Impact of the British Rule
(Longman Pearson)
Review Exercise
I. Fill in the blanks.
1. British education policy in India was influenced by the three groups:
Conservatives, Imperialists and Radicals.
2. The Radicals group believed that India could be ruled in a better way by understanding its culture.
3. The Charter Act of 1813 set apart a sum of one lakh for imparting education in India.
4. Lord Macaulay's Minute put an end to the Anglicist-Orientalist controversy.
5. The Wood's Despatch is known as the Magna Carta of England education in India.
6. Sati was abolished by Lord Willian Bentinck in the year 1829.
7. Lord Dalhousie introduced telegraph system in India.
8. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar campaigned for the Widow Remarriage Act.
9. The practice of human sacrifice was banned by Lord Hardinge in 1846.
10. On 16 April 1853, India's first train ran from Bombay to Thane.
11. In 1857, as per Wood's despatch, universities in Calcutta, Bombay and Madras presidencies were set-up.
12. The Orientalists group wanted to promote Indian education through the medium of classical languages.
13. Lord Macaulay was the leading proponent of the Anglicist group.
II. Choose the correct option.
1. The ______ idea was based on the concept of quality and brotherhood.
a) humanism. [ ]
b) liberalism. [✓]
c) radicalism. [ ]
d) rationalism. [ ]
2. The direction of education in India during the period 1813-1833 was based on the provisions laid down by the _______ .
a) Wood's Despatch. [ ]
b) Macaulay's Minute. [ ]
c) Charter Act. [✓]
d) Orientalists. [ ]
3. The ______ group was highly critical of the India culture and condemned it as barbaric and static.
a) Radicals. [ ]
b) Humanists. [ ]
c) Conservatives. [ ]
d) Imperialists. [✓]
4. Governor General _________ approved Macaulay's system of education for India.
a) Dalhousie. [ ]
b) William Bentinck. [✓]
c) Hardinge. [ ]
d) Cornwallis. [ ]
5. Wood's Despatch, the first comprehensive plan for the spread of education in India, was prepared in the year ______ .
a) 1870. [ ]
b) 1829. [ ]
c) 1835. [ ]
d) 1854. [✓]
III. Answer these questions.
1. Explain the ideas that brought about a change in the attitude of the British which led them to introduce modern Western English education in India.
= In the nineteenth century, there was a change in the British attitude towards India because of the emergency of new ideas. These ideas were rationalism, humanism and liberalism.
❐ Rationalism encouraged scientific thinking and thus, rejected superstitious and blind faith.
❐ Humanism was based on promotion of love and respect and equality for all.
❐ The concept of equality and brotherhood gave rise to liberalism.
2. How did the Western education change the attitude towards education in India?
= The British administrative policies were influenced primarily by three groups:
❐ Conservatives : This group preferred gradual change because they felt that a sudden transformation might lead to upheavals in the existing social set-up.
❐ Imperialists : This group was highly critical of Indian culture. They condemned the Indian culture as barbaric and static.
❐ Radicals : The radicals believed that India could be ruled in a better way by understanding its culture and by the introduction of Western education and social reforms.
3. How was sati abolished in India?
= Raja Ram Mohan Roy's campaign against Sati aroused the opposition of the orthodox Hindus who attacked him bitterly. Nevertheless, he was successful in forcing the British government to impose a ban on sati. In 1829, Governor General Lord William Bentinck supported his cause and banned sati.
4. What was the main motive behind introduction of Western education in India?
= The main motive of the British government behind imparting Western education was to strengthen the foundations of their political authority in India by creating a class of Indians who would be loyal to them.
5. How is the Charter Act of 1813 important in terms of education?
= The first step towards development of Western Education in India was taken by the British rulers after the Charter Act of 1813.
The charter sanctioned one lakh rupees for education of the masses. It allowed the Christian missionaries to spread their religious ideas in India.
6. Write a short note on the Anglicist-Orientalist controversy.
= The debate regarding the nature of education in India happened between two groups:
❐ The Orientalists : They wanted to promote Indian education through the medium of classical languages such as Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian.
❐ The Anglicists : They supported the promotion of Western learning through the medium of English. Lord Macaulay was the leading proponent of the Anglicist group.
7. What were the positive effects of English education in India?
= The positive effects of English education in India are :
❐ It helped in creating awareness and development of analytical skills among Indians.
❐ The educated Indians understood the evil effects of foreign rule and tried to create awareness.
❐ English became the common language of communication between different regions of India. This helped in the spread of nationalist ideas to diverse regions.
❐ The English language united the educated Indians from various regions of India. This helped in the spread of nationalist ideas to diverse regions.
❐ The English language united the educated Indians from various regions and thus, broke down the regional barriers.
8. What steps were taken to contain the practice of female infanticide?
= Female infanticide or the practice of killing baby girls at birth was widespread. By the Bengal Regulation (XXI) of 1795, the practice was declared to constitute murder. Lord Hardinge had put a ban on this practice.
