Warren Hastings - reforms
i. Abolition of dual system - introduced by Robert Clive. Company decided to act as diwan. Halved Nawab's allowance and stopped annual payment to Mughal emperor.
i. Abolition of dual system - introduced by Robert Clive. Company decided to act as diwan. Halved Nawab's allowance and stopped annual payment to Mughal emperor.
ii. Revenue reforms - Board of Revenue established, Accountant General appointed, Calcutta becomes capital of Bengal (and thus British India).
Land auction for 5 years and safeguards taken to protect interests of peasants. System was a failure.
iii. Judicial system - Nawabs and judges were highly corrupt and prejudiced. Each district gets its civil court under Collector and criminal court under Indian judge.
Appellate courts for both civil and criminal cases established.
Sadar Diwani Adalat (civil) and Sadar Nizamat Adalat (criminal) were highest court of appeal.
Code of Gentoo was translated from Persian into English by N. B. Halhed.
iv. Trade regulations - abolished system of dastaks (free passes) and regulated internal trade. Uniform tariff of 2.5% on Indian and non-Indian goods.
c. Regulating Act of 1773 - Home Govt consisted of Court of Directors COD and Court of Proprietors. Govt of presidency was conducted by a Governor and a Council, responsible to Home Govt.
Why the Act was passed?
EEIC became territorial power when it acquired wide dominion and diwani rights. Its early administration was corrupt and notorious. Company was in financial trouble but its officials were affluent. The famine in 1770 affected agriculturists and revenue collection was poor, and they were on the brink of bankruptcy. Company approached govt for a loan and Parliament resolved to regulate affairs of Company.
EEIC became territorial power when it acquired wide dominion and diwani rights. Its early administration was corrupt and notorious. Company was in financial trouble but its officials were affluent. The famine in 1770 affected agriculturists and revenue collection was poor, and they were on the brink of bankruptcy. Company approached govt for a loan and Parliament resolved to regulate affairs of Company.
Provisions of the Act
i. Court of Directors' term increased to 4 years (from 1), with 1/4 retiring every year, no re-election
ii. Tenure of Governor General of Fort William to be of 5 years
iii. Council of 4 members to assist the Governor-General, govt conducted as per majority
iv. Governor-General in council made supreme over other Presidencies in matters of war and peace.
v. 1774, Supreme Court of Calcutta established consisting of 4 judges. Independent of Governor-General in Council.
vi. Act prevented Company officials from receiving any cash or gift in kind.
Merits - brought affairs of Company under Parliament control, put end to arbitrary rule of Company and provided framework for all future enactments.
Demerits - made Governor-General in Council powerless and deadlock in decision making.
d. Expansion under Warren Hastings -
i. Rohilla War 1774 - small kingdom bw Oudh and Marathas, who had taken Oudh protection against Marathas. But when they didn't pay, Nawab invaded with the help of British.
ii. 1st Anglo-Maratha War 1775-82 - Marathas were disunited since 3rd Battle of Panipat 1761. Dispute for the post of Peshwa between Madhav Rao and his uncle Ragunatha Rao was best utilized by British. Raghunatha Rao promised to cede Bassein and Salsette to British under Treaty of Surat 1775 to get restored to Poona. British Calcutta Council under Warren Hastings annulled this treaty and a new treaty, the Treaty of Purandhar was signed in 1776 between the Calcutta Council and Nana Phadnavis, a Maratha minister. Raghunathrao was given a pension only and Madhav Rao II was accepted as Peshwa. But the British establishment at Bombay violated this treaty and sheltered Raghunathrao. In 1777, Nana Phadnavis went against his treaty with the Calcutta Council and granted a port on the west coast to the French. In 1782, the Treaty of Salbai was signed between Warren Hastings and Mahadaji Scindia, resulting in Maratha victory.
(a) The Treaty of Salbai established the British influence in Indian politics. Treaty also enabled the British to exert pressure on Mysore with the help of the Marathas in recovering their territories from Haider Ali. Thus, the British, on the one hand, saved themselves from the combined opposition of Indian powers and on the other, succeeded in dividing the Indian powers.
iii. Second Anglo-Mysore War 1780-82 - First was in 1767-69 in which Haider Ali defeated British.
d. Expansion under Warren Hastings -
i. Rohilla War 1774 - small kingdom bw Oudh and Marathas, who had taken Oudh protection against Marathas. But when they didn't pay, Nawab invaded with the help of British.
