Mother Teresa: a biography

THE BRITISH RAJ
For the next quarter century following the Indian Mutiny, British rule,
or raj, of India was at its peak. Haunted by the horrific memory of the
mutiny, the British government enacted a series of measures to avoid an-
other conflict from taking place. To oversee the day-to-day administration
of the colony’s provinces, a viceroy of India was appointed by the crown.
However, Hindu and Muslim princes continued to govern almost 600 na-
tive states, which were for the most part autonomous. However, they were
forbidden to make war on one another, and to keep an eye on things, the
viceroy appointed an agent to each royal state whose job it was to advise
the ruler.
British rule brought internal peace and economic development to
India. The British not only built roads and railways, but canals, irrigation
works, mills, and factories. They introduced Western law and police sys-
tems, modernized cities, and built schools. Despite these efforts at nation
building, many Indians resented the aloof and exacting attitude of the
British government. A growing number of Indian intellectuals, many of
whom were the products of an English education, began dreaming of a
free India. In 1885, the Indian National Congress was created; its estab-
lishment marked the beginnings of a growing and organized protest for In-
dian independence.
TOWARD A FREE INDIA
At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Indian troops were called
upon to aid the British and their allies against the Germans. Although In-
dians did so, in the wake of the war, nationalist agitation increased. The
British Parliament, recognizing that something had to be done to appease
the nationalists, passed a reform act in 1919, which provided for the cre-
ation of provincial councils that allowed Indians to participate in helping
form policy with regard to agriculture, education, and public health. But
the provincial councils were not enough for the extreme nationalists,
such as those under the leadership of Mohandas K. Gandhi. This group
soon gained control of the Indian National Congress. In addition, Gandhi
preached resistance to the British by 
noncooperation,
or nonviolent resis-
A N S W E R I N G T H E C A L L
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tance in most every aspect of daily life. This meant boycotting all British-
made goods, refusing to send children to British schools and colleges, ig-
noring British courts of law, and rejecting British titles and honors.
Noncompliance extended to British elections and the British tax system.
By withdrawing their support, the Indian people hoped to stop completely
the British in India and allow for the creation of an independent Indian
nation. Hundreds of thousands responded to Gandhi’s plea and joined his
civil disobedience campaigns, and the Indian National Congress quickly
gained a mass following.
The situation in India was a powder keg waiting to explode. In 1927,
rioting broke out when the British Parliament placed no Indians on a
commission created to investigate the government of India. Soon after,
the British imprisoned Gandhi and his associates but could not silence
their message. In 1929, Jawaharlal Nehru was elected president of the
Congress. Like Gandhi, Nehru was passionately devoted to the cause of
independence. Finally in 1935, the British Parliament passed the Gov-
ernment of India Act, which provided for elected legislatures in the
provinces, but restricted the number of eligible voters based on property
and educational requirements. Amid this growing agitation between the
British colonial government and Indian peoples, Mother Teresa arrived
to do her work.