British East India Company (1707)
A joint-stock trade group created by the British Parliament, however still private. It faced a financial problem in the 1760's when Britain bought too much Chinese tea, responded by importing the tea to the colonies then taxing it. India became so depende
Sepoys
Indian soldiers, mostly male, trained and commanded by the British. Allowed England to focus on other countries in the world, as Indians are now keeping track on their own country in England's absence
Sati
Upper-caste hindu widows, expected to be burned to death upon the death of their husbands; banned by the British in 1829, as this was seen as a barbaric practice.
India Act of 1784
Britain bought out Indian shareholders in India, caused the parliament to take over most of India. Sets up Kings against rival kings, lends them soldiers, over time instills own agents into kingdom government. (King is now a figurehead). Allowed the Briti
Juries Bill (1833)
A bill passed by Parliament that governed how native governments could function. It made it so that Whites are inherently superior (wiser) in the eyes of the government, as far as forming juries.
Sepoy Rebellion/ "Sepoy Mutiny" 1857
The 1st Sepoys stopped obeying orders from the British because they were asked to go againt their religion by biting off animal fats to use guns in the army. It was a rumor started by the muslims, in an attempt to destabilize the Sepoys' relations with th
Majahadeen
Fighters for islam against infidels.
Indian National Congress (1885)
Sepoy mutiny inspired reform, allowed for Indians to debate everything other than separation from Britain. It was mostly made of Hindus (who made up most of the upper class). It was meant to buy time until the next Indian rebellion.
Raj
Parliament moved the Board of Control to Calcutta, India, is now known as the Raj.
Vedas
Ancient Sanskrit writings that are the earliest sacred texts of Hinduism.
Hinduism terms (Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma)
Shiva- Destroyer
Vishnu-Protector
Brahma-Creator
Opium
A crop from India, it was owned by the British and sold to China, daily peasants who quickly became addicted to the narcotic, causing the economy of China to crash.
First Opium War (1839-1842)
After China outlawed opium due to a less productive working class after most became addicted, Britain declared war on China in order to continue trade, as it was by far Britain's most profitable crop(it came from India though). Britain easily defeated Chi
Treaty of Nanjing (1842)
Ended the Opium war, giving Britain access to Chinese trading ports. British asked to rent the island of Hong Kong to use as a trading port.
Manchu Dynasty
The incumbent political dynasty during the onset of British imperialism in the area.
Beijing
The capital city of China, it was home to the Forbidden City, where the emperor and his constituents resided. When the British seized the opportunity to invade, they made sure that the destruction of the capital was as visibly terrifying as possible in or
Q. Describe the circumstances leading up to the sale of opium in China
Because Chinese emperors did not like Europeans, they built a wall around the only city that was open to Europeans at the time, Canton (Guangzhou). This proved to be unsustainable, as Britain wanted a larger economic block in which to do business. Among C
Civil Service Exams
A series of competitive exams that must be passed to become a Bureaucrat, 100 people out of half a million pass. People who fail the exam are humiliated, many commit suicide.
Hong Xiuquan
Took the Civil Service Exam to try and become a bureaucrat, ultimately failing and falling into a trance after a nervous breakdown. During this trance, he envisioned a better future for China, and led a rebellion, after which many peasants recognized him
Open Door Policy (1898)
Agreement between President William Mckinley and China to allow U.S. presence in China for Trade since Britain is allowed to trade. Other European Countries (Russia, Germany, Japan) want a fair share of trading with China like Britain and France do. Weake