9. What were the consequences of introduction of railways in India?
= Introduction of railways throughout the country had far-reaching consequences.
❐ The railways enabled the British manufactures to reach and uproot the traditional industries in the remote villages of the country. The construction of railways, together with roads and canals, was instrumental in speeding up commercialisation in India under the British rule. The advent of the railways in the mid-nineteenth century encouraged the export of commercial crops such as cotton, jute and indigo.
❐ Railways facilitated quick transfer of troops whenever required to supress a revolt or disturbance.
10. What was the purpose behind the introduction of telegraph and railways in India?
= The British developed railways, roads, ports and irrigation facilities (canals) since it suited the economic interests of England. On 16 April 1853, India's first train ran from Bombay to Thane. Lord Dalhousie also introduced telegraph in India. The use of telegraph brought spectacular changes in the communication system and order.
11. What were the negative consequences of Western education in India?
= The negative consequences of Western education in India are :
❐ It laid to the decline of the traditional system of education.
❐ The focus was on educating a limited number of Indians. Therefore, mass education was neglected which led to widespread illiteracy.
❐ A wide linguistic and cultural gulf was created between the educated few and the masses.
❐ The English-educated class remained loyal to the British.
❐ The English-educated class adopted the Western culture so religiously that they became alienated from their own culture.
12. What were the drawbacks of Charter Act of 1813?
= There were certain drawbacks of the Charter Act.
❐ The direction of education during the period 1813-1833 remained uncertain as the charter had failed to clearly state what should be the medium of instruction - English or Indian languages such as Snaskrit or Persian.
❐ It was also not clear whether education should be given to all or to a select few. This led to a debate among the British administrators as well as some Indians on the type of education that should be introduced in India.
13. Which educational policy do you think, introduced by the British, would have been more favourable for Indians? Give reasons for your answer.
= I think the Anglicist Policy would have been more favourable for Indians. As this would have helped them to know and connect with the rest of the world. They would have been acquainted with the ideas and thinkings of the contemporary philosophers and leaders around the world which would have promoted fast development of Indian society in a whole.
14. Make a comparative analysis of the effects of Western education in India.
= The introduction of Western education in India have both positive and negative effects. Here is a comparative analysis below:
|
Negative Effects |
Positive Effects |
|---|---|
|
It led to the decline of the traditional system of education. |
It helped in creating awareness and development of analytical skills
among Indians. |
|
The focus was on educating a limited number of Indians. Therefore, mass
education was neglected which led to widespread illiteracy. |
The educated Indians understood the evil effects of foreign rule and
tried to create awareness. |
|
A wide linguistic and cultural gulf was created between the educated
few and the masses. |
English became the common language of communication between different
regions of India. This helped in the spread of nationalist ideas to diverse
regions. |
15. Would it be right to say that the colonial rule had both negative and positive impact on India? Justify your answer.
= Yes, it would be right to say that the colonial rule had both negative and positive impact on India.
The introduction of railways, transport and communication system played a crucial role in the decline of the Indian small-scale industries and exploitation of natural resources by the British. But it also helped the Indians indirectly. It brought the people from different parts of India closer to each other and allowed them to share their views. Later, it proved to be an important factor in the growth of nationalism.
IV. Write short notes.
1. Wood's Despatch.
= In 1854, Charles Wood prepared a despatch on the educational system for India. This document was the first comprehensive plan for the spread of education in India and was considered the Magna carta of English education in India.
2. Macaulay's Minute.
= The Anglicist-Orientalist controversy was put to an end in 1835. Lord Macaulay's Minute stated that limited government resources were to be devoted to the teaching of western sciences and literature through the medium of English language alone.
❐ Under Macaulay's system of education, which was approved by Governor General William Bentinck, Persian was abolished as the court language and was substituted by English.
❐ In 1844, English became the official language. The government also announced that Indians who were educated in British schools would get government jobs.
3. Positive effects of Western education.
= The positive effects of Western education are :
❐ It helped in creating awareness and development of analytical skills among Indians.
❐ The educated Indians understood the evil effects of foreign rule and tried to create awareness.
❐ The English Language united the educated Indians from various regions and thus, broke down the regional barriers.
V. Match the columns.
=
|
1. humanism |
a. widow remarriage law. [3] |
|
2. liberalism |
b. sanctioned one lakh rupees for education. [5] |
|
3. Lord Dalhousie |
c. abolition of sati. [4] |
|
4. Lord Bentinck |
d. promotion of love and respect. [1] |
|
5. Charter Act of 1813 |
e. equality and brotherhood. [2] |
VI. State whether true or false.
1. The motive behind the introduction of English education in India was to raise a class that would remain loyal to the government. [T]
2. The British were interested in spreading English education in India from the very beginning. [F]
3. The British did not carry out any social reforms in India. [F]
4. The introduction of railways helped the British reach regions of commercial interest. [T]
5. The practice of sati was first banned in Madras presidency. [T]