INTRODUCTION:
The Indian subcontinent came under the British rule due to an invasive trade policy that led to struggle for independence lasting two centuries. The initiator of this atrocious invasive policy came in the form of a trading company that was supposed to set up ports and factories but ended up making its own private armies and took over the kingdom. The company initiated its stay on Indian soil on the pretext of trade but soon rose to compete with its own Dutch and French counterparts, fighting wars and defeating the then rulers of India – Mughals. They were successful in threatening the weakened Mughal rulers of India and taking over their powers to begin their own rule over the subcontinent that expanded to Sri Lanka, Burma, Afghanistan and China. With the help of their infamous ‘Divide and Rule’ mechanisms they attacked the unity of a much India and took over the entirety of the subcontinent. This rule encompassed major oppressive and exploitative regimes in the history of mankind ranging from artificial famines induced to strengthen armies during the first great war to the infamous Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
ORIGIN:
The company was not the first to create trade relations with India, the Spanish and the Portuguese had been doing the same for decades long before their introduction in the 1580s. The first incident that linked the East India Company to India was when an English expeditioner, Sir Walter Raleigh seized a Portuguese carrack in the year 1592. The ship was special and a behemoth in terms of its size but whet it held in her logbook was more precious than it’s carriage which was full of exotic metals and jewels. The ship contained information regarding the route to India, China and Japan. Hence multiple expeditions were ordered by the then Queen Elizabeth I. Upon landing in India they quickly established friendly relations with the Mughal ruler of that time, Nuruddin Salim Jahangir. They offered the Sultan, precious European merchandise in
return for his permission to set up ports and other administrative facilities to carry on trade and business in his land. But there already existed the Dutch and the Portuguese but the English were able to overthrow the Portuguese in 1612 in the Battle of Swally (fought at Suvali in Surat). After the introduction of King James I, the Sultan allowed the English to expand their areas of operation free from Portuguese interference. In 1634, Jahangir allowed the East India Company to expand their area of operations to Bengal and then in 1717 completely waived off the customs tariffs implemented on their trade. Now their only competition were the French and the Dutch who were reaping huge profits, more than the East India Company. They then sought aide from the Crown and got charters signed in their favour that granted them autonomy over the territory of India to operate, mint money, command fortresses, armies and forge alliances, form rules and regulations be it criminal or civil in the territories granted. Now with their powers multiplied, the East India Company could wage a war to seize power from the native rulers and fend off the other foreign traders. However, this attempt to seize power was foiled by the Mughal emperor as an attack led by his fleet on the port of Bombay led to the Company’s surrender and begging for forgiveness. Then they were allowed to set up a new base of operations in Calcutta. But in Calcutta, the East India Company was able to seize control and attempt to slowly take over the entire subcontinent slowly and steadily.
TRADE HISTORY:
The East India Company wanted India all for itself and this was only possible if they were able to get the Crown and the British Parliament to extend more support to them. The trade business of Indian goods had rewarded them well, enabling them to build their own estates and farmhouses back in Britain. These wealthy ex-members of the company now rallied the Parliament officials forcing them to grant them power to set up private trading firms in India. Now to obtain political power, they rallied amongst the members of the parliament, back in England, to issue a deregulating act and they were successful in doing so in the year 1694. According to this act the company had been granted a license to carry out all forms of trade and businesses to the ex-members of the company and other rich aristocrats who were residents of England. Thus, many private traders and trading firms set sail towards India and established bases. This deregulating act was against the initial Charter that was passed a hundred years ago, hence annulling it. With the enactment of this new legislation, a new Company backed by the State was formed, named East India Company Trading to the East Indies. This company was started and majorly supported by the wealthy ex-members of the old company and had now started competing fiercely for the prime market share trade share coming out of India. Though it quickly became evident that the old company did not face noticeable competition from the new company or any other private trading company by 1730 the two companies were merged and a new treaty was formed between the company and the parliament. The battle between the French forces and the company in India in the year 1757 sealed the fate of the trade routes for the next 7 years as the fierce war waged on ending with a resounding defeat of the French. This limited their trade routes internationally, with Industrial Revolution not being as prevalent in the French occupied dominions and affecting their Imperialist aspirations. The Seven Years War was brought to peace with Britain and Prussia winning and enjoying the spoils of war.
