Loading subject…
Annexation
The formal addition of a territory into an empire.
Bahadur Shah II
Last Mughal emperor, symbolic leader of the 1857 revolt.
British Raj
Period of direct British rule in India (1858–1947).
Cartridge Controversy
Spark of revolt due to religious insult over rifle cartridges.
Civilizing Mission
Belief that British rule was morally justified by its “modernizing” effect.
Communalism
Political division based on religion.
Confederacy
Alliance of semi-independent Maratha states
Deindustrialization
Decline of India’s traditional industries under colonial economic policies.
Doctrine of Lapse
Policy allowing the British to annex states without male heirs.
Drain Theory
Economic idea that India’s wealth was being “drained” by British exploitation.
East India Company
British corporation that acted as both a trading company and a governing authority in India.
Geopolitics
Foreign policy driven by geography and power balance.
Government of India Act (1858)
Law transferring control from the East India Company to the British Crown.
Imperial Ideology
Belief in spreading Western civilization and control for “progress.”
Indian Middle Class
New educated class emerging under British rule, central to early nationalism.
Indian National Congress (INC)
Political organization founded in 1885 to promote Indian representation.
Indian Rebellion
Major revolt against British rule sparked by military and social grievances.
Konbaung Dynasty
Last Burmese royal dynasty (1752–1885).
Macaulay’s Minute (1835)
Policy introducing English-language education.
Mandalay
Final royal capital of independent Burma, founded by King Mindon.
Mir Jafar
Indian general who supported the British in exchange for becoming Nawab.
Moderates
Early INC leaders who believed in reform through peaceful constitutional means.
Monastic Education
Traditional Buddhist schooling replaced under colonial rule.
National Consciousness
Awareness of belonging to a shared nation with common interests.