Topic: India and China in the Age of Imperialism

Objectives:
a) Identify why the European Exploration became the roots of Colonialism.
b) Determine why the British government gain control over the British east India
Company.
c) Analyze what is the connection of India and China in the Age of Imperialism.
Contents:
o Initially, the Europeans only concerned themselves with trade in India. They
could not intervene in local politics because of the powerful Mughal dynasty.
o With the decline of the Mughal dynasty, the Europeans got involved in India’s
political affair. The French East India Company backed Indian leaders who
supported European interests. Subsequently, the British East India Company
also intervened in local politics with the likes of Robert Clive frustrating French
ambitions in India.
o The British East Indian Company expanded its territories even to the point of
breaking treaties with its former allies. The rulers of the remaining states reacted
angrily to the conquest. At the same time, they feared subjugation and looked for
an opportunity to drive to British out of India.
o The governors-general who administered territories of the British East India
Company forced changes in the customs and traditions of the Indians.
o The sepoys revolted in !857 because of British insensitivity toward the culture of
their Indian Soldiers.

India and China in the Age of Imperialism

European Exploration: The Roots of Colonialism

• Asian products had been coming to Europe for a long time. One of them was the
spice used for Europeans to add flavor to their food.
• Constantinople – a major trading port that linked Europe and Asia – fell into the
hands of Muslim Turks from Ottoman empire.
• Ottoman Turks controlled the price and flow of spice to Europe.
• To overcome the monopolies of the Italians and Muslims, Europeans embarked
on search for other routes to Asia. They guessed that by sailing along the
northern, western, and southern parts of Africa, they would eventually reach India
– the soul of the spice trade.
Portugal Moves Forward
• Prince Henry of Portugal – also called the “Navigator”, had a major role in the
development of seafaring technology. He established schools for seafaring to
improve knowledge of ocean-based travel.
• 1948 CE – the Portuguese ship led by Vasco de Gama navigated the southern
part of Africa and reached Calicut, India.
• The Portuguese become the first western colonial power in Asia. They were also
the last colonial power to leave Asia when they handed over Macau to China in
1999.
The Colonization of India
• Initially, the Europeans only concerned themselves with trade in India.
• The Muslim emperor Aurangzeb (1658- 1707 CE) started to oppress his non-
Muslim followers. He put to death all those who refused to convert to Islam
 including Tegh Bahadur, the ninth guru of the Sikh religion. In response, the
Marathas and Sikhs launched continuous rebellions against the Mughal dynasty.
• With the decline of the Mughal dynasty, the Europeans got involved in India’s
political affair. Joseph Dupliex, the director of a private trading firm called the
French East India Company, saw the weakness of the Indian military forces. He
proposed a plan to the company’s board of directors: the colonization of India.
• However, a more talented and capable person fulfilled Dupliex’s ambition:
Robert Clive, an employee of the British East India Company. Like its French
counterpart, the British East India Co. was set up by private traders under a royal
charter.
The Colonization of India by the British East India Company
• The British East India Company expanded its territories even to the point of
breaking treaties with its former allies.
• In the second half of the 18 th century CE, the British East India Company
strengthen its hold on India, which made the leaders of the remaining provinces
nervous.
• In 1757 CE, Siraj-ud-daulah, the nawab (governor) of Bengal, moved to curb the
powers of the British in his territory.
• Many of the prisoners died in the infamous “Black of the Hole of Calcutta,”
which angered the British.
• Clive pitted the 3,000 of his men against Siraj’s 50,000 soldiers in the Battle of
Plassey (1957 CE).
• With the defeat of Siraj’s forces, Bengal became a virtue territory of the British
East India Company. Bengal became the nucleus of what would become the
British empire in India.
The Rise to Power of the British East India Company
• After Bengal, the British East India Company was able to gain control over other
provinces like Oudh, Hyderabad, and the Punjab by means of the same tactic of
supporting puppet Indian leaders who allied themselves with the British.
• British blatantly conquered other Indian states whose leaders were not as
cooperative or friendly to the company.
• The employees of the British East India Company exploited the territories that
they conquered.
• Eventually, the company suffered from huge financial losses and it could not pay
the taxes it owed to the British government.
The British Government Gains Control Over the British East India Company
• The British Parliament passed laws to regulate the power of the British East India
Company and place it under careful scrutiny. One of these measures was the
consolidation of territories controlled by the company under a governor-general.
• In 1774 CE, Bengal governor Warren Hastings became the governor-general of
British India.
• Eventually and up to 1857 CE, the British government in India (also known as
“Company Raj”) openly conquered the various provinces of India. The British in
