British Dbq Essay

Words: 454
Pages: 2

By the 1800s India was controlled by the British Empire, specifically, by the British Viceroy and his Council. However, it was the Indian civilians that did majority of the work that allowed the British to operate. As a result, there were many middle-class Indians who had proper English education and knowledge about work in administration. These individuals formed a new middle class which had slowly risen in India. Moreover, there was a strong sense of unity among its members. NATIONAL A
On one hand this class felt encouraged. They wanted the opportunity to gain better jobs in the civil service and also felt that India should have its own government in which civilians from the middle class would become MPs (Members of Parliament). WIKI
On the other hand, they also felt frustrated which stemmed from incidents of racial discrimination at the hands of the British and from the actions of the government such as the initiation of the Vernacular Press Act of 1878. This act was proposed by Lord Lytton, who was the Indian viceroy at that time. This law prevented
…show more content…
Many of the British settlers were obstinate and believed that the Indians were not fit to run their own country.

Conversely, the British government in London did favour the idea to involve Indians in ruling India but by doing this they risked upsetting their own settlers. Furthermore, at this point, India was so valuable to Britain that they did not wish to lose control.

By the end of the First World War in 1918, British rule in India was still secure. However, by this time, there were more protests by the Indian nationalists which were growing more common and violent. The Indians had sent many soldiers and troops to fight in the First World War and many civilians believed that this sacrifice should be recognized by allowing the Indians to actively participate in the governing of their own