European Advent and the Expansion of British Power
European Advent and the Expansion of British Power
Modern history gives about 12 of the Part-III Social Science questions, more than the ancient and medieval blocks. This topic covers how a trading company became a ruling power, and two of the three decisive battles were fought in or beside Bihar.
The European Companies
| Company | Arrived | First factory |
|---|---|---|
| Portuguese | Vasco da Gama at Calicut, 1498 | Cochin |
| Dutch | 1602 | Masulipatnam |
| English | East India Company chartered 1600 | Surat, 1613 |
| Danish | 1616 | Tranquebar |
| French | 1664 | Surat, later Pondicherry |
The Portuguese came first and the French last among the major powers, and the English company received its charter in 1600 from Elizabeth I. The Anglo-French contest was settled by the three Carnatic Wars, after which the French were confined to a few coastal towns.
The Three Decisive Battles
| Battle | Year | Between | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plassey | 1757 | Clive and Siraj-ud-Daulah | Company gains control of Bengal |
| Buxar | 1764 | Company and the combined force of Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daulah and Shah Alam II | Company power made secure |
| Third Panipat | 1761 | Marathas and Ahmad Shah Abdali | Maratha power broken |
Buxar was fought in Bihar and it matters more than Plassey, though Plassey is better known. Plassey was won largely by conspiracy, with Mir Jafar's defection; Buxar was won in open battle against three allied rulers, and it is what made British power in eastern India secure.
✗ Plassey was the battle that established British rule in India | ✓ Plassey opened Bengal through conspiracy; Buxar in 1764 secured British power in open battle
The Treaty of Allahabad in 1765 followed, giving the Company the Diwani — the right to collect revenue — of Bengal, Bihar and Odisha. From that year the Company was, in practice, the government of Bihar.
The Instruments of Expansion
- Subsidiary Alliance, devised by Lord Wellesley — a ruler kept a British force, paid for it, surrendered foreign relations, and accepted a Resident. Hyderabad was the first to accept it.
- Doctrine of Lapse, applied by Lord Dalhousie — a state without a natural heir lapsed to the Company. Satara, Jhansi and Nagpur were annexed under it.
- Outright annexation on grounds of misgovernment, as with Awadh in 1856.
The two doctrines are asked with their authors, and Wellesley with the Subsidiary Alliance and Dalhousie with the Doctrine of Lapse are regularly swapped in the options.
The Dual Government in Bihar and Bengal
Between 1765 and 1772 the Company held the revenue while the Nawab retained the administration — an arrangement called dual government, devised by Clive.
It was a system in which power was separated from responsibility, and the result was the Bengal famine of 1770, which struck Bihar as well and is estimated to have killed a very large part of the population. Warren Hastings ended dual government in 1772 and brought the administration directly under the Company.
This sequence — Buxar, Diwani, dual government, famine, direct rule — is the clearest short answer to how Bihar came under British administration, and a state paper can ask any link in that chain.
बक्सर 1764 बिहार में — इसी से अंग्रेज़ी सत्ता सुरक्षित हुई।
TRE pointer: Modern history is the largest history block in Part-III, and this topic is where a Bihar paper differs from a national one. Buxar in 1764 was fought in Bihar and the Diwani of 1765 covered Bengal, Bihar and Odisha — both are asked here far more often than elsewhere. Keep Wellesley with Subsidiary Alliance and Dalhousie with Doctrine of Lapse, since the pair is always reversed in one option.
60-Second Recap
- Portuguese came first in 1498; the English Company was chartered in 1600.
- Plassey 1757 opened Bengal through conspiracy; Buxar 1764 secured power in open battle.
- Buxar was fought in Bihar against Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daulah and Shah Alam II.
- The Treaty of Allahabad 1765 gave the Company the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Odisha.
- Wellesley devised the Subsidiary Alliance; Dalhousie applied the Doctrine of Lapse.
- Dual government from 1765 to 1772 ended after the famine of 1770.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Buxar considered more decisive than Plassey?
Because Plassey was won largely through conspiracy, with Mir Jafar defecting, while Buxar in 1764 was won in open battle against the combined forces of Mir Qasim, the Nawab of Awadh and the Mughal emperor. It left no Indian power able to challenge the Company in the east.
What was the Diwani and why does it matter for Bihar?
The Diwani was the right to collect land revenue, granted to the Company by the Treaty of Allahabad in 1765 for Bengal, Bihar and Odisha. From that year the Company effectively controlled the finances, and soon the administration, of Bihar.
What was dual government?
An arrangement devised by Clive under which the Company held the revenue while the Nawab retained the administration, separating power from responsibility. It contributed to the famine of 1770 and was ended by Warren Hastings in 1772.
Who introduced the Subsidiary Alliance and the Doctrine of Lapse?
Lord Wellesley devised the Subsidiary Alliance and Lord Dalhousie applied the Doctrine of Lapse. The two names and the two policies are regularly interchanged in options, so each should be learnt firmly attached to its author.