British Rule in India
Storyboard Text
- This story begins more than 500 years ago, when India had many kings. It was rich and known all over the world for its spices. Europeans used to buy Indian spices from Arab traders.
- In 1498, a Portuguese traveller came to India. His name was Vasco Da Gama. He started buying spices directly from India. Soon, the Portuguese took control of the Indian spice trade.
- We, the Britishers are the leaders of this trade. You all can go back to your countries.
- Realising that the Portuguese were becoming rich in the Indian spice trade, other Europeans like the Dutch, the French and the British followed them and settled in India. Soon, they began to fight among themselves and by the end of the 17th century, the British became the most powerful among the European traders. They established themselves as the English East India Company.
- India was ruled by the the Mughal ruler, Aurangzeb while the East India Company rapidly gained control of the spice trade, After his death, India was divided into many kingdoms that fought among each other. The British took advantage of this and helped kings fight against each other in exchange for land, the right to collect tax, the right to trade and so on. In the next 100 years or so, they had took over most of India.
- As, they gained control over India, the British needed a big army to defend their territory. So they began employing Indian soldiers and also employed Indians to run some of their these territories as well. But these Indians employees by the British were very unhappy with their harsh treatment.
- You Indians are born to serve us. You have to obey us.
- The British traders prospered and forced Indians to grow Jute and Indigo instead of food crops and Indian farmers began to suffer. They sold machine made goods made in England in our markets. This made the potters, weavers and blacksmiths unhappy as people preferred to buy these cheap machine made goods. The British looked down on Indians, paid them less and insulted them. The Indians became poorer, while the British made money and prospered at our expense.
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