MODERN HISTORY OF INDIA (1707- 1947)
BENGAL UNDER BRITISH COLONIAL RULE
HASINA BEGUM
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING & INFORMATION SYSTEMS
FACULTY OF BUSINESS STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF DHAKA
THE NAWABS OF BENGAL
• Bengal was one of the richest province of the Mughal Empire. As the Mughal authority
declined, the governor of Bengal,( provincial governor set by Akbar or Aurangzeb) Murshid
Kuli Kha took advantage of the situation to free himself from the imperial control. Although
he continued to pay annual tax to the emperor, he began to rule Bengal independently.
• Murshid Kuli Kha (1706-1725)
• Suja-ud-din (1725-1739)
• Sarafraz Khan (1739-40)
• Alivardi Kha(1740-1756)
• Siraj-ud-Doula (1756-1757)
• Mir-Jafar (1757-1760)
NURNOBI MAHMUD ADDITION
• Babur(1524-1530)6 –The First Leader, The Founder of The Empire
• Humayun(1530-1556)26 –The Luckless Leader
• Akbar The Great( 1556-1605)49 –The Great Leader, The Mastermind, The Image Builder
• Jehangir(1605- 1627)22 –The Paragon of Stability
• Shah Jehan(1627-1658)31 -The Great Builder
• Aurangzeb(1658-1707)39 –The Intolerant
Starting from the Aurangzeb’s time to his death, after 1707, The Mughal empire was declining and the provincial governor of
Bengal of talk advantage to free himself from the imperial control. Though he continued to pay annual tax, he began to rule
Bengal independently.
Murshid kuli kha, Suja-ud-Din, Sarafraz Khan, Aliwardi Kha, Siraj-ud-Daulah, Mir Jafar were the provincial governor or
independent sultanates after 1706 to the decline of the independence of Bengal (started from the Murshid Kuli Kha).
Remember MAHMUD, they were not the emperor of Maughal, rather they were only the Sultan or independent Sultan of the
Bengal (independent from the Murshid Khli kha’s time).
RISE OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY
• 1707 Bengal Nawab became free and powerful.
• Murshid kuli Kha to Aliwardi Kha maintain good relation
with East India Company.
• They did not want to lose their control and sovereignty.
• Aliwardi opposed the construction of English fort in
Bengal.
RISE OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY
• Aliwardi died in 1756
• Siraj-ud-daulah became the Nawab
• Ghaseti Begam, Saukat Zang opposed
• Rajballav joined them
• East India Company ignored Siraj and helped them
• Drake sheltered Rajballav’s son in Kolkata.
RISE OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY
• Farooqshiar Farmaan (1717): Business without Tax
• Shortage of Revenue
• Company employees used for own benefit
• Siraj give cognizance all about
RISE OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY
• Siraj captured Kasim Bazar kuthi (4th June,1756)
• Advanced to Kolkata
• He captured fort William (20th June, 1756)
• Drake fled away with his troop
• Black hole tragedy
• Kolkata renamed as Alinagar
RISE OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY
• Treaty of Alinagar (9th February,1757)
• Robert Clive and Admiral Watson regained Kolkata on 2nd February
(after 8 month 2 days of being captured), 1757. Siraj again tried to
uproot them but failed and signed the treaty of Alinagar.
• English power increased
• Got the permission to construct fort, start their own currency and follow
“ Farooqshiar Farmaan”.
RISE OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY
• Clive captured Chandanagar (23rd March )
• He joined the traitor, Jagat Seth , Rajballav, Raidurlav, Umi
Chand, Mir Jafar and lar latif.
• Clive wrote a letter demanding compensation
• He advanced to Murshidabad
• History changed on 23rd June, 1757
• Siraj was killed on 2nd July, 1757
THE BATTLE OF PLASSEY 23RD JUNE,1757
• Battle of Plassey was a major turning point in modern Indian history
that led to the consolidation of the British rule in India. This battle was
fought between the East India Company headed by Robert Clive and
the Nawab of Bengal (Siraj-Ud-Daulah) and his French Troop. This battle
is often termed as the ‘decisive event’ which became the source of
ultimate rule of British in India. The battle occurred during the late
reign of Mughal empire (called later Mughal Period). Mughal emperor
Alamgir-II was ruling the empire when the Battle of Plassey took place.
