British East India Company and Colonial Rule (1757–1857)

Socio-Economic Impact

The British East India Company significantly altered the socio-economic fabric of India between 1757 and 1857.
The introduction of Permanent Settlement (1793) under Lord Cornwallis transformed the traditional land revenue system.
Zamindars were given ownership of land, reducing farmers to tenants and increasing exploitation.
The Ryotwari System in Madras and Bombay and the Mahalwari System in North India also impacted agrarian communities.
High revenue demands often led to peasant indebt

The Subsidiary Alliance was introduced by Lord Wellesley in 1798 as a strategic tool to expand British influence in India.
Under the alliance, Indian rulers were required to maintain British troops in their territories and pay for their upkeep.
In return, the British promised protection from external threats and internal rebellions.
The system effectively made the allied state a vassal of the British East India Company.
The ruler had to accept a British Resident in their court, limiting their sovereignty.
States

The Anglo-Mysore Wars (1767–1799) were a series of four wars between the British East India Company and the Kingdom of Mysore.
The wars were fought during the reigns of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, who resisted British expansion.
The First Anglo-Mysore War (1767–1769) ended with the Treaty of Madras, restoring territories to both sides.
The Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780–1784) resulted in the Treaty of Mangalore, one of the few instances of Indian victory against the British.

The Battle of Plassey was fought on 23rd June 1757 between the forces of the British East India Company and Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula of Bengal.
It marked the beginning of British colonial rule in India.
Siraj-ud-Daula, the last independent Nawab of Bengal, opposed the increasing dominance of the East India Company in Bengal.
The British were led by Robert Clive, who played a key role in securing their victory.
Mir Jafar, one of Siraj-ud-Daula’s commanders, betrayed him and aligned with the B