In 1757, the historic battle of Plassey, a small town 150 km north of Calcutta in Bengal, changed the course of Indian history. The East India Company led by Robert Clive defeated the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj Ud- Daulah and his French allies. This marked the emergence of British rule in India as the East India Company emerged as a powerful force in Bengal. In 1761, the Maratha Empire that had become formidable in central and western India suffered massive defeat against Afghan forces led by Ahmad Shah Abdali in the Third Battle of Panipat and subsequently, the Maratha Empire broke up into several Confederate states. The Mughal Empire had significantly shrunk by then and was fast disappearing from the face of India. In 1764, the East India Company
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The effective control of administration still remained in the hands of the East India Company. In 1773, the British Parliament in London created a post of Governor General, who was to be held accountable for the administration of British India. Warrant Hastings, who had played an important role in the expansion of the East India Company in the 1760s, became the first Governor General of India in 1774. He introduced several administrative reforms during his term to strengthen the British control over India. He had great respect for ancient Hindu scriptures and was able to win the support of local upper caste people in running the administration. In 1786, he was succeeded by Charles Cornwallis, who was instrumental in introducing several judicial reforms through the establishment of circuit courts in Bengal. He was favorably disposed towards working class people as he took steps to prevent the exploitation of workers at the hands of the British officials. He modernized the Indian Civil Service to improve the overall law and order and took steps to improve the tax collection mechanism. He was keenly interested in education and established several colleges, including the Government Sanskrit College in Banaras in …show more content…
It began as a sepoy mutiny in Meerut, a town near Delhi and spread to places like Jhansi, Gwalior, Indore, Kanpur etc. The rebellion was triggered by rumours of cow fat being used to grease the cartridges which were supplied to Indian soldiers serving in the East India Company. The British were able to crush this mutiny with a heavy hand. More than one lakh Indians are estimated to have died during this revolt. After crushing the revolt, the East India Company imprisoned the last Mughal ruler, Bahadur Shah Zafar II and abolished the Mughal
The effective control of administration still remained in the hands of the East India Company. In 1773, the British Parliament in London created a post of Governor General, who was to be held accountable for the administration of British India. Warrant Hastings, who had played an important role in the expansion of the East India Company in the 1760s, became the first Governor General of India in 1774. He introduced several administrative reforms during his term to strengthen the British control over India. He had great respect for ancient Hindu scriptures and was able to win the support of local upper caste people in running the administration. In 1786, he was succeeded by Charles Cornwallis, who was instrumental in introducing several judicial reforms through the establishment of circuit courts in Bengal. He was favorably disposed towards working class people as he took steps to prevent the exploitation of workers at the hands of the British officials. He modernized the Indian Civil Service to improve the overall law and order and took steps to improve the tax collection mechanism. He was keenly interested in education and established several colleges, including the Government Sanskrit College in Banaras in …show more content…
It began as a sepoy mutiny in Meerut, a town near Delhi and spread to places like Jhansi, Gwalior, Indore, Kanpur etc. The rebellion was triggered by rumours of cow fat being used to grease the cartridges which were supplied to Indian soldiers serving in the East India Company. The British were able to crush this mutiny with a heavy hand. More than one lakh Indians are estimated to have died during this revolt. After crushing the revolt, the East India Company imprisoned the last Mughal ruler, Bahadur Shah Zafar II and abolished the Mughal