New Delhi: The period of British colonial rule in India is one of the most devastating phases in the country’s history. From being one of the richest lands even at the beginning of the 18th century, we became one of the poorest nations by the time the colonisers left. The erstwhile undivided India was carved up and Pakistan was born, altering the history of the subcontinent forever. Moreover, years of exploitation and subjugation meant that India, after its Independence, had to hobble for a long time before it could even walk, let alone run. It was a rule which destroyed the country in several spheres.
How long did the British Raj last in India?
It was the British East India Company that first consolidated the colonial power in India. They came as traders and their rule is said to have effectively begun in 1757 following the Battle of Plassey when Siraj ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal was defeated by the troops of the Company and the treachery of his people and was replaced with Mir Jafar, an ally of the Company who dealt the Nawab a famous betrayal during the battle.
The Company’s rule further strengthened after the Battle of Buxar in October 1764, when the combined armies of Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II, Mir Qasim, Nawab of Bengal and Shuja-ud-Daula, Nawab of Awadh were routed by the British forces. The defeated Mughal Emperor was forced to give the Diwani (the right to collect revenue) in Bengal and Bihar to the Company, with the first being the richest province in India at that time, enabling it to fill its coffers. The power of the Company increased in 1773 when it abolished local rule in Bengal, made Calcutta (now Kolkata) its capital and appointed Warren Hastings as the first Governor-General of Fort William.
Was the British Raj different from the Company rule?
Yes. Following the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the British government replaced the East India Company as the ruling power in India as it deemed the Company to be incapable of administration and became the sole ruler of India. It marked the beginning of the British Raj and it was the period of British Parliament rule on the Indian subcontinent. The British Raj began in 1858 when the rule of the East India Company was transferred to the Crown, Queen Victoria of the British Empire. The Raj ended on August 15, 1947, when India finally gained Independence. Overall, the British Raj lasted for around 89 years in the Indian subcontinent.
It was the British East India Company that first consolidated the colonial power in India. They came as traders and their rule is said to have effectively begun in 1757. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
