British colonial rule in the Indian subcontinent began in 1757 with the defeat of Nawab Sirajud Daula's forces at the Battle of Palashi. Robert Clive soon became the most powerful man in the East India Company in India. He was appointed the first Governor of the Bengal Presidency in 1758. English historian Lawrence Jones wrote in his book “The Making and Unmaking of British Raj”, “Bengal was the most prosperous, densely populated and fertile region of India at that time.
Who is this Robert Clive, why the debate about him? : black chapter of history
Lord Clive's name has come up again in the anti-apartheid movement. Clive came to the subcontinent only as a petty agent of the East India Company, not as a British government official, but by the time he left he was a multi-millionaire.
The British conquered India with his unique strategy of divide-and-rule. He was credited by the British for 'claiming' a large part of South Asia ie Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
How did Clive take possession of Bengal, the richest state in India, with one move after another like a chess piece, which Bengal was richer than Britain at that time?
Let's know the story of the rise of Robert Clive, who was born with a golden spoon in his mouth, but what happened to him? But how?
Robert Clive
On September 25, 1725, Robert was born in the Clive family in Market Drayton, a town in the northern part of Shropshire County, West Midlands, England. His father's name was Richard Clive and mother's name was Rebecca Gaskell Clive.
Robert Clive was the eldest of his parents' 13 children (7 daughters and 6 sons). As a child he was brought up by his aunt. His aunt died when Robert was 9 years old.
The Clive family had a small manor during the reign of King Henry IV. His father first admitted him to Market Draytone Grammar School.
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But after the school authorities complained about his disorderly behavior, his father admitted him to the Merchant Tailors' School in London. Here too, expelled for disorderly conduct, he was admitted to a school in Hertfordshire. He was able to get his primary education from this school. Not getting a scholarship hampered his further education. During this time he continued to study on his own.
Career of Robert Clive: East India Company in India
Robert's father got him a job as a writer in the East India Company. At the beginning of 1743 AD he left for India by ship. But the ship stayed at Rio de Janeiro port in Brazil for about 9 months for repairs. During this time he learned some Portuguese language. It should be noted that at that time foreign traders in India used little Portuguese. This language is useful in India.
After the ship was repaired, their ship stayed for some time at Uttamasha Antareep. When their ship finally reached the coast of Madras, he had no money to spend. As a result, he took a loan from the captain of the ship at high interest. On reaching India, he could not get much work at first. It is said that during this time he tried to commit suicide twice.
At that time the company had a fort called St. George in the small village of Madraspattam near present day Chennai. Reached this fort in June 1744 AD. He spent two years at the company doing various things besides writing. There was a long-standing conflict between the French East India Company and the British East India Company over commercial dominance in India.
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As a result, in 1745, the British navy attacked the French fleet. In this situation, the French navy appealed to the French Governor-General Dupleix (Governor-General Dupleix) for additional troops. Then on September 4, 1746, the French forces under the leadership of La Bourdonnais attacked St. George Fort. After a few days of fighting, the British forces surrendered.
The French transferred the British prisoners to Pondicherry. Clive was also captured by the French at this time. La Bourdanais offered to return Madras to the British with compensation. Before the invasion of Madras, Dupleix promised Anwar Uddin, the Nawab of Karnataka, to hand over captured Madras to him. After winning the battle, the Nawab sent 10,000 troops against the French forces, after procrastinating. The French were defeated in the first phase of the war. In the end the French forces won.
As a result, Dupleix began to dream of establishing a colony in India based on his victory over the British and Nawab's troops. On 9 November the army under Dupleix entered Madras. At that time the English prisoners in Pondicherry were released on parole. Along with that, all the English were expelled from Madras. While the rest of the English accepted the French's allegiance, Clive and some English officers did not.
To avenge the defeat at the hands of the French, he escaped from Pondicherry in disguise and went to the British Fort David. Major Stringer Lawrence was the master of this fort at that time. Major Lawrence was impressed by Clive's fighting spirit. From 1748-1751 AD, Clive was not involved in much of the power struggle that broke out between the local Nawabs, French and English forces in South India and Hyderabad. At this time he was a bit mentally upset. For this he was sent to Bengal.
British colonial rule in the Indian subcontinent began in 1757 with the defeat of Nawab Sirajud Daula's forces at the Battle of Palashi. Robert Clive soon became the most powerful man in the East India Company in India. He was appointed the first Governor of the Bengal Presidency in 1758. English historian Lawrence Jones wrote in his book