From Commerce to Conquest The British in India 1784-1828

1. From Commerce to ConquestThe British in India 1784-1828 Chaplain consecrates East India Company regimental Colours1799From: India House Library and Records

2. Introduction • Since no one had gone to India with a blueprint of empire or with a sense of imperial purpose the initial period of 'conquest' was haphazard, chaotic and draining. • Not only did indigenous structures of authority give way under this assault but the East India Company itself almost collapsed into bankruptcy. • The British Parliament decided to mount a salvaging operation and in 1784, through Pitt's India Act, established a very basic framework of government. • Such a framework, however, had very little character. • It was neutral, a scaffolding of empire without the bricks and mortar. • But what sort of empire should be constructed?

3. A scaffolding without bricks… • What sort of empire should be constructed? • Was it to be a permanent or temporary structure? • What were its functions and responsibilities? • How was the new 'raj' to be run? • These were the questions which were asked in 1784. • By 1828 the answers were known. • Various schools of thought had turned their minds to the problem and submitted tenders to lay the foundations for empire. • This tutorial will look at that tendering process.

4. Wife of Company official supervises tailorFrom: Collection of Lawrence Impey A HOST OF MEDDLERS. THE COMING OF WESTERNISATION 1784-1828 • Pitt's India Act 1784 erects the scaffolding of empire • But questions concerning its architecture remain • what kind of empire was this EICo Raj to be? • doubts about the bricks and mortar • Questions asked from 1784 onwards. By 1828 the answers are known

5. Three blueprints for the Raj • INDIRECT RULE WHERE FEASIBLE • MIXED RULE: THE BEST OF BOTH SYSTEMS • DIRECT RULE AT ALL TIMES

6. INDIRECT RULE WHERE FEASIBLE • a) Orientalist - policy of non-interference • preservation of Hindu/Muslim society • to rule but not to reform Warren Hastings

7. MIXED RULE: THE BEST OF BOTH SYSTEMS • b) Pragmatist - represents the common-sense view of the British presence • - good government needed for trade, as well as justification of imperial rule • - But this did not necessarily mean English government or institutions. Cornwallis

8. DIRECT RULE AT ALL TIMES • c) Anglicist - Hinduism debased and must be destroyed. • - Asiatic society despotic and must be replaced. • Two pronged attack: • Evangelical (Wilberforce, Grant, Shore) : Evangelical formula: improvement via the bible • Utilitarian (James Mill, Bentham, Bentinck)Utilitarian formula: improvement via British laws. Wilberforce

9. ORIENTALISM • i) For Robert Clive this meant Expediency. What could be done, rather than necessarily what should be done. Simply run the Mughal system if possible. • ii) For Warren Hastings this meant Indianisation. Instead of turning Indians into Brown Englishmen, turn Englishmen into White Asians.

10. PRAGMATISM • Governor-General Cornwallis comes out with a job to do (1786-1792). - Clean up corruption & run govt efficiently • He does this by professionalising the Administration. Establishes the Imperial Civil Service [ICS] on a salaried basis. (Haileybury College 1806) • reforms the land Revenue system (i.e., he regularises taxation.) • Two systems of land tenure introduced throughout India: • a) Zemindari System [via landlords] • Bengal and North India • b) Ryotwari System [via peasants] • South India • Revolutionary change = introduction of concept of private property • Result = land could be lost by Zemindars and ryots, in event of failure to pay taxes. Bania (moneylenders) move in. Poverty.

11. ANGLICISM • Evangelical Assault : a) Charles Grant [Chairman of EICo] Clapham Sect 1772 writes: 'Observations on State of Society among Asiatic subjects of Great Britain' • Although a drainpipe study of Hindu India, this work acquires status of a Government White Paper. • Provides Christian rationale of Empire • Ladder of Civilisation

12. b) James Mill [Policy-Maker fo EICo. 1818-28] 1806-18 writes: History of India in 6 volumes • Becomes a set text at Haileybury. • Extremely influential throughout 19th century • Message: Before India can be improved, its past must be destroyed. • 1828 : The Anglicists win the day.

13. Tutorial Questions to Address • 1. 'Orientalism':A blueprint for accommodation? Examine the architectural designs of Edmund Burke and Warren Hastings. • 2. The Anglicist Alternatives:Consider Cornwallis's initiatives in the area of bureaucracy, land settlement, and the restructuring of Indian Society.Compare these with the more common sense approaches of Thomas Munro and Mountstuart Elphinstone. • 3. Evangelical Blitzkrieg:The bulldozing away of Indian culture? Consider the programs of Wilberforce and Charles Grant.

14. Bibliography • Stephen Blake, 'From Shahjahanabad to Delhi: Mughal Rule to Company Raj, 1839-1857', pp.5-17. • G.J. Bryant, 'The Military Imperative in Early British Expansion in India, 1750-1785', pp. 18-35. • P.J. Marshall, 'The White Town of Calcutta under the Rule of the East India Company', pp. 42-52. • Penelope Carson, 'The Company and the Cross', pp. 72-83.