CAUSES OF THE BATTLE OF PLASSEY
Majorly, the reasons for the Battle of Plassey to take place were:
• The rampant misuse of the trade privileges given to the British by the Nawab of
Bengal
• Non-payment of tax and duty by the workers of the British East India Company
Other reasons that supported the coming of this battle were:
• Fortification of Calcutta by the British without the Nawab’s permission
• Misleading Nawab on various fronts by British
• An asylum was provided to Nawab’s enemy Krishna Das
EFFECTS OF BATTLE OF PLASSEY
• The Battle of Plassey was fought at Palashi, on the banks of Bhagirathi river near
Calcutta on June 23, 1757.
• Political Effects
• The Battle of Plassey resulted at the end of the French forces.
• Mir Jafar was crowned as the Nawab of Bengal
• Mir Jafar was unhappy with the position and instigated the Dutch to attack the
British in order to consolidate his foundation.
• Battle of Chinsura was fought between the Dutch and British forces on
November 25, 1759.
EFFECTS OF BATTLE OF PLASSEY
• The British installed Mir Qasim as the Nawab of Bengal.
• The British became the paramount European power in Bengal.
• Robert Clive was titled “Lord Clive”, Baron of Plassey and also obtained a seat in the
British House of Commons.
• Economic Effects
• The economy of India was affected severely.
• Post the victory, the British started imposing severe rules and regulations on the
inhabitants of Bengal in the name of tax collection.
CONSOLIDATION OF BRITISH ECONOMIC AND
POLITICAL POWER IN BENGAL
• EIC strengthened its position by installing Mir-Jafar as the puppet
Nawab in Murshidabad.
• Thus removing France influence in Bengal.
• 24 Parganas were obtained from the new Nawab as gift to the company
immediately after Palassy.
• Dual Administration: Lord Clive introduced Dual Systems of
government.
1. Company- Power
2. Nawabs- Civil Administration
RULE BY THE EAST INDIA COMPANY IN
BENGAL
• After the battle of Plassy, the East India Company ruled Bengal through
a series of puppet ruler.
• The Diwani Treaty, negotiated by Clive in 1765, allowed the region to
governed by collaborators including Mir-Jafar and Mir-kaseem in return
for surplus revenue which were channeled to the company.
• The company made huge profits by operating a monopoly on trade.
GREAT FAMINE OF 1769-70
• Whilst the British made huge profit, the local people suffered.
• Rapid decline of agriculture and manufacturing in Bengal.
• The great famine of 1770(1770-594=1176) destroyed one third of
the total population of Bengal.
BRITISH GOVERNMENT TAKES DIRECT
CONTROL
• 1784 the British government passes the India Act and took direct
control of the Indian possessions.
• Appointed a Governor-General, who would have control of the three
presidencies.(Bombay, Bengal, madras)
• First Governor- General: Warren Hasting.
• EIC continued to trade, but lost most of its administrative powers.
• Robert Clive’s opponents in Britain carried out an investigation into his
behavior in India.
THE PERMANENT SETTLEMENT OF 1793
• Lord Cornwallis concluded the Permanent Settlement Act of 1793.
• Permanent Settlement was a grand contract between the East India Company and
the Landholders of Bengal (Zamindars and independent Talukdars of all
designations). Note:- first Aurangzeb introduced Zamindary system.
• The method of taxation was reformed.
• Under this act, the landholders and Zamindars were admitted as the absolute owners
of landed property to the colonial state system. Not only those, the Zamindars and
landholders were allowed to hold their proprietary right at a rate that never changed.
Under this contract of Permanent Settlement, the Government could not enhance the
revenue demands on Zamindars.
CONSEQUENCES OF PERMANENT
SETTLEMENT
• The Government tax demand was inflexible and the collectors of East India
Company refused to make any adjustment during the time of drought, flood
or other natural calamity.
• This was the drawback of the Permanent Settlement Act, that caused many
Zamindars to fall into arrears. The Company`s policy was to put the land in
auction, whose taxes are not fulfilled.
