Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Despite all its claims of good governance and ethical government, British rule in India was mainly rule by force of arms. The army was the crucial institution for the establishment, expansion, and extraction of revenue for British rule. From the mid-eighteenth century the British East India Company started recruiting peasants, gave them training and discipline according to European military standards, and created a permanent independent Indian army. The commanders were European officers, some appointed from the British army, and others nominated by the company's directors. By 1794 the number of sepoys (Indian soldiers) rose to 82,000, expanding further to 154,000 in 1824 and 214,000 in 1856. There were distinct components of the army: the Bengal army, the Bombay army, and the Madras army. Despite its name the Bengal army, created first, mostly recruited upper-caste elements, Brahmans, Rajputs, and Bhumihars from Awadh and Bihar. A policy of respecting caste and the dietary and other practices of the sepoys fostered a sense of caste identity in the army. As the British domains expanded, however, other communities and other types of soldiers were also recruited, such as Marathas, or Gurkhas from among the Nepalis. The Bombay and Madras armies became more heterogeneous, but the Bengal army remained relatively more upper caste. Alavi (1996) shows that the military reforms of the 1830s, ... log in or subscribe to read full text