the Company Raj invalidated treaties and disregarded agreements made with
former friends. The rest of Indian leaders were alarmed and waited for the
opportunity to drive the British out of India.
Changes in India 
Some of these changes were as follows:
a. The integration of all Indian soldiers belonging to different social classes in the
army in total disregard of the caste system;
 b. The prohibition of sati, a practice whereby a widow committed suicide while her
dead husband was being cremated;
c. Permission for widows to remarry, which was not allowed by Indian custom; and
d. The prohibition of marriage for minors.
Sepoy Rebellion
• Sepoys – Indian soldiers of the British army
• Indians were also angry because of the British enforced the use of the Enfield
rifle.
• The sepoys revolted in 1857 because of the British insensitivity towards the
culture of their Indian soldiers.
• The British were able to end the rebellion after a year. However, someone had to
be punished for what happened. Bahadur Shah, the last emperor of the Mughal
dynasty, was exiled by the British to Burma in 1858.
• The British Parliament dissolved the British East India Company and transferred
jurisdiction of company territories to the British government.
• Through Queen Victoria, the British government promised to respect Indian
traditions and the rulers of the remaining states.
• Queen Victoria was declared Empress of India in 1877, a title that remained with
the British monarchs until 1947.
China Under the Colonial Powers
• China is one of the oldest civilizations in the world.
• Chinese believed that they could never be conquered by other nations. In their
long history, however, they has been subjugated twice by foreigners before the
coming of the Westerners.
• Almost four centuries later, the Manchus took the throne from the Ming dynasty
in 1644 CE.
• Under the reigns of Kangxi or K’anghsi (1661-1772 CE) and Qianlong or
Chienlung (1735-1796 CE), China became prosperous and peaceful. But around
the time of Qianlong’s death in 1799 CE, China was already experiencing
overpopulation and a scarcity of agricultural lands. The Chinese were also
organizing secret societies that challenged Manchu rule.
The Coming of the Westerners
• China was forced open to free trade by the West during the Manchu dynasty.
• Initially, the Chinese looked down on people from other cultures. They did not
allow foreigners to interact with them.
• Chinese officials confined the traders to the southern port of Guangzhou
(Canton).
• A group called the Gohang or Cohong strictly monitored the Westerners. Still,
before they could even do business, traders had to pay a tribute to the Chinese
emperor. This act confirmed the superiority of the Chinese and their emperor.
• The Westerners protested against the restrictions of the Gohang system. They
insisted repeatedly on having free trade but were repeatedly rebuked by Chinese
authorities.
The Opium War
• European trade in China was limited. In order to balance its trade with China, the
Europeans sold opium to the Chinese.
• Opium – a drug produced from the poppy plant brought to China by the Turks
and Arabs. Chinese mixed the drug with drinks and used it as an anesthetic to
relieve headaches, toothaches and rheumatism.
• From its medical use, opium eventually became an addictive drug.
 • During this period, the British East India Company realized huge profits from the
sale of opium.
• The Chinese emperors tried to suppress the drug trade but failed. It resulting in a
war between China and Britain.
• The emperor instructed Lin Zexu, a Chinese official, to stop the opium trade. He
went to Guangzhou in 1839 and confiscated numerous chests of opium owned
by the British East India Company. Because he destroyed the opium cargo, the
British declared war on the Chinese. This became known as the First Opium
War which lasted from 1839 to 1842.
• In the beginning, the British could not defeat the Chinese because of the China’s
vast size. Britain needed to send its warship to Beijing. During this time, the
British had already built steam-powered ships. They also discovered the Grand
Canal which connected Beijing to the sea. In a matter of a few days, the British
arrived in Beijing via Grand Canal.
China lost the first Opium War and came under the control of the West.
• In 1842, the British and the Chinese signed the Treaty of Nanjing. It
compensated the British for the lost opium in the amount of six million pound
sterling, dismantled the Gohang system, opened five ports to free trade, and
ceded the island of Hong Kong to Britain.
• The British continued their victory in the Second Opium War in 1856 which
opened the Yangtze River to the Westerners.
The Failure of the Ching Dynasty’s Modernization Program
• The Manchus tried to change their attitudes towards the Westerners.
• The Manchus tried to implement new government policies in order to restore the
honor and prestige of the empire and strengthen Chinese society.
• The Chinese government had been paralyzed by the Empress Dowager Cixi
(Tzu His). Until 1908, she manipulated the succession of the emperors to the
throne and made sure that no one would challenge her power. She deposed and
assassinated emperors and heirs who were broadminded and less conservative.
• In 1911, the Chinese responded to the Western challenge and Manchu
ineffectiveness with a revolution, thereby bringing an end to the monarchy.
Referrence:
Fornier, J.N, Banasihan, M. et’al (2006): ASIA ,History, Civilization, and Culture,
Anvil Publishing Inc.