BEGINNING OF THE END OF THE COMPANY’S RULE:
The Battle of Plassey that was fought in 1757 was a result of the Company hounding the areas which were left for it to take control. The Bengal area was taken and since the Mughals and Marathas had been weakened and mostly reduced to paupers, the company now had to assess their costs. Maintaining such a vast army and a diverse dominion proved to be difficult for the company. Though they kept proper records and aimed for positive statistics they were unable to rule over the subcontinent efficiently and soon enough they were at the brink of bankruptcy. They reached out to the Parliament for aid but this aid of 1773 was in the form of tea regulations which eased the expenses of the company in the form of taxes but also jumpstarted the American Revolution. This was the beginning of the company’s failure in India and North America. Now the company was facing regulations from the British Parliament which was adamant in taking control over the company and its operations overseas given the breakout of revolutions in other dominions. This however took a further 20 years to materialize when the Parliament could take over the Company with the Regulating Act of 1773. This led to the appointment of a five member committee in Calcutta comprising of a majority of the Crown’s representatives. They would ultimately make the decisions for the company in the future, taking away the autonomy of the company. This urgency to take over the proceedings was a direct result of the mismanagement caused by the company that led to the Bengal Famine of 1770. The first Governor General appointed was Warren Hasting who spent no time post his appointment to the
position in consolidating the system and bringing about positive change, making India a proper country with a definite currency, form of authority and management, transport and domestic trade and services. Under him, the country also received British Judges and magistrates who helped shape the initial form of Courts and Judicial Councils, a basic legal framework with a codified set of rules and regulations. The Charter of 1813 was the final extension given to the company to operate in India but it had already started showing signs of the Company’s numbered days in India, for about twenty more years. The Charter deprived the company of its trade monopoly except in terms of Tea and in trade with China, differentiate between its commercial and territorial accounts and opened the country to missionaries. With the Industrial Revolution in Britain picking up pace, the need for a laissez-fare economy was understood. The British Parliament passed the Government of India Act of 1833, which divested all the commercial functions of the company on Indian soil and the remainder of its trade monopolies, the Board of Control headed by the representatives of the Crown were given all powers to head the company, invested in the Governor General in Council all the power and authority to superintend the Presidency Governments in all civil and military matters. The most important change brought about by this act was the inclusion of Indian nationals or native citizens being allowed to hold office in the company and the introduction of a machinery or a system for the purpose of codification of laws. Then the English Education Act of 1835 was a minor act passed to promote the English Education system and culture in the subcontinent but from the funds of the company.
The final nail in the coffin of the company in India was in the form of the Government of India Act of 1853 wherein all of British India were to remain under the company’s rule only till the Crown could take over. The patronage followed by the company while appointing its members and officers was also put to a stop with the act that now allowed for a system of open competition that would recruit personnel for positions of civil servants in the company.
THE LEGACY OF EAST INDIA COMPANY:
Although the colonial rule of the East India Company was immensely detrimental to the interests of the common people due to the exploitative nature of governance a s well as tax introduction, there is no questioning that it has also generated some fascinating positive results. One of the most important of these was a complete reform of the justice system and the creation of the Supreme Court. The next significant influence was the implementation of the postal and
telegraphs system, which the Company had possibly developed for its own benefit. The East Indian Railway Company was awarded the contract to build a 120-mile railway from Howrah Calcutta to Raniganj in 1849. In India, the transport infrastructure saw changes in leaps and bounds with the construction of the 21-mile rail line from Bombay to Thane, the first leg of the Bombay-Kalyan Line, 1853. The British have also implemented various social reforms such as the abolition of unethical indigenous practices by actions such as the Bengal Sati Legislation of 1829 banning the immolation of widows, the Hindu widows Remarriage Act, 1856, allowing Hindu teenage widows to remarry and not live a life of unjust austerity. It also established a variety of colleges in the key presidents of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras which has contributed to enrich young minds, giving them a taste of world literature, philosophy and science and encouraging native people to take part in civil service assessments and, as a result, to take part in the servicesiv.
CONCLUSION:
The great Indian Revolt of 1857 and the end of the rule of the East India Company over India just a year later thus led to a new period of British imperialism in Asia. The end of the company's system meant that, at last, the British state had to assume unequivocal responsibility for the administration of the former company’s possessions. As a result, new governing bodies were formed in Asia, were directly accountable to the government and parliament in London, through the Indian secretary of state and the Indian office. These reforms came hand-in - hand with a new culture of government, created by the trauma of the revolt. The policy of weakening Indian law, culture and participation in the machinery of government, which had been implemented in the last few decades of the Company's rule, was suddenly reversed. An initiative was initiated to recruit trained Indians to the lower ranks of the Indian Civil Service. The Straits Settlements, which had been complaining for so long about their poor status under Company law, were finally given Crown Colony status and placed under the authority of the Colonial Office. Perhaps the most important changes were the economic effects of the new arrangements.
By- Devanshi Lohia Amity University, Kolkata.
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