IGNOU HISTORY NOTES : India History From Mid 18th to Mid 19th Century - The British in Eastern India up to Buxar

IGNOU HISTORY Study Notes for IAS, UPSC Exams

History India From Mid 18th to Mid 19th Century

The British in Eastern India up to Buxar

Structure

8.0 Objectives
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Bengal Before the British Conquest
8.3 The British Conquest of Bengal. 1757-65
8.3.1 Siraj-uddaula and the British
8.3.2 Mir Jafar and the British
8.3.3 Mir Kasim and the British
8.3.4 After Mir Kasim
8.4 Explanation for the Political Transformation
8.5 Significance of British Success
8.6 Let Us Sum Up
8.7 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises.

8.0 OBJECTIVES

The history of British domination in India started with the subjugation of Bengal to
the British imperialist system. After reading this Unit you will be able to :
understand the baclcground of the British conquest of Bengal, -
.learn about the transformation of power from the Bengal Nawabs to the British
authority, and
explain the factors that led to this transformation of power and its significance.

8.1 INTRODUCTION

This Unit introduces you to the gradual transfer of power from the Nawabs to the
British in Bengal during the period 1757 to 1765. You have got some idea about the
subjugation of Bengal to the British imperial system in Unit 2 of Block 1. In this
Unit an attempt has been made to show that it was mainly the commercial rivalry
between the British and the Bengal Nawabs which largely decided the course of
events in the 1750s. The personal failure of any Yawab was not an important
decisive factor for this development, as some historians have tried to establish.
However, the degeneration in the administration that started in the 18th century had
PO doubt contributed to the final collapse of the independent Bengal polity. Here we
p;tve first discussed the background of the British conquest of Bengal and the
political developments from 1757 to 1765. Then we focus on the explanation for this
transformation and the significance of the battle of Plassey and Buxar which were
Landmarks in the process of British imperialist expansion in India. 

Click here to download full Chapter

Courtesy: eGyanKosh