Modern India

Overview

Modern India covers roughly three centuries (1600–1947) during which European trading companies arrived, the British established colonial rule, and Indians waged a prolonged freedom struggle culminating in Independence. For UTET Paper II, this is a high-yield area: expect direct questions on the sequence of European arrivals, key Acts and policies of British administration, causes and consequences of the 1857 Revolt, and milestones of the national movement from the formation of Congress to Quit India. Uttarakhand-specific questions may link local figures (e.g., Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali) to broader events.

Mastering this topic requires a clear timeline, understanding of cause-effect relationships, and the ability to match leaders with movements. Focus on dates, Governor-Generals, important Acts, and the ideological shift from Moderate to Extremist to Gandhian phases.

Key Concepts

• **European Trading Companies** – Portuguese (1498, Vasco da Gama), Dutch, English (East India Company, 1600), French and Danish arrived primarily for spices and textiles; rivalries led to Carnatic Wars and eventual British supremacy.

• **Establishment of British Rule** – Battle of Plassey (1757) and Battle of Buxar (1764) gave the Company political control over Bengal; Dual Government followed by direct administration.

• **Subsidiary Alliance and Doctrine of Lapse** – Lord Wellesley's Subsidiary Alliance made Indian rulers militarily dependent; Lord Dalhousie's Doctrine of Lapse annexed states without natural heirs (Satara, Jhansi, Nagpur).

• **Economic Drain** – Dadabhai Naoroji's "Drain Theory" highlighted wealth transfer from India to Britain through unfair taxation, destruction of handicrafts and one-sided trade.

• **Revolt of 1857** – First large-scale armed uprising triggered by the greased cartridge issue but rooted in political, economic, social and military grievances; crushed but led to end of Company rule.

• **Moderate Phase (1885–1905)** – Congress leaders like Dadabhai Naoroji, Gokhale used petitions and constitutional methods; demanded administrative reforms, not independence.

• **Extremist Phase (1905–1919)** – Tilak, Lajpat Rai, Bipin Chandra Pal ("Lal-Bal-Pal") advocated Swadeshi, boycott and passive resistance; Bengal Partition (1905) galvanised mass participation.

• **Gandhian Era (1919–1947)** – Mahatma Gandhi introduced Satyagraha, non-violence and mass mobilisation through Non-Cooperation (1920), Civil Disobedience (1930) and Quit India (1942) movements.

Key Facts

| Fact | Detail | |------|--------| | First European to reach India by sea | Vasco da Gama (Portuguese), 1498, landed at Calicut | | English East India Company charter | 1600, granted by Queen Elizabeth I | | Battle of Plassey | 1757; Robert Clive defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah | | Regulating Act | 1773; first parliamentary control over Company; created post of Governor-General | | Permanent Settlement | 1793; Lord Cornwallis; fixed revenue in Bengal (Zamindari system) | | Doctrine of Lapse | Lord Dalhousie (1848–56) | | Revolt of 1857 centres | Meerut, Delhi (Bahadur Shah II), Kanpur (Nana Sahib), Lucknow (Begum Hazrat Mahal), Jhansi (Rani Lakshmibai) | | Government of India Act 1858 | Company rule ended; Crown took direct control; post of Viceroy created | | Indian National Congress founded | 1885, Bombay; A.O. Hume; first president W.C. Bonnerjee | | Partition of Bengal | 1905 by Lord Curzon; annulled 1911 | | Jallianwala Bagh Massacre | 13 April 1919, Amritsar; General Dyer | | Non-Cooperation Movement | 1920–22; withdrawn after Chauri Chaura violence | | Salt March (Dandi March) | 12 March – 6 April 1930 | | Quit India Resolution | 8 August 1942, Bombay; "Do or Die" slogan | | Independence and Partition | 15 August 1947 |