Thank you po  
Exercise #1 (2pts)
1. A major trading port that linked Europe and Asia – fell into the hands of Muslim
Turks from Ottoman Empire.
a) Constantinople
b) Ottoman
c) Europeans
2. Who controlled the price and flow of spice to Europe?
a) Europeans
b) Muslim
c) Ottoman Turks
3. He also called the “Navigator”, had a major role in the development of seafaring
technology. He established schools for seafaring to improve knowledge of ocean-
based travel.
a) Napoleon Bonaparte
b) Christopher Columbus
c) Prince Henry of Portugal
4. In what year the Portuguese ship led by Vasco de Gama navigated the southern
part of Africa and reached Calicut, India?
a) 1948 CE
b) 1958 CE
c) 1938 CE
5. Who is the director of a private trading firm called the French East India
Company, saw the weakness of the Indian military forces?
a) Joseph Dupliex
b) Joseph Curpuz
c) Joseph Stalin

Exercise #2 (2pts)
1. Who is an employee of the British East India Company. Like its French
counterpart, the British East India Co. was set up by private traders under a royal
charter?
a) Robert Fox
b) Robert Clive
c) Robert Gamboa
2. It is called Indian soldiers of the British army
a) Sepoys
b) Sevoys
c) Sedoys
3. He is the last emperor of the Mughal dynasty, was exiled by the British to Burma
in 1858.
a) Bahadur Shu
b) Bahadur Shah
c) Bahadur Sulu
4. She was declared Empress of India in 1877, a title that remained with the British
monarchs until 1947.
a) Queen Elizabeth
b) Queen Elsa
c) Queen Victoria
 5. A drug produced from the poppy plant brought to China by the Turks and Arabs.
Chinese mixed the drug with drinks and used it as an anesthetic to relieve
headaches, toothaches and rheumatism.
a) Opium
b) Consume
c) Cold

Exercise #3 Essays (5pts)

1. Do you believe that European Exploration is really the roots of colonialism? And
Why?

2. In your own site, Why the First Opium War became lost in China?
Key to answer:
Exercise #1
1. A
2. C
3.C
4.A
5.A

Exercise #2
1.B
2.A
3.B
4.C
5. A

Report by: Ghypsie D. Lopez

Instructor: Dr. Ray Samuel G. Grecalda