to what the British government was doing in the land. An especially powerful organization among the Indians was the Indian National Congress. This organization worked especially hard at uniting the people of India and better informing them of the government and its practices. All of these things put together posed a serious threat to the British control of India. The congress incited many years of violent uprisings and acts of terrorism by the Indian people. When the British would retaliate, the people would boycott British goods causing even more problems for the Brits. Finally the British tried to quell the rebellion by passing laws that allowed them to imprison and punish Indian "seditionists" without a trial. This only led to more unrest of the native people.
One moment that partially united the British and the Indians, perhaps for the last time, was the outbreak of WWI. Many Indian people fought on the side of the British during that war.
After WWI, though, the Indian revolts became more frequent. The British passed legislation that called to martial law in places where riots were being held.
In the midst of all of this unrest, a new Indian political figure emerged. Perhaps the most important person of the Indian freedom movement, Mohandas K. Gandhi called for the Indian people to face British injustice with passive resistance. A policy of noncooperation was instated, and this called for the boycott of most British goods and services. However, this noncooperation was attended by violence, despite Gandhi's protest for nonviolent rebellion. In the eyes of the British, Gandhi's actions constituted sedition, and he was subsequently subjected to frequent imprisonment over the next 20 years.
Starting in 1922, Gandhi led a series of rebellions that seriously infringed on British control. Finally in 1931, Britain made a truce with Gandhi. In 1935 laws were passed that allowed for some autonomous legislative bodies in some of the provinces of British India and a central government that represented the princely states of the colony. Still some members of the Indian national congress called for complete independence of India.
During World War II, the Indian people called for their independence in return for their contributions to the war efforts. The British sent proposals for an interim self-government with Britain still controlling defense and foreign affairs. The leaders of the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League had objections to sections of the program, and subsequently, the mission ended unsuccessfully.
Gandhi was finally released by the British government on May 6, 1944. In 1945 India became a charter member of the U.N. Another attempt was made to negotiate a truce between the Indian people and the British government that was unsuccessful. Finally life in India became close to anarchy, and the Prime Minister of Great Britain stated that his country would relinquish control on India no later than June 30, 1948. On August 15, 1947, the Indian Independence Act was passed that gave India its independence and created the separate countries of India and Pakistan. Since that time August 15 has been known as Independence Day in India.
The British ruled over India for a few centuries. During this time, the British suppressed Indian culture. There were no real great achievements. The British made a majority of the Indians laborers and servants. Good education was hard to come by in India at this time. The only way to get a good education was to go to London. None of the Indian universities were good enough for the British. Indians could still go to Indian universities, but the degrees they received from these colleges wouldn't allow them to pursue any good jobs. This did, however, change with time. The University of Calcutta was the first university that met the standards of the British.
The greatest influence that the British contributed to India was in architecture and transportation. They greatly improved transportation by building railroads throughout India. This made areas that were previously inaccessible more accessible. It also increased the shipment of raw goods, which was the main reason for the British presence in India. They also advanced the architectural aspects of India. Many of the buildings in India were based on British ideas.
The British didn't really affect many of the cultural aspects of India. There were no great achievements; however, they did retain all the previous cultural achievements. The British affected neither religion nor clothing. They didn't many of Britain's ways even though Britain ruled India.