• This created a new market for the land. Many Indian officials of East India
Company purchased this land. Thus a new class of bureaucrats was created
who purchased lands those were under assessed and profitable.
CONSEQUENCES OF PERMANENT
SETTLEMENT
• This led to two possibilities- one, to manipulate the system to bring to sale the
lands they wanted specifically and the other was that the officials could be
purchased by bribing them in order to get possession of a certain land.
• Thus this bureaucrats class became rich by unfair means. Thus, the Permanent
Settlement Act led to commercialization of land, which did not exist in Bengal
before. This in consequence created a change in social background. Those who
were "lineages and local chiefs" turned to "under civil servants and their
descendants, and to merchants and bankers." The new landlord class was
generated who had no connection with their lands but managed the property
through the managers.
CONSEQUENCES OF PERMANENT
SETTLEMENT
• There was some obvious influence of Permanent Settlement Act. The company hoped that
Zamindar class would be their revenue generating machine as well as they would serve as
intermediaries for the political aspect of their rule and would protect British Government in all
their interests. However, in course of time it acted both ways. Zamindars were the natural
protectors of the British rulers but when the British policy changed during mid -nineteenth
century that interfered with social reform, some Zamindars put themselves in opposition.
The agreement of permanent Settlement Act only included the revenue earning but there
was no mention of the use of the land. Thus to earn more money from the land, the Company
officials and Zamindars insisted on planting Indigo and cotton rather than wheat and rice.
This was the cause of many worst famines of the Bengal. Another disadvantage was creation
of absentee Zamindar class who did not pay attention in the improvement of land.
RESISTANCE TO THE BRITISH
• Fakir-Sannyasi Resistance movement 1760
• The Fakir-Sannyasi Resistance movement was organized and led by MAJNU SHAH, a Sufi saint.
• The Fakir resistance began in nebulous form in 1760 and gathered momentum in 1763. Their
main target was the Company kuthi, revenue kacharis of zamindars loyal to the Company
rulers, and the houses of their officials. The rebels used swords, spear and lances, gun, fire
throwing device, hawai and even revolving cannons.
• In most cases they attacked the Company personnel and their establishments in surprise. In
regular operations and in specific battle there was often assemblage of five to six thousand
fakir-sannyasis. The number of fakirs and sannyasis rose to around fifty thousand or more in
1770s. The rebels had their intelligence agents in the persons of the villagers who earlier
transpired to them the movement of the Company troops.
FIRST PARTITION OF BENGAL 1905
• The Partition of Bengal in 1905 was made on October 16 by Viceroy
Curzon.
_The former province of Bengal was divided into two new
provinces:
• "Bengal" (comprising western Bengal as well as the province of Bihar
and Orissa)
• "East Bengal and Assam" with Dacca (Dhaka) being the capital of the
latter.
REASON AND EXCUSE OF PARTITION SHOWN
BY THE BRITISH
• According to Curzon, as the eastern region was neglected and under-governed,
splitting the province could improve administration in the east and the
population would benefit from new schools and employment opportunities.
• The partition was greatly supported by the Muslims of East Bengal.
• Poor economic situation of Muslims in East Bengal.
• The perceived dominance of the Hindu businessmen and landlords of West Bengal.
• Bengal was severely centralized in the capital Calcutta, in all aspects. Most of the
factories and mills in Bengal were established in and around Calcutta even though
the major sources of the raw materials for these factories were in East Bengal.
RESULTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF PARTITION
• Dacca began to transform into a major city and regain its past glory.
• Construction of Curzon Hall, High court bearing the heritage of
British architecture.
• A number of educational institutions were established throughout
East Bengal and Assam which resulted in an increase in the literacy rate
of the region.
• Curzon Hall : Originally intended to be a town hall. Lord Curzon, Viceroy of
India laid the foundation stone in 1904, and the building is named after
him.
BENGALI HINDUS AGAINST THE PARTITION
• Bengali Hindus were in the forefront of political agitation for greater
participation in governance.
• Hindus tended to oppose partition.
• Partition eventually stimulated an anti-British movement that involved
non-violent and violent protests, boycotts and even an assassination
attempt against the Governor of the new province of West Bengal.
RESISTANCE CONTINUED…
• Partition sparked a major political crisis along religious lines.
• Hindu resistance exploded as the Indian National Congress began the
Swadeshi movement that included boycotting British goods and public
institutions, meetings and processions, forming committees,
propaganda through press, and diplomatic pressure.
• Rabindranath Tagore wrote Banglar Mati Banglar Jol as a rallying cry for
proponents of annulment of Partition.
SWADESHI MOVEMENT
কিছুই না, খালি কাপড়-চোপড় পোড়ানো, পাবলিক মিটিং করা, পিটিশন, প্রেস
ক্যাম্পেইন, কমিটি গঠন, প্রপাগান্ডা, ডিপ্লোম্যাটিক প্রেসার, পণ্য ও
আমদানিকৃত চিনি বর্জন, দোকানে পিকেটিং করে পণ্য এনে পুড়িয়ে ফেলা, নিজেদের
পণ্য ব্যবহারে পণ, এইতো। নেতৃত্ব দেয় ইন্ডিয়ান ন্যশনাল কংগ্রেস।
• The proposal of partition of Bengal became publicly known in 1903.
This phase is marked by moderate techniques of protest such as
petitions, public meetings, press campaign, etc. to turn public opinion
in India as well as in Britain against partition.
• It involved the boycott of British products. Western clothes were thrown
onto bonfires.
• Leaders of the anti-partition movement decided to use only Indian
goods and to boycott British goods.
• People gathered at the cross roads and burnt the imported clothes that
they had. People picketed the shops selling foreign goods, and
imported sugar was boycotted.
RE-UNIFICATION
• Due to the political protests, the two parts of Bengal were reunited in
1911.
• A new partition which divided the province on linguistic, rather than
religious grounds followed, with the Hindi, Oriya and Assamese areas
separated to form separate administrative units:
Bihar and Orissa Province was created to the west, and Assam Province
to the east.
• The administrative capital of British India was moved from Calcutta to
New Delhi as well
1914: Mohandas
Gandhi (1869-
1948) Returns
from South Africa
Struggle for
Home Rule Begins
THE FIRST NON-COOPERATION
MOVEMENT
• At the Calcutta session of the Congress in September 1920, Gandhi convinced other
leaders of the need to start a non-cooperation movement in support of Khilafat as well as
for swaraj (self rule).
• The first satyagraha movement urged the use of khadi and Indian material as alternatives
to those shipped from Britain.
• It also urged people to boycott British educational institutions and law courts; resign from
government employment; refuse to pay taxes; and forsake British titles and honours.
• Although this came too late to influence the framing of the new Government of India Act
1919, the movement enjoyed widespread popular support, and the resulting unparalleled
magnitude of disorder presented a serious challenge to foreign rule.
OTHER ANTI BRITISH MOVEMENT
• From 1763 to 1856 there were more than 40 major rebellions apart from hundreds
of minor ones.
• Farazi Movement (1838-1848): This was the first ever no-tax campaign against
the British Government, led by Shariatullah Khan and Dadu Mian, brought together
all the cultivators of Bengal against the landlords.
• Wahabi Movement (1830’s-1860’s): Syed Ahmed Barelvi was greatly influenced
by the teachings of Abdul Wahab of Arabia and Shah Waliullah, a Delhi saint. The
movement was primarily religious in its origin. It soon assumed the character of a
class struggle in some places, especially in Bengal. Irrespective of communal
distinctions, peasants united against their landlords.
TRIBAL REVOLTS AND OTHERS
• Chakma Resistance in Southern Chittagong (1777-1787)
• Titumir’s rebellion in Jessore and Nadia (1830-1831) was a rebel
against the Zamindars and British colonial system. He built a Bamboo
fort (Bansher-Kella-বাঁশের কেল্লা) and put up armed resistance. After
the storming of the fort by British soldiers, Titumir died of his wounds
on November 19, 1831.
SEPOY MUTINY 1857
• A sepoy called Mangal Pandey was the first soldier who openly disobeyed orders.
• He killed two English officers at Barrackpore near Calcutta on 29 March 1857.
• He was arrested, tried and executed. The regiments of Barrackpore were disbanded.
• The news of Mangal Pandey very soon reached other parts of the country and resulted in open
revolts.
• 85 sepoys of the cavalry regiment were sentenced to 2-10 years imprisonment for refusing to use
greased cartridges. The very next day, on 10th May 1857, three regiments broke into open mutiny.
• They killed British officers and broke open the prison to release their comrades. They began to
march towards Delhi, where they were joined by the local infantry and the common people.
• The rebels captured Delhi and killed many British officers. They declared the Mughal Emperor
Bahadur Shah as the emperor of India.
OTHER MEASURES THE BRITISH TAKE TO
EXPLOIT INDIA
• To buy raw materials and sell their finished goods they introduced
steamships and railways. The railways opened a vast market to the
British and facilitated export of Indian raw materials abroad. The
railways connected the raw material producing areas with the
exporting ports. As a result British goods flooded the Indian market.
• In 1853, Dalhousie opened the first telegraphic line from Calcutta to
Agra. They also introduced the postal service to India.
QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT
• The Quit India Movement (Bharat Chhodo Andolan) or the August
Movement was a civil disobedience movement in India launched on 8
August 1942 in response to Gandhi's call for immediate independence
of India and against sending Indians to World War II.
• He asked all teachers to leave their schools, and other Indians to leave
their respective jobs and take part in this movement. Due to Gandhi's
political influence, his request was followed by a massive proportion of
the population.
THE SECOND PARTITION OF BENGAL
• The forces of Hindu and Muslim communalism in Bengal had become
so powerful that there were too few persons in either community to
fight communalism.
• Before 1020s Bengali Hindus dominated the political institutions.
• Emergence of Muslim leadership.
• From 1926 Hindus lost control of many local bodies and also of the
provincial legislature.
BENGAL MINISTRY
• First Bengal Ministry (1937-1942), formed with Fazlul Huq as the Chief
Minister. Recommended abolition of permanent settlement act.
• Second Bengal Ministry (1941-1943)
• Khawaja Nazimuddin (1943-1945)
• H. S. Suhrawardy (1946- 1947)
• The state of Hindu-Muslim relation has reached the point of no return.
GREAT CALCUTTA KILLING(16 AUGUST, 1946)
• Jinnah declared Direct Action Day.
• Four months of virtual civil war in Bengal.
• Hindus and Muslims butchered one another.
• In Bengal Legislative Assembly, Bengali Hindus unanimously voted for
partition.
INDEPENDENCE OF INDIA
• On 3 June 1947, Louis Mountbatten, the last British Governor-General of
India, announced the partitioning of British India into India and
Pakistan. With the speedy passage through the British Parliament of the
Indian Independence Act 1947,
• At 11:57 on 14 August 1947 Pakistan was declared a separate nation,
• At 12:02, just after midnight, on 15 August 1947, India also became
and Independent nation.
END OF BRITISH RULE
• After the second world war, Britain simply no longer had the resources with which to control its
greatest imperial asset and its exist from India was messy, hasty and clumsily improvised. British
rule in India had long been marked by violent revolts and brutal suppressions, the British Army
was able to march out with barely a shot fired. The strain that second world war had put on the
British government and its people was certainly an important factor in its decline as in the wake
of a war that had decimated the country. The combined with pressure from the foreign country to
end western imperialism, Japanese expansion and a growing feeling of discontent with British
rule among the indigenous population of India lead to the fall of British rule. However it is
virtually impossible to pinpoint one root cause of the British government withdrawal.
• Lord Mount batten, India’s last viceroy, brought with him a desire to transfer power from the
British government swiftly and efficiently. It was his negotiations which saw the deadline for the
withdrawal of British troops move forward from June 1947 to August 1948.
• In August 1947, after 200 years in India, the British finally left. The
subcontinent was partitioned into two independent nation states Hindu-
majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. Across the Indian
subcontinent communities that had attackers each other in a terrifying
outbreak of sectarian violence between Hindus and Muslims. By 1948,
as the great migration drew to a close , more than 15 million people
had been uprooted and between one or two million were dead.