ii. 1st Anglo-Maratha War 1775-82 - Marathas were disunited since 3rd Battle of Panipat 1761. Dispute for the post of Peshwa between Madhav Rao and his uncle Ragunatha Rao was best utilized by British. Raghunatha Rao promised to cede Bassein and Salsette to British under Treaty of Surat 1775 to get restored to Poona. British Calcutta Council under Warren Hastings annulled this treaty and a new treaty, the Treaty of Purandhar was signed in 1776 between the Calcutta Council and Nana Phadnavis, a Maratha minister. Raghunathrao was given a pension only and Madhav Rao II was accepted as Peshwa. But the British establishment at Bombay violated this treaty and sheltered Raghunathrao. In 1777, Nana Phadnavis went against his treaty with the Calcutta Council and granted a port on the west coast to the French. In 1782, the Treaty of Salbai was signed between Warren Hastings and Mahadaji Scindia, resulting in Maratha victory.
(a) The Treaty of Salbai established the British influence in Indian politics. Treaty also enabled the British to exert pressure on Mysore with the help of the Marathas in recovering their territories from Haider Ali. Thus, the British, on the one hand, saved themselves from the combined opposition of Indian powers and on the other, succeeded in dividing the Indian powers.
iii. Second Anglo-Mysore War 1780-82 - First was in 1767-69 in which Haider Ali defeated British.
Why second one happened?
(a) British didn't fulfil terms of defensive treaty they signed when Haider was attacked by Marathas
(b) Outbreak of hostilities bw French and British due to American War of Independence.
(c) British captured Mahe, which was a French settlement within Haider's territories.
(d) Haider was working on a grand alliance bw Hyderabad, Marathas and Mysore against British
War began when British tried capturing Guntur. Haider Ali defeated British in 1780 but Hastings divided the confederacy, isolating Haider Ali. He was defeated in 1781, and died in 1782 of cancer. War came to an end with Treaty of Mangalore 1784 which restored the status quo ante bellum.
e. Pitt's India Act 1784 - as Regulating Act failed in its objective, Pitt's India Act was passed in 1784. Main provisions
i. Board of Control of 6 members, appointed by crown
ii. Court of Directors retained without any alteration in its composition.
iii. Reduced number of members of Givernor General's Council from 4 to 3.
f. Pitt's India Act was rude shock to Warren Hastings. His image was tarnished due to PM's view of policy of Govt of Bengal and hence left India in 1785. He was impeached in the Parliament for judicial murder of Nanda Kumar and other 21 charges. He was acquitted after a long trial in 1795. Under Hastings's term as governor-general, a great deal of administrative precedent was set which profoundly shaped later attitudes towards the government of British India. Hastings had a great respect for the ancient scripture of Hinduism and set the British position on governance as one of looking back to the earliest precedents possible. This in turn allowed Hindu caste system to accentuate which will till now more flexibly applied. He retains the strange distinction of being both the architect of British India and the one ruler of British India to whom the creation of such an entity was anathema.
(a) British didn't fulfil terms of defensive treaty they signed when Haider was attacked by Marathas
(b) Outbreak of hostilities bw French and British due to American War of Independence.
(c) British captured Mahe, which was a French settlement within Haider's territories.
(d) Haider was working on a grand alliance bw Hyderabad, Marathas and Mysore against British
War began when British tried capturing Guntur. Haider Ali defeated British in 1780 but Hastings divided the confederacy, isolating Haider Ali. He was defeated in 1781, and died in 1782 of cancer. War came to an end with Treaty of Mangalore 1784 which restored the status quo ante bellum.
e. Pitt's India Act 1784 - as Regulating Act failed in its objective, Pitt's India Act was passed in 1784. Main provisions
i. Board of Control of 6 members, appointed by crown
ii. Court of Directors retained without any alteration in its composition.
iii. Reduced number of members of Givernor General's Council from 4 to 3.
f. Pitt's India Act was rude shock to Warren Hastings. His image was tarnished due to PM's view of policy of Govt of Bengal and hence left India in 1785. He was impeached in the Parliament for judicial murder of Nanda Kumar and other 21 charges. He was acquitted after a long trial in 1795. Under Hastings's term as governor-general, a great deal of administrative precedent was set which profoundly shaped later attitudes towards the government of British India. Hastings had a great respect for the ancient scripture of Hinduism and set the British position on governance as one of looking back to the earliest precedents possible. This in turn allowed Hindu caste system to accentuate which will till now more flexibly applied. He retains the strange distinction of being both the architect of British India and the one ruler of British India to whom the creation of such an entity was anathema.
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