Question | Answer |
The 6 countries of South Asia | India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka |
What form of government does India have? | democracy |
Who were the Aryans? | 2000 BCE Indo-Europeans who created a new society in India |
Aryans sacred language? | Sanskrit |
What are the Vedas? | Collections of songs, prayers, and hymns honoring the gods (veda=wisdom, knowledge0 |
What were the tribal chieftains called? | Raja- prince and Maharaja- great prince |
Why do historians believe the caste system was developed? | To maintain power over indigenous people (the Dravidians). |
Brahmins | Priests and intellectuals |
Kshatriyas | Nobility and warriors |
Vaisyas | Farmers, merchants, business people |
Sudras | Artisans, workers, peasants (people with limited rights) |
Dalits (Untouchables) | Slave class, outsiders (5% population) |
Who are the 3 main gods of Hinduism? | Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, Shiva the Destroyer |
Samsara | Continuous cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. |
Karma | The sum of good and bad actions a human soul (atman) carries with it from life to life. |
Dharma | "To hold or support." Relates to sacred duty or moral responsibility. |
Yoga | Developed as a method of training designed to lead to union with Brahman. |
Who is Siddhartha Gautama? What did he do? | Buddha; Born 563 BCE, reached enlightenment |
What are the 4 Noble Truths? | Suffering, Origination of Suffering, Cessation of Suffering, Eightfold path |
What is the way to end desire? | Follow the eightfold path |
What religion was very succesful in India? | Buddhism |
Between 500-1500 AD what religious group gained control in South Asia (particularly Northern India)? | Muslim Sultans (kings) |
In what century were the British allowed to enter India as traders? | 1600's |
Who was the emperor at the time the British were allowed to enter India? | Akbar |
Who were the Mughals? | The Muslim empire in charge of India when the British came in. |
Compare Europe to India in the 1600's | India had an 85% larger treasury and better goods; Europe was undeveloped |
Where did the British East India Company set up trading posts? | Bombay, Madras, Calcutta |
Why was the setting up of trading posts an advantage to the British EIC later on? | They had control posts on all sides of India. |
What problems was the Mughal empire having in India? | Fighting Hindus and Muslims |
Why did the British EIC hire troops? | To protect areas producing their goods. |
What was the justification behind the British EIC coming to rule territory within India? | Skirmishes with local Mughal rulers resulted in the deaths of British people. |
How much of India was under control of the British EIC by 1857? | 3/5 |
What did the British EIC increase for Indian farmers? | Taxes |
Who were the zaminders? What did they do? | Tax collectors; they took tax and land |
How did money lenders come to own farm land? | The lent money to farmers, and when they couldn't pay back in cash, they'd pay land. |
How did taxes have to be paid? | in cash |
Name the cash crops grown and for what purpose. | Cotton-textiles, Indigo-dye, Opium-sell to China, Jute-rope |
What happened to the forests there? Why? | Destroyed due to commercial logging operations. |
What happened to the cities in the interior of India? | Lessoned in size, influence, population, and wealth |
How did the British view Indians? What did they bring to India? | Barbaric; law, political system, education, religion |
Who paid for their military occupation? How much? | Indians; 1/3 total annual revenue |
Who were the Sepoys? | Native troops |
Why did they rebel against the British EIC? | Bullets covered with cow and pig fat. |
What happened after the rebellion was put down? | Great Britain made India a colony |
How did the British change the way India was run? | Run by British government, new higher taxes |
What caused the population boom? | Western medication and sanitation |
What happened to farm families? | They lost their land, and were driven deeper in debt |
Give the reasons how colonialism effected modern economic development of India. | Grew cash crops only, no food crops; 1/5 farmers owned no land; widespread hunger; not enough jobs; insufficient industry for population made India poorly prepared economically for independence in 1947 |