The collapse of Mughal empire and the political collapse in Bengal lead to the establishment of an empire in Bengal.
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| Robert Clive |
On 23rd June 1757 the Nawab of Bengal Siraj-ud-daula was defeated by the East India Company at the Battle of Plassey. The battle was orchestrated by Robert Clive, commander-in-chief of the East India Company, who managed to get the clandestine support from Mir Jafar, the uncle of Siraj-ud-daula and the chief of the Nawab's army. Clive was helped by the Jagat Seths (moneylenders from Bengal)who were aggrieved by Siraj-ud-daula's policy. The Battle of Plassey was folowed by the plunderof Bengal. Between 1757 and 1760,the company received Rs.22.5 million from Mir jafar, who became the new Nawab of Bengal, The same money was later invested to propel the industrial revolution in Britain, which rapidly mechanised the British textile industry. On the other hand, India was led to the path of de-indutrial revolution in Britain, which rapidly mechanised the British textile industry. on the othe hand, India was led to the of de-industrialisation and forced to create a market for the products manufactured in Britain. The plunder of India by the East India Company continued for another 190 years. After Plassey, the British adopted a policy of territorial expansion. Soon the parts of the Indian Subcontinent came under their control. British brought systemic changes in land revenue administration, army, police, judicial system and other institutions of governance.
The early Indian response to colonial exploitation and the colonial political and economic domination consisted of two elements. The response in the late 18th and early 19th century was restorative in nature. Tribal uprisings and peasant rebellions made an attempt to restore the old order. The second response appeared in the second half of the 19th century in the form of Indian nationalism that imagined India as a nation emphasising on a consciousness of unity and national aspiration.
