British raj

Introduction & Top Questions
Background
- The Indian Rebellion of 1857
- Aftermath of the mutiny
British rule
- Establishment of direct British governance
  - Government of India Act of 1858
  - Social policy
  - Government organization
  - Economic policy and development
  - Foreign policy
    - The northwest frontier
    - The Second Anglo-Afghan War
    - The incorporation of Burma
- Indian nationalism and the British response, 1885–1920
  - Origins of the nationalist movement
  - The early Congress movement
  - The first partition of Bengal
  - Nationalism in the Muslim community
  - Reforms of the British Liberals
  - Moderate and militant nationalism
- World War I and its aftermath
  - India’s contributions to the war effort
  - Anti-British activity
  - The postwar years
  - Jallianwala Bagh Massacre at Amritsar
  - Gandhi’s philosophy and strategy
- Prelude to independence, 1920–47
  - Constitutional reforms
  - The Congress’s ambivalent strategy
  - Muslim separatism
  - The impact of World War II
  - British wartime strategy
- The transfer of power and the birth of two countries

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Portrait of Queen Victoria seated on a gold throne, wearing a jeweled crown, blue sash, and black and silver gown, with a desk and red drapery in the background.

Collage of raised-fist silhouettes over a halftone orange, yellow, and green background, featuring historic newspaper text and faint crowd imagery.

Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 1st earl of Lytton

British merchant ship, Bombay (Mumbai), India

John Laird Mair Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence

Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th marquess of Lansdowne

George Nathaniel Curzon, Marquess Curzon

Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Helena Blavatsky

Annie Besant and Jiddu Krishnamurti stand side by side in formal attire, Besant holding papers, in a black and white photograph from 1933.

British raj: References & Edit History

More Articles On This Topic

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

Stanley A. Wolpert
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

Article History

Type	Description	Contributor	Date
	Media updated.	Mindy Johnston	Aug 28, 2026
	Media updated.	Mindy Johnston	Aug 17, 2026
	Invalidated site: ABC listen - Nightlife - India: before and after the British Raj.	Grace Young	Jul 29, 2026
	Add new Web site: ABC listen - Nightlife - India: before and after the British Raj.	Grace Young	Feb 16, 2026
	Add new Web site: CCCS Open Textbooks - PPSC HIS 1120: The World: 1500-Present - British India.	Aakanksha Gaur	Jan 10, 2026
	Replaced media.	Mindy Johnston	Sep 22, 2025
	Media added.	Meg Matthias	Aug 07, 2025
	Added a Top Questions section.	Gitanjali Roy	Jul 24, 2025
	Media added.	Meg Matthias	Jun 02, 2025
	Added cross-references.	Gitanjali Roy	May 12, 2025
	Add new Web site: CiteSeerX - British Raj: The Legacy of Colonialism in India (PDF).	Aakanksha Gaur	Apr 19, 2025
	Add new Web site: International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research - Pioneering The British Raj: Establishment and Evolution of Colonial Rule in India.	Gloria Lotha	Nov 21, 2024
	Added cross references.	Charles Preston	Mar 20, 2024
	Add new Web site: Association for Asian Studies - The British Impact on India, 17001900.	Aakanksha Gaur	Nov 14, 2023
	Links added.	The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica	Oct 06, 2023
	Add new Web site: Georgetown University - Berkley Center - The British Raj and the Present.	Aakanksha Gaur	Mar 31, 2023
	Add new Web site: Humanities LibreTexts - India under British Imperialism.	Emily Rodriguez	Jan 05, 2023
	Add new Web site: GlobalSecurity.org - 1858-1947 - British Raj.	Gloria Lotha	Sep 08, 2020
	New article added.	Adam Zeidan	Sep 24, 2019