The modern history of India roughly begins with the end of the Mughal Empire. After the last able Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb died, India was fragmented into a number of small petty kingdoms. There was chaos and confusion all over the country with almost every other king fighting for control of territories. This attracted foreigners who came promptly to India by establishing trade links and draining away the resources. The Europeans were particularly interested in spice trade with India and the Dutch monopolized this area. This led to a series of interesting changes in the Indian sub-continent.
The British came to know of the abundant resources in India and the trade links with other countries. The 17th century saw fierce competition between different European companies. By the end of the 18th century, the British conquered all and established their company in India. With time, they acquired political power and secured a place in the administrative affairs of the country. They established themselves firmly over the Indian sub continent and brought about many changes in political, economic and social aspects of the country.
The Indians however, were not open for the idea of a foreign power ruling them and imposing their beliefs and faith on them. Once they acquired full control of political power, they started to drain India of all the wealth and resources. Natural resources and labor was exploited mercilessly. People became restless and by the mid 19th century, they revolted against the British for the first time. Popularly known as the revolt of 1857, this Sepoy Mutiny made Indians realize that they were not weak and could stand up against the British with unity and organization. The revolt was crushed ruthlessly by the British but it made an impact on the Indians.
After the end of the First World War, the British imperialism increased in India and that gave birth to nation wide agitations against the British. By the end of 19th century, the Indians formed their own political party called Indian National Congress which worked with the British for the benefits of the Indians. The British did not acknowledge the needs of the Indians and Congress and slowly the Congress turned against them.
Great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Lala Rajpat Rai, Bhagat Singh, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, etc. strived and sacrificed their lives for freeing the nation from the clutches of the British. Many nationalist movements were launched in which the nation stood together as one and finally was successful in driving the British away. India gained her independence from the British on 15th August, 1947.