Europeans Come to India PDF

## Europeans Come to India **MAIN IDEA** Foreigners seeking trade opportunities in India hastened the decline of the Mogul Empire. **HISTORY & YOU** What would you do if someone set up a concession stand opposite the one you have operated successfully for years? Learn how the British and French co...

## Europeans Come to India **MAIN IDEA** Foreigners seeking trade opportunities in India hastened the decline of the Mogul Empire. **HISTORY & YOU** What would you do if someone set up a concession stand opposite the one you have operated successfully for years? Learn how the British and French competed for trade in India. The arrival of the British hastened the decline of the Mogul Empire. By 1650, British trading forts had been established at Surat, Fort William (which was renamed Calcutta and is now the city of Kolkata), and Madras (Chennai). British ships carried Indian-made cotton goods to the East Indies, where they were traded for spices. British success in India attracted rivals, especially the French. The French established their own forts. For a brief period, the French went on the offensive, even capturing the British fort at Chennai. The British were saved by the military genius of Sir Robert Clive, an aggressive British empire builder. Clive served as the chief representative in India of the East India Company, a private company that acted on behalf of the British Crown. Fighting any force that threatened the Company’s power in India, Clive ultimately restricted the French to the fort at Pondicherry and a few small territories on the southeastern coast. While fighting the French, Clive was also consolidating British control in Bengal. The Indian ruler of Bengal had attacked Fort William in 1756. He had imprisoned the British garrison in the “Black Hole of Calcutta,” an underground prison. Due to the intense heat in the crowded space, only 23 people (out of 146) survived. In 1757, Clive led a small British force of about three thousand to victory over a Mogul-led army more than ten times its size in the Battle of Plassey in Bengal. As part of the spoils of victory, the failing Mogul court gave the East India Company the power to collect taxes from lands in the area around Calcutta. Britain’s rise to power in India, however, was not a story of constant success. Many East India Company officials combined arrogance with incompetence. They offended both their Indian allies and the local population, who were taxed heavily to meet the Company’s growing expenses. In the late eighteenth century, the East India Company moved inland from the great coastal cities. British expansion brought great riches to individual British merchants and to British officials who found they could obtain money from local rulers by selling trade privileges. The British were in India to stay. ## SECTION 3 REVIEW **Vocabulary** 1. Explain the significance of: Babur, Khan, Pass, Delhi, Akbar, intelligent, zamindar, Shah Jahan, Deccan Plateau, Aurangzeb, principle, suttee, Taj Mahal, Agra, Kolkata, Chennai. **Main Ideas** 2. List and explain the events that led to the decline of the Mogul Empire using a chart like the one below. 3. Explain why the British and French built forts in India. 4. Describe the Taj Mahal. Who built it? Why is it considered the most beautiful building in India? **Critical Thinking** 5. **The BIG Idea** Analyzing Analyze the impact of the Moguls on the Hindu and Muslim peoples of the Indian subcontinent. 6. **Evaluating** Evaluate how Akbar’s reign reflected his humane character. 7. **Analyzing Visuals** Examine the illustration from Akbarnama (History of Akbar) on page 500. What details indicate that the officials are paying homage to Akbar? **Writing About History** 8. **Descriptive Writing** When the British established trading posts in India, their influence spread throughout the country. Present a speech describing how India would have developed if the British had not colonized the country.