Look Inside

Metamorphosis of The Bengal Polity (1700-1793) - An Old and Rare Book

FREE Delivery
Express Shipping
$32
Express Shipping: Guaranteed Dispatch in 24 hours
Quantity
Delivery Ships in 1-3 days
Item Code: NAM025
Author: Ranjit Sen
Publisher: Rabindra Bharati University
Language: English
Edition: 1987
Pages: 424
Cover: Hardcover
Other Details 8.5 inch x 5.5 inch
Weight 460 gm
Fully insured
Fully insured
Shipped to 153 countries
Shipped to 153 countries
More than 1M+ customers worldwide
More than 1M+ customers worldwide
100% Made in India
100% Made in India
23 years in business
23 years in business
Book Description
Preface

Bengal stood at the cross-road of its history in the eighteenth century. In the first half of the century it was Mughal; in the second it was a protectorate of the English. In all outward forms throughout the century it persisted to be Mughal, but inwardly it underwent a metamorphosis. This internal change of the country is the subject of this book. The ascendancy of the English as a commercial power in Bengal began with the turn of the century. As the century advanced the commercial superiority of the English East India Company became almost invincible and by the time Alivardi Khan came to rule, it was already recognized in the talks of the ruling elite. Side by by side with this the English East India Company consolidated its military might and that was done in the teeth of the Nawabi opposition in the country. There was from the beginning an awareness in the Nawabi circles about the superiority of the English arms. Its recognition came when the power elite of Bengal invoked the assistance of these arms to organize effectively the conspiracy against Siraj-ud- daullah. Between its commercial ascendancy and military superiority the real English position in the country suffered. In the power structure of the country the English East India Company had no station beyond that of a talukdar. This meant that in spite of its commercial and military superiority the constitutional position of the East India Company remained to be weak, shallow and lustreless. The company was sensitive to this weakness and its effort was to make this up by putting pressure on the Nawabi government through acquisition of territory and revenue on an increasing scale. The Company’s aim was, therefore, to avoid stagnation by keeping dynamic the frontier of the area over which they could establish their own rule as a system contra-distinct to that of the Bengal Nawabs. Those who ruled Bengal from Murshid Quli Khan to Alivardi Khan had the eye keen enough to notice this and the Mughal might was made to exercise as a brake upon this pretension of a commercial company in the country. The Mughals in Bengal were ready to accommodate the English as their inferior commercial and military partners within the framework of political submission. Wherever that concept of submission showed signs of erosion the Mughal might descended heavily. In the stringency of this milieu the Company’s territorial dynamism stagnated for nearly sixty years, from 1698 when the three villages of Sutanati, Govindapur and Kalikata were purchased, to 1757 when the 24-Parganas were granted to the Company as a reward for aiding a perfidious power elite in bringing the conspirary to overthrow a legitimate government to a mature end. Once this vast district of Bengal was conferred as a gift to the Company, the old brake upon the Company’s territorial dynamism was removed and the Company was now free to formulate its power-pretensions and thereby square up the hiatus that had so long kept its constitutional station shaky in the body politic of Bengal. When stagnancy was gone new mobility was envisaged. Vast changes were unleashed and pangs of change were apparent in the society of Bengal.

Change is the substance of history and its dimensions in the context of Bengal in the eighteenth century are too great to be resolved in one book. Therefore, the first word of this book should be humility. It has achieved only in drawing the contours of change of a decisive period of Bengal’s history. Its inner shades are remained to be worked out by more competent hands. The eighteenth century has its own place in the history of humanity—small and poignant as a moment of eternity but massive as the beginning of modernity. Bengal was a small area where the spirit of history thrived in the eighteenth century. Hence Bengal in the eighteenth century has become my subject of study. It left me enthralled when I was a student; it will keep me riveted in the unfolding romance of history so long as I remain to be one to whom rear-view-seeking is an occupation and not a hobby. My interest in the bygone of mankind was sustained by one who also protects me from the low drudgeries of a dreary middleclass life. She is Snigdha, my wife here—my companion hereafter beyond the mundane existence of life. To her this book is solely dedicated.

 

Contents

 

  Preface IX
  Abbreviations XIII
  Part I  
  Growth of the British Power in Bengal  
Chapter I In Search of Territorial Roots and Military Power 1
Chapter II From Aspiration to Achievement 37
Chapter III Supremacy Acquired : Sovereignty Anticipated 91
  Part II  
  Transformations of Bengal's Internal Polity  
Chapter IV Raj 135
Chapter V Regality and the Raj 159
Chapter VI The Fall of the Sarrafs in Bengal 209
Chapter VII The Emergence of English Money-Lenders 237
Chapter VIII The Fall of the Qanungoes 249
Chapter IX Some Changes in Class Relations in Bengal in the Eighteenth Century 277
Chapter X The Mughal State and Society in Retrospection 297
Chapter XI Bengal's Response to British Conquest 325
  Bibliography 343

 

Sample Pages




















Frequently Asked Questions
  • Q. What locations do you deliver to ?
    A. Exotic India delivers orders to all countries having diplomatic relations with India.
  • Q. Do you offer free shipping ?
    A. Exotic India offers free shipping on all orders of value of $30 USD or more.
  • Q. Can I return the book?
    A. All returns must be postmarked within seven (7) days of the delivery date. All returned items must be in new and unused condition, with all original tags and labels attached. To know more please view our return policy
  • Q. Do you offer express shipping ?
    A. Yes, we do have a chargeable express shipping facility available. You can select express shipping while checking out on the website.
  • Q. I accidentally entered wrong delivery address, can I change the address ?
    A. Delivery addresses can only be changed only incase the order has not been shipped yet. Incase of an address change, you can reach us at help@exoticindia.com
  • Q. How do I track my order ?
    A. You can track your orders simply entering your order number through here or through your past orders if you are signed in on the website.
  • Q. How can I cancel an order ?
    A. An order can only be cancelled if it has not been shipped. To cancel an order, kindly reach out to us through help@exoticindia.com.
Add a review
Have A Question

For privacy concerns, please view our Privacy Policy

Book Categories