Though the British East India Company first initiated an encounter with India only for trade of resources and remained a passive force that did not take direct control of India, the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857 incited the British to quickly give their government control over India in the late 1800’s, which in turn made changes that transformed India’s traditional way of life and society, but ultimately instilled an immense sense of nationalism that ultimately led to Indian independence. Background. The British encounter with India began as a result of European explorers sailing east for exploration purposes in the late 1500’s. The Spanish and the Portuguese were originally dominant on these new sailing routes, but after the destruction of the …show more content…
In the wake of this bloody uprising, the British government effectively abolished the Company in 1858 after peace had been All of its administrative and taxing powers, along with its possessions and armed forces, were taken over by the Crown. This was the start of the British Raj, a period of direct British colonial rule over India which continued until independence in 1947. The British’s measures to stop the rebellion proved to work, but came with a toll. The financial crisis caused by the mutiny led to a reorganization of the Indian administration’s finances. The rebellion had an effect on the people of India as well. Traditional Indian society had protested when it’s values were threatened, and this first attempt to take back India failed. At this time, all hope for India to have a revival of it’s tradition was lost. The traditional structure of Indian society began to break down, which was replaced with a mix of Indian caste systems and Western social classes. However, not all after effects of the Rebellion were bad. It was the beginning of the policy of consultation with the Indians (Indian Mutiny). The Legislative Council of 1853 was a council that modeled British Parliament within India. It took upon the old responsibilities of the British East India Company and more, as they were in direct contact with Parliament to help alleviate issues.