British Control of India

When did this end?

By Deane Barker • tags: politics, colonialism, india, uk •

The British had been involved India since the 1600s, when the East India Company set up trading operations there to import silk, cotton, and spices. The company slowly took control of large parts of the country through economic means, until they exerted de facto control of India in the mid-1700s.

In 1857, Indians rebelled against this authority. The rebellion was suppressed, and the British Crown declared formal control of India.

Britain slowly released control over the country throughout the next 100 years. Formal independence was achieved in 1947, at which time the country split into India and Pakistan (Bangladesh would secede from Pakistan in 1971).

Why I Looked It Up

I was reading Cutting for Stone which involves British Indians serving in Ethiopia. I knew that the British controlled India for a period, but I got to wondering when this ended.

Links from this – Cutting for Stone September 21, 2021
Absolutely stunning novel. I had heard of the book for years. My mother was born in Ethiopia in the 1940s (my grandparents were missionaries from New Zealand), and several people had told me that the story in the novel resembled my mother’s experience there as a child. The book was purchased for me...