When Did India Become Part of the British Empire?

During the time of British rule, roughly 300 million Indians were governed by approximately 20,000 British officials and soldiers, who brought British forms of medicine, railways and irrigation. India's economy grew as a result, but British officials mistook economic success and the lack of organized revolt as evidence that Indian citizens were happy with being under the control of the British crown. By the 1920s, a movement towards India's independence began gaining momentum. In 1947, the country became an independent nation.