Bengal The British Bridgehead Eastern India 1740}}}1828 [Hardcover]

Explains how Britain established her rule in eastern India during the eighteenth century.The pattern of events that allowed Britain to establish her rule in eastern India, as well as their consequences, are traced to reveal the effects of the imposition of foreign rule upon the subcontinent.The pattern of events that allowed Britain to establish her rule in eastern India, as well as their consequences, are traced to reveal the effects of the imposition of foreign rule upon the subcontinent.The aim of Bengal:The British Bridgehead is to explain how, in the eighteenth century, Britain established her rule in eastern India, the first part of the sub-continent to be incorporated into the British Empire. Professor Marshall begins his analysis with the reign of Alivardi Khan, the last effective Mughal ruler of eastern India. He then explores the social, cultural, and economic ihanges that followed the imposition of foreign rule and seeks to assess the consequences for the peoples of the region; emphasis is given throughout as much to continuities rooted deep in the history of Bengal, as to the more obvious effects of British domination. The volume closes with British rule firmly established, the arrival of Lord William Bentinck, and the failure of the great Agency Houses.General editor's preface; Preface; Maps; 1. The setting for empire; 2. Late Mughal Bengal; 3. The crisis of empire, 174065; 4. The new regime; 5. A new society?; 6. Conclusion; Bibliographical essay; Index. The entire Cambridge series, judging from the quality of these two examples, will prove essential reading for some time to come, for both specialists in Indian history and scholars in related fields. Both authors have clearly demonstrated their control over the state of scholarship in their respective areas. These two authors, and the series editors as well, are to be commended for a fine start to what should prove to be a major contribution to the study of Indian history. Michael H. Fisher, PlL