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Summary A* essay - colonial policy in India
A* British empire essay
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‘British policies towards India completely changed in the years 1857 to 1877.’Assess the validity of this view.
(25 marks)
The year 1857 is often taken as a key turning point in Britain’s policies towards India owing to the Indian
Mutiny. Grievances about pay, conditions and religious insensitivity related to the introduction of new rifle
cartridges led to a wider rebellion among the sepoys of the Bengal army and the slaughter of British officers,
wives and children. Whilst vast areas of India remained untouched, the impact the rebellion on British
authority was sufficient to cause a series of complete changes in politics, the military and public opinion in the
years from 1857 to 1877, and in the development of the economy and, more gradually, in education.
The most obvious and far reaching change in British policy to India was political, with the introduction of the
Government of India Act in 1858. This transferred all the political powers enjoyed by the East India Company
directly to the British Crown and furthermore meant that Queen Victoria became the Queen of India. In order
to bolster support from the Indian nobility, the loyalty of the majority of India’s princes was recognised
through the removal of the much hated doctrine of lapse and an elaborate hierarchy of status was created
conferring prestige on the princes. This particular policy had a degree of continuity, to an extent, as Europeans
had always had to work with the existing rulers in India, but the significance of the change was that it
formalised such arrangements with Victoria as the princes’ undisputed superior. Another key political
development during this period was the creation of a new structure to govern India. The November 1858
Proclamation created the position of Secretary of State for India to be advised by the Council of India. This was
designed to limit the remainders of the East India Company and give the British Government the ability to
direct policy in India. Meanwhile, the position of Governor-General became known as the Viceroy, emphasising
the fact that he was now the monarch’s representative in India as well as head of the Government in India.
Overall, British policies in terms of political control completely changed in this period as they constituted a
clear signal that Britain was to exercise total authority over her Indian subjects, a point reinforced with Victoria
becoming Empress of India 1877. Alongside political changes, the period 1857-77 also included significant
military reforms. The British Indian army was immediately reformed as a result of the Mutiny. The armies of
the East India Company were brought under the control of the British Crown. Elements that had been disloyal
to the British were disbanded and recruitment increased from more loyal sections of Indian society, the Sikh
and Muslim communities. The number of British officers and troops was increased to improve control and
greater respect shown to sepoy beliefs and traditions and Indian regiments were not permitted to have
artillery in order to safeguard against future revolts. Whilst further military changes occurred after this period
with the Kitchener reforms in 1903, the transfer of military power from the East India Company to the British
Crown represented a complete change from before 1857.
Alongside political and military developments there was also a marked change in British attitudes towards
Indians between 1857 and 1877. Victorian morals had been outranged by the (sometimes exaggerated) tales
of torture, rape and the killing of women and children in 1857. The brutality of British officials created fear,
hatred and greater separation where previously coexistence, or in some cases British admiration for an
unfamiliar culture, had been the norm. Whilst superior attitudes towards ‘native populations’ existed before
the Mutiny, the violence served to harden these beliefs and create a greater degree of separation between the
British and the Indians, even though the majority had not rebelled. The need for stability against this
background was reflected by significant legal change during the 1860s. East India Company courts were
merged with the Crown courts and the British introduced a system based largely on English law. However,
after the Mutiny there was also a growing recognition that imposing European cultural values on the Indian
population could prove counter-productive so greater care was taken over religiously sensitive areas in
relation to the registering of women for census purposes or the age at which children could marry. Mindful of
such religious sensitivities British missionary activity was also discouraged. The events of 1857 clearly had a
profound impact on British policies to India, both in the political and military sense, but also in the way the
British public and the British in India, perceived Indians themselves. However alongside increased sensitivity,
imposing westernisation was still prevalent. A final aspect of British policy in India that developed rather than
completely changed was that of education. The need for British educational influence in India was championed
by Macaulay as early as 1835. The creation of an education system to create anglicised Indians to serve as go-
betweens in assisting the British to manage their interests in the sub-continent was therefore well established
before 1857. Hundreds of schools were founded and the tens of thousands of Indians educated, a third of
whom entered into public administration. Moreover the first universities in Calcutta, Bombay and Madras
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