The British Raj was the period of direct British rule over the Indian subcontinent, which began in 1858 after the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and the transfer of power from the East India Company to the Crown. The government was headed by a viceroy and included provinces ruled directly and princely states under British oversight. Under this system railways, telegraphs and irrigation works were built, and English-language education spread. The period was also marked by economic exploitation, heavy taxation and devastating famines, such as the Bengal famine of 1943. Opposition grew through the Indian National Congress, and later through the campaigns led by Mahatma Gandhi. The Raj ended on 15 August 1947 with the independence and partition of British India into India and Pakistan.
Before and after
- 5 September 1857Birth of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky
- 15 September 1857Birth of William Howard Taft
- 26 November 1857Birth of Ferdinand de Saussure
- 3 December 1857Birth of Joseph Conrad
- from 1858 to 1947British Raj
- 1858Natural selection
- 1858Rise of Japonisme
- from 11 February 1858 to 16 July 1858Lourdes apparitions
- 15 April 1858Birth of Émile Durkheim
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The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.