do you agree that the British defeated the Indians in the war because the Indians were not united? Give reasons for your answer. 20 marks Question pls write in detail
Answers
I hope this answer will help you.....
Answer:
Yes, I do agree that British defeated the Indians in war because Indians were not united
Explanation:
East India Company had a sizable Army in India. By 1806, they had about 154,000 armed men and far more than most armies at that time.
By 1880, the army grew to 550,000 with a sizable addition to British troops. To provide you a context, the present Indian Army is twice that size while having to protect 4 times the population
2)India was a divided nation then
After the disintegration of Mughal empire there was nothing connecting India. That means, although there were uprisings in various parts of the country, they were all random and uncoordinated. For instance, some group in Vellore would rebel. The company would send 2000 troops and they will be squashed. A month later, another group would rebel in Bombay and the company would send the 2000 men there. The chain would go on.
By brutally squashing the uncoordinated rebellion, they sent a strong message. Unless, a big chunk of India made a coordinated attack, the company could just keep sending a few thousand strong warriors to squash rebelling everywhere.
3. Help from Princely states
The British didn't rule all of India. A big chunk of them was ruled by Indian kings. These local kings were all loyal to the British (those not loyal were elminated) and actively helped squashing rebellions in the British controlled regions close to their state. For instance, the British would take Hyderabad's and Mysore's help if they need to fight a rebellion in Madras. Only the pink territories were ruled by the British and they were all adjacent to the princely states
4. Winning the elites
Britain won over Indian elites and these elites helped give legitimacy to the empire. For these Indian elites, British rule was a welcome break from a long period of oppression and also provided a chance to reform Indian society.
These Indian elites helped pacify the masses. Mahatma simply entered and cut the cord. Indian elites came out flocking. That pulled the legitimacy from under their feet and now they were made to look like real invaders