The modern history of India roughly begins with the end of the Mughal Empire. After the last able Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb died, India was fragmented into a number of small petty kingdoms. There was chaos and confusion all over the country with almost every other king fighting for control of territories. This attracted foreigners who came promptly to India by establishing trade links and draining away the resources. The Europeans were particularly interested in spice trade with India and the Dutch monopolized this area. This led to a series of interesting changes in the Indian sub-continent. Read about modern Indian history in a concise version. Our related section shall give you detailed information.
The British came to know of the abundant resources in India and the trade links with other countries. The 17th century saw fierce competition between different European companies. By the end of the 18th century, the British conquered all and established their company in India. With time, they acquired political power and secured a place in the administrative affairs of the country. They established themselves firmly over the Indian sub continent and brought about many changes in political, economic and social aspects of the country.
The Indians however, were not open for the idea of a foreign power ruling them and imposing their beliefs and faith on them. Once they acquired full control of political power, they started to drain India of all the wealth and resources. Natural resources and labor was exploited mercilessly. People became restless and by the mid 19th century, they revolted against the British for the first time. Popularly known as the revolt of 1857, this Sepoy Mutiny made Indians realize that they were not weak and could stand up against the British with unity and organization. The revolt was crushed ruthlessly by the British but it made an impact on the Indians.
After the end of the First World War, the British imperialism increased in India and that gave birth to nation wide agitations against the British. By the end of 19th century, the Indians formed their own political party called Indian National Congress which worked with the British for the benefits of the Indians. The British did not acknowledge the needs of the Indians and Congress and slowly the Congress turned against them.
Great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bhagat Singh, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, etc. strived and sacrificed their lives for the freeing the nation from the clutches of the British. Many nationalist movements were launched in which the nation stood together as one and finally was successful in driving the British away. India gained her independence from the British on 15th August, 1947.
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Vasco da Gama when landed at Calicut, sailing via the Cape of Good Hope in 1498, marked the beginning of the European era in Indian history. The Portuguese by the 16th Century had already established their colony in Goa.
In the next century, India was visited by a large number of European travellers - Italians, Englishmen, Frenchmen and Dutchmen. They were drawn to India for different reasons. Some were traders, others adventurers, and quite a few fired by the missionary zeal to find converts to Christianity. Eventually England, France, the Netherlands and Denmark, floated East India Companies.
During the late 16th and the 17th Centuries, these companies competed with each other fiercely. By the last quarter of the 18th Century the English had vanquished all others and established themselves as the dominant power in India. The British administered India for a period of about two centuries and brought about revolutionary changes in the social, political and the economic life of the country.
Once the British had consolidated their power, commercial exploitation of the natural resources and native labour became ruthless. By the middle of the 19th Century arrogant exploitation of the people had tried the patience of the Indians to the limit.
The six decades between the end of the "mutinous" war of 1857 - 59 and the conclusion of First World War saw both the peak of British imperial power in India and the birth of nationalist agitation against it. With increasing intrusion of aliens in their lives, a group of middle class Indians formed the Indian National Congress (1885) - a society of English educated affluent professionals - to seek reforms from the British.
The anticolonial struggle became truly a mass movement with the arrival of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869 - 1948) in 1915 who had suffered great humiliation in South Africa due to the policy of racial discrimination and later commited to rid his motherland of the ills of foreign rule.
Successive campaigns had the effect of driving the British out of India in 1947, but with independence came the independence of the country into Pakistan. |
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HISTORY INDIA : India's History : Timeline of India |
1757 - Battle of Plassey: The British defeat Siraj-ud-daulah
1760 - Battle of Wandiwash: The British defeat the French
1761 - Third battle of Panipat
1764 - Battle of Buxar: The British defeat Mir Kasim
1765 - The British get Diwani Rights in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
1767 -1769 - First Mysore War
1772 - Warren Hastings appointed as Governor of Bengal
1773 - The Regulating Act passed by the British Parliament
1775 -1782 - The First Anglo-Maratha war
1780-1784 - Second Mysore War : The British defeat Hyder Ali
1784 - Pitt's India Act
1790-1792 - Third Mysore War between the British and Tipu
1793 - Permanent Settlement of Bengal
1799 - Fourth Mysore War: The British defeat Tipu
1802- Treaty of Bassein
1803-1805 - The Second Anglo-Maratha war
1814-1816 - The Anglo-Gurkha war
1817-1818 - The Pindari war
1824-1826 - The First Burmese war
1829 - Prohibition of Sati
1831 - Mysore administration taken over by East India Company
1833 - Renewal of Company's Charter
1833 - Abolition of Slavery throughout the British Empire
1838 - Tripartite treaty between Shah Shuja, Ranjit Singh and the British
1839-1842 - First Afghan war
1843 - Gwalior war
1845-1846 - First Anglo-Sikh war
1848 - Lord Dalhousie becomes the Governor-General
1848-1849 - Second Anglo-Sikh war
1852 - Second Anglo-Burmese war
1853 - Railway & Telegraph line introduced
1857 - First War of Indian Independence: The Sepoy Mutiny
1857 - Zanshichi Rani Laxmibai - Freedom struggle in 1857
1858 - British Crown takes over the Indian Government
1877 - The Queen of England proclaimed Empress of India
1878 - Vernacular Press Act
1881 - Factory Act
1885 - First meeting of the Indian National Congress
1897 - Plague in Bombay; Famine Commission
1899 - Lord Curzon becomes Governor-General and Viceroy
1905 - The First Partition of Bengal
1906 - Formation of Muslim League
1911 - Partition of Bengal modified to create the Presidency of Bengal
1912 - The Imperial capital shifted from Calcutta to Delhi
1913 - Educational Resolution of the Government of India
1915 - Defence of India Act
1916 - Home Rule League, Foundation of Women's University at Poona
1919 - Rowlatt Act evokes protests; Jalianwalla Bagh massacre;
1920 - The Khilafat Movement started, Non-co-operation Movement
1921 - Moplah (Muslim) rebellion in Malabar; Census of India
1922 - Civil Disobedience Movement, Chauri-Chaura violence
1925 - Reforms Enquiry committee Report
1927 - Indian Navy Act; Simon Commission Appointed
1928 - Simon Commission comes to India: Boycott by all parties
1929 - Lord Irwin promises Dominion Status for India; Trade Union split
1930 - Salt Satyagraha, First Round Table Conference
1931 - Second Round Table Conference; Irwin-Gandhi Pact
1932 - Third Round Table Conference, Poona Pact
1934 - Civil Disobedience Movement called off; Bihar Earthquake
1937 - Inauguration of Provincial Autonomy
1939 - Political deadlock in India as Congress ministries resign
1942 - Cripps Mission, Quit India Movement, Indian National Army
1944 - Gandhi-Jinnah Talks break down on Pakistan issue
1946 - Interim Government formed, Constituent Assembly's first meeting
3 June - 1947 - Lord Mountbatten's plan for partition of India
15 Aug 1947 - Partition of India and Independence
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Kundali