India's history British colony to independence. (1956)

[Music] we are looking at one of the most famous battlefields of india and of the world the battlefield of classy this monument stands as a reminder of a great battle fought here in 1757 by british troops against indian forces allied with the french this battle helped decide whether great britain or france was to dominate european trade in india these countries had first entered indian affairs during the 17th century france established a trading post in pondicherry great britain in madras these were two of the important trading posts madras was one of the first sites of the large and powerful british east india company this building was the headquarters of the company that was to gain control of much of india the east india company realized it would have to expand to supply the growing demand for indian products meanwhile in such cities as pondicherry the french continued to build their trade empire this company operated by french merchants also sold indian goods and provided the only serious competition to the british both the french and the british held indian territory but each wanted more the question of which nation was to dominate trade was decided in 1757 at placi in eastern india victorious british forces were led by robert clive in recognition of his services the east india company appointed clive governor of the indian province of bengal here clive handled the affairs of company and country under the influence of british leaders the east india company played an important role in india from clive's victory in 1757 to about 1857 during this period of a hundred years the british through the east india company profited greatly they exported raw materials and products from india among these products was tea grown in india and sold abroad to europe and america jute a valuable fiber from which burlap was manufactured and cotton cloth made by indian labor under british supervision in return the british imported manufactured items and machinery made in great britain which most indians could not purchase or use developing india for trade purposes was the basis of the east india trade policy this trade policy reached its height in the mid eighteen hundreds what did this policy mean to indian farmers it meant british control british control meant new landlords and the cultivation of crops which could be sold overseas for cash to indian villagers british policy meant that instead of bartering as had been the custom for thousands of years most trade was to be carried on with money villagers who had no money often had to borrow from local money lenders at high rates for the average indian british trade policy offered no release from poverty during its period of 100 years from 1757 to 1857 there was increasing unrest among the people and talk of independence in some parts of india there was more than talk government buildings were destroyed as the violences of the indian mutiny of 1856 erupted news of this rebellion against the east india company reached england parliament acted to break the power of the company control of indian affairs was placed in the hands of the british government in the decades following the mutiny of 1857 british reforms were begun hospitals and clinics were established in the great cities of india factories were built a few of them under indian ownership and management but for the people of india these changes were not enough there was still a great desire among them a strong desire to be free and independent by the 1890s nationalist newspapers and magazines were beginning to call for more and better reforms these nationalist publications were written largely by associations of india's educated people college professors and students professional men doctors and lawyers these people together with influential merchants formed many groups they had a common cause freedom and independence for india funds for the growing nationalist movement were collected in the cities money was also collected in the small rural villages supported by funds the nationalist movement grew rapidly but the british were not ready to accede to indian demands for independence the political struggle flared into violent action rioting and terrorism were widespread gaining nothing for either side the movement toward independence was blocked the indian people needed a leader in bombay in the winter of 1914 a ship docked in the harbor among the passengers on board was a hindu lawyer educated in england he was returning to his native india to join the growing nationalist movement his name mohandas gandhi he preached a doctrine of passive resistance gandhi taught non-violence and non-cooperation with the british his leadership during the 1920s and 30s brought india closer to independence gandhi's dreams neared fulfillment in 1947 when the british parliament passed the indian independence act but the people of india themselves had many problems to overcome there were differences of opinion between the muslims who followed the faith of islam and the hindus who practiced hinduism since some political leaders believe that the two religions could not exist side by side two separate nations were established in 1947 the union of india predominantly a hindu state and pakistan primarily a muslim state muhammad ali became the leader of the muslim state of pakistan jawaharlal nehru became premiere of the union of india a secular state primarily hindu nehru and jina were faced with many problems one problem was the transfer of hindus and muslims to their respective new countries millions who wish to move journeyed from one country to the other food homes and jobs for these refugees were among the first problems faced by the two young governments independence has brought others the farmlands are overcrowded and the farm equipment is generally outdated to get a better yield from the land to feed their millions the new governments are providing supervised farm instruction and more and more modern farm equipment for those who cannot find a place on the land jobs must be found in expanding industry then two there is the problem of education new elementary schools are being established by both india and pakistan existing universities and colleges for young men and women are being enlarged free open-air night classes for adults are being established yes there are many problems but today the peoples of india and pakistan are independent of foreign rule their search for freedom began after 1757 as the british east india company expanded and established a trade policy this trade policy controlled india's economy and affairs for about a hundred years after the indian mutiny of 1857 great britain attempted reforms but the indian people still sought independence in the 20th century mohandas gandhi along with others led the people to political freedom the struggle for independence ended in the establishment of two free nations the union of india and pakistan [Music] new countries with an old history [Music] [Applause]