 European traders had established outposts on the Indian subcontinent by the 17th century . Through overwhelming military strength , the British East India company subdued local kingdoms and established themselves as the dominant force by the 18th century . Following the Rebellion of 1857 , the Government of India Act 1858 led the British Crown to assume direct control of India . In the decades following , civic society gradually emerged across India , most notably the Indian National Congress Party , formed in 1885 . The period after World War I was marked by British reforms such as the Montagu – <unk> <unk> , but it also witnessed the enactment of the repressive <unk> Act and calls for self @-@ rule by Indian activists . The discontent of this period <unk> into nationwide non @-@ violent movements of non @-@ cooperation and civil disobedience , led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi . 
