Power and preachers: India under colonial rule

Power and preachers: India under colonial rule is a thematic series contained as a sub-set within the digitized archival content known as British Online Archives (BOA), distributed by Microform Academic Publishers (MAP).  This series includes the following collections:

Indian Communists and Trade Unionists on Trial: The Meerut Conspiracy, 1929-1933

This collection provides access to 10,201 pages covering The Meerut Conspiracy Trial from 1929-1933.  MAP states, "Collectively drawn from the British Library, Labour History Archive & Study Centre and Working Class Movement Library, the following documents bring together an array of differing, and balanced, perspectives on both the trial itself as well as its consequences for British imperialism as the sun was beginning to set on the Empire. Accompanied by an online guide and scholarly introduction to the collection by John Callaghan, professor of Politics and Contemporary History, University of Salford."

India, uprising and reform 1879 to 1910: in the records of the Governor-General

This collection provides access to 43,764 pages in 5 volumes of the Indian papers of the 4th Earl of Minto.  MAP states, "The papers of Gilbert John Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, the 4th Earl of Minto, (1845-1914), Viceroy of India between 1905 and 1910, cover a period of dramatic and momentous change in the history of colonial India. The beginning of Minto's tenure in India was marked by unprecedented anti-colonial protests against the partition of Bengal, initiated by his predecessor, Lord Curzon of Kedleston. It ended with the crucial 'Morley-Minto reforms' contained in the Government of India Act and the Indian Councils Act, both of 1909. These two new laws established, among other things, the constitutional principle of separate electorates for India's Muslim communities... Accompanied with this collection is an online guide to the microfilm version by Dr William Gould, University of Leeds."

Indian and Sri Lankan records from colonial missionaries, 1770-1931

This collection provides access to 84,424 pages in 8 volumes of South Asian records of the USPG.  MAP states, "The documents in this resource come from the archives of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG). Some are true archives, arising from the work of the Society in India; some are manuscripts which cover the period when the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK), founded in 1698 was working with the Royal Danish (Lutheran) Mission, founded in 1705. They chart the history of Anglican Protestant engagement in the region from shortly after the strategic turning point in the fortunes of the East India Company wrought by Colonel Robert Clive in the 1750s, through to the toppling of Tipu Sultan in 1799, the controversial changes to the EIC's charter in 1813, the Sepoy Rebellion of 1856-1857, and on right through to Partition in 1947. As with the Society's missions elsewhere in the world, the documents also trace the gradual shift that began in the early 19th century from a church dependent on English priests to one increasingly led by indigenous clergy. Accompanied by an online guide to the collection by Isobel Pridmore, formerly the archivist at the USPG, whose archives are now held at Rhodes House Library in Oxford."

Taking India, how the military established Company rule, 1752-1774

This collection provides access to 24,508 pages in 18 volumes of personal papers, correspondences, financial papers from Colonel Robert Clive and Brigadier General John Carnac.  According to MAP: "These key East India Company employees worked in mid-18th century Bengal. The papers of Col. Robert Clive and Brig.-Gen. John Carnac cover the transfer of power from the Mughal Empire to the British Empire. Most of these papers focus on Col. Clive, with his items covering his victory over the Nawab of Bengal in 1757 at Plassey. Other events include the 'Black Hole of Calcutta' incident and the thorough defeat of the Dutch in 1759. You can also discover what happened to Clive's chief administrator of revenues, Maharaja Nandakumara. Brig.-Gen. John Carnac led the British forces in India during from 1760 to 1761. Carnac fought and defeated the French-supported forces of the Mughal Emperor, Shah Alam II, near Bihar. In 1764 he returned to the British command, defeating the Marathas in 1765. These papers enable the reader to contrast how these commanders practised the EIC's approach to running India, combining commercial with growing political power."

India, business and control 1806 to 1814: in the records of the Governor-General

This collection provides access to 132,093 pages in 21 volumes covering the Indian papers of the 1st Earl of Minto, 1606-1814.  MAP states, "The 1st Earl of Minto served as Governor-General of India from 1806 until 1813. An employee of the East India Company, Sir Gilbert Elliot Murray Kynynmound rose from President of the Board of Control to run the colony. The diplomatic and Indian material is detailed, with a clear focus on his work. The 1st Earl also served as a Civil Commissioner at Toulon, Minister to the Italian states, Viceroy of Corsica, and an Ambassador at Vienna. These records include his personal letters and those of his wife Anna Maria."