Battle of Plassey : A Comprehensive Study
[Syllabus: UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination ➨ General Studies, Paper-1 ➨ History of Modern India ➨ Topic: 18th Century India ➨ Sub-Topic: Battle of Plassey]
(I) Introduction:
The battle of Plassey took place in June 1757 between the company forces under Robert Clive and the Nawab of Bengal Siraj-ud-Daula, in many ways the battle is regarded as the beginning of the British Empire in India and the beginning of the ruin of the Indian Economy at the hands of the British.
(II) Events Leading to the Battle:
1. Farrukh Siyar’s Farman: In 1717, FarrukhSiyar issued a Farman giving the British East India Company the right to reside and trade in the Mughal Empire.
2. French Influence: The Seven Years War (1756-63) led to animosity between the French and British including in India, where Bengal was falling to French influence.
3. Foundation of Calcutta: The English formed their first post in Hughli in Bengal but was abandoned in 1690 when they established Fort William near Calcutta.
4. Loss of Mughal influence: With the death of Aurangzeb many states like Hyderabad and Bengal started asserting their own sovereignty separate from the Mughal ruler in Delhi.
(III) Causes of the Battle:
A. Economic Cause:
1. Misuse of Dastaks: The British, as protected subjects of the Nawab, gave passes to native traders to trade custom-free, actions which were detrimental to the Nawab’s revenue.
2. Non Payment of Tax: Non-payment of tax and duty by the workers of the British East India Company.
3. Nawab-British Conflicts: They refused to grant the Company concessions, demanded large tributes for the Company’s right to trade.
4. Influence of Bankers: Bankers like Jagat Seth, Omichand and Rai Durlabh gained enormously with the patronage of the British but were curtailed by the Nawab’s economic policies.
B. Political Cause:
1. Fortification of Fort William: The fortification of Fort William by the company forces without the permission of the Nawab.
2. Siege of Calcutta: In 1756, Nawab Siraj Ud-Daula seized Fort William on the pretext that the fortifications were made without his permission.
3. Black Hole Incident: The Nawab seized the fort and the prisoners were kept in a dungeon in Fort William. This incident is called the Black Hole of Calcutta since only a handful of the prisoners survived the captivity.
4. Asylum to Nawab’s Fugitive: An asylum provided to Nawab’s enemy Krishna Das by the British also caused issues between them.
5. Failed Negotiations with the Nawab: On the fall of Calcutta, Company officials in Madras sent Robert Clive, reinforced by naval fleets to negotiate with the Nawab, which failed.
C. Other Individual Factors
1. Mir Jafar’s Ambitions: After Siraj Ud-Daulah’s defeat and subsequent execution, Jafar achieved his long-pursued dream of gaining the throne, and was propped up by the East India Company as a puppet Nawab.
2. Bengal Bankers: The rich Seth Jagat Seth and Omichand financed the battles against the Nawab in the promise to receive trade privileges after British victory.
3. Siraj-Ud-Daula’s miscalculations: The Bengal Nawab miscalculated the weaknesses of his own subah and how it was being exploited by the British.
4. Enemies of the Bengal Nawab: After Alivardi Khan, Siraj Ud-Daula was his chosen heir which was not accepted by many like Mir Jafar who saw him as weak and incapable.
(IV) Impact/Consequences:
A. Political Impact:
1. Beginning of the British Empire: The Battle of Plassey proved to be the beginning of the British Raj in India.
2. Puppet Bengal Government: The British installed Mir Jafar as the puppet Nawab of the Bengal Subah, but in reality controlled most of the political decisions.
3. Dual Government: In 1765, Robert Clive formed a dual government in Bengal where the administration of Bengal was split into two parts Diwani and Nizamat. Diwani means the corporation was granted the right to raise revenue, and Nizamat means that nawab was given administrative powers.
4. The decline of the French: As a result of the war of Plassey, the French were no longer a significant force in Bengal.
5. The decline of the Dutch: Clive initiated immediate offensive operations by land and sea and defeated the much larger Dutch force on 25 November 1759 in the Battle of Chinsura.
6. Laid ground for Buxar: The battle of Plassey and the harsh British treatment laid the ground for the Battle of Buxar 8 years later.
7. The decline of Murshidabad: The battle made Calcutta the power centre in Bengal and subsequently Murshidabad fell into a decline.
B. Economic Impact:
1. War Reparations to the British: Besides confirming the farman of 1717, the treaty also required restitution, including donations to the navy squadron, army and committee, of 22,000,000 rupees (£2,750,000) to the British for their losses.
2. Bullion Export: Prior to 1757, the English trade in Bengal was largely financed through the import of bullion from England, but after Plassey not only did bullion import stopped but bullion was exported from Bengal to China and other parts of India, which gave a competitive advantage to the English company over its European rivals.
3. Bengal Revenue: The Battle of Plassey effectively gave the British the entire fortunes of Bengal, which was the largest economy in Mughal India.
C. Social Impact:
1. Drain of Local Wealth: The local people of Bengal started becoming impoverished as the British demanded high reparation and taxes.
2. Beginning of Landed Class: The motive behind the Bankers to help the British was to gain favours in terms of landholding from the Victorious British.
(V) Conclusion:
Thus the battle proved to be one of the final victories for the British to take control over India, and the battle was also a result of various complex political and economic factors.
Plassey is regarded as the beginning of modern Indian history as well as the beginning of the British Indian empire that lasted for another 200 years.
