The rebellion slowed the “reforms” that had angered Hindus and Muslims. In India, discontent continued to feed a growing nationalist movement. Indian nationalists later called the 1857 uprising India's First War of Independence.

India Under British Rule

After 1858, Parliament set up a system of colonial rule in India which became known as the British Raj. A British viceroy in India governed in the name of the queen, and British officials held the top positions in the civil service and army. Indians filled most other jobs. With their cooperation, the British made India the “brightest jewel” in the crown of their empire.

British policies were designed to fit India into the overall British economy. At the same time, British officials felt they were helping India to modernize. In their terms, modernizing meant adopting not only Western technology but also Western culture.

This railway station was built in India in 1878 during the British Raj. British architects incorporated traditional Indian architectural features into the design.

An Unequal Partnership

Britain saw India both as a market and as a source of raw materials. To this end, the British built roads and an impressive railroad network. Improved transportation let the British sell their factory-made goods across the subcontinent and carry Indian cotton, jute, and coal to coastal ports for transport to factories in England.

New methods of communication, such as the telegraph, also gave Britain better control of India. After the Suez Canal opened in 1869, British trade with India soared. But it remained an unequal partnership, favoring the British. The British flooded India with inexpensive, machine-made textiles, ruining India's once-prosperous hand-weaving industry.

Britain also transformed Indian agriculture. It encouraged nomadic herders to settle into farming and pushed farmers to grow cash crops, such as cotton, that could be sold on the world market. However, British land policies resulted in peasants losing property, leading to a steady decline in the standard of living for most Indians. Clearing new farmlands led to massive deforestation, or cutting of trees, and other environmental destruction.

The Strain of Population Growth

The British introduced medical improvements as new farming methods increased food production. The result was rapid population growth.

The rising numbers put a strain on the food supply, especially as farmland was turned over to growing cash crops instead of food. In the late 1800s, terrible famines swept India.

Benefits of British Colonial Rule

On the positive side, British rule brought some degree of peace and order to the countryside. Railroads helped Indians move around the country, while the telegraph and postal system improved communication. Greater contact helped bridge regional differences and develop a sense of national unity.

The upper classes, especially, benefited from some British policies. They sent their sons to British schools, where they were trained for posts in the civil service and military. Indian landowners and princes, who still ruled their own territories, grew rich from exporting cash crops.

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