British East India Company

British East India Company

Introduction

Most of the third world countries, especially the Asian countries, have experienced colonization at one point in history or the other. Same is the case with Indo- Pak subcontinent and after ruling over the vast area for thousands of years, the Muslim rulers finally lost the empire to the British, who took the subcontinent under their rule and continued to exploit the region for more than a hundred years. There was a chain of events that led to the fall of the Muslim empire and the gradual advent and then strengthening of the British rule, and the shift was neither sudden nor abrupt. The British arrived in the subcontinent as traders, but gradually strengthened their roots and moved on to finally take over the government. It is eminent to mention here that the British East India Company continued to rule over the areas from 1757 till 1857, when the British crown stepped in and established the British Raj. The following paragraphs would highlight the political, economic, social and the cultural context that led to the success of British East India Company and the creation of the British Empire in India.

Discussion

"We've put up with this nonsense long enough. Eunuchs, fiddlers, nautch-girls, and 'muta' wives and God know what else. He can't rule, he has no wish to rule, and therefore he has no business to rule." These words, uttered by General Outam in the movie 'The Chess Palyer' highlight the most essential and significant qualities of the Indian rulers at that time, which led to the failure of the Muslim empire and provided British with a bright chance to take over and capture the land. it is a well known fact that the Indian Rulers, from 1757 to 1858, were more interested in the above mentioned characters as compared to the political and social affairs of the country, and thus consequently lost hold of the territory and gained the status of slaves.

The beginning of the British rule in India

British trader had been present in India since a number of years, but the actual rule of the British in India started in 1757, after the Nawab of Bengal lost the Battle of Palsi and became dominated by the British East India Company. It is eminent to mention here that the social, economic as well as political situation in the subcontinent was fast deteriorating in those days, and the locals were at the verge of observing the law of jungle.

Due to the disinterest of the rulers and their negligence, vast parts of their empires had already been taken over by the regional and local rulers, thus reducing the Indian Empire to mere suburbs of Dehli, which was the centre of empire at that time. In 1757, the British East India Company established its head quarters in Calcutta and appointed Warren Hastings as the first governor general, who got directly involved in the governance and continued to rule over the area until 1858, when the crown intervened and took ...