Changes

British rule in India lasted for a 200-year period known as the Raj (1757-1947).  Inevitable demands for independence in India began as early as 1857, when Indian soldiers (“sepoys”) acquired new cartridge-based rifles.  Soldiers were instructed to bite off the cartridge seals before loading the cartridges into the rifles and firing them.  But then a rumor spread that the cartridges were sealed with beef fat (prohibited by Hinduism) and pork fat (prohibited by Islam).  Many were angered by this rumor, and in the Sepoy Rebellion (or Sepoy Mutiny), Indians revolted against the British in northern India.  The British suppressed it and continued to rule India directly.

British rule in India lasted for a 200-year period known as the Raj (1757-1947).  Inevitable demands for independence in India began as early as 1857, when Indian soldiers (“sepoys”) acquired new cartridge-based rifles.  Soldiers were instructed to bite off the cartridge seals before loading the cartridges into the rifles and firing them.  But then a rumor spread that the cartridges were sealed with beef fat (prohibited by Hinduism) and pork fat (prohibited by Islam).  Many were angered by this rumor, and in the Sepoy Rebellion (or Sepoy Mutiny), Indians revolted against the British in northern India.  The British suppressed it and continued to rule India directly.

There were peaceful calls for independence for India dating back from the early 1800s.  Educated leaders such as Ram Mohun Roy sought an end to the caste system and the practice of sati by widows who would throw themselves on the funeral pyres of their deceased husbands.  The British did prohibit sati and it is debatable whether the practice was ever widespread.  In the late 1800s, a nationalist group called the Indian National Congress formed to demand independence, and in the early 1900s the Muslim League made similar demands.

There were peaceful calls for independence for India dating back from the early 1800s.  Educated leaders such as Ram Mohun Roy sought an end to the caste system and the practice of sati by widows who would throw themselves on the funeral pyres of their deceased husbands.  The British did prohibit sati and it is debatable whether the practice was ever widespread.  In the late 1800s, the nationalist Indian National Congress demanded independence; so did the Muslim League in the early 1900s.

But all attempts at independence for India failed throughout the 1800s because of religious divisions.  The Hindus and Muslims could never agree, and the Sikhs, a military offshoot of the Hindus that used force to resist Islam, remained loyal to the British.  Real independence for India would not occur until after World War II, in the middle of the 20th century.

But all attempts at independence for India failed throughout the 1800s due to religious divisions.  The Hindus and Muslims could never agree, and the Sikhs, a military offshoot of the Hindus that used force to resist Islam, remained loyal to the British.  Not until after World War II did India obtain independence.

=== Southeast Asia ===

=== Southeast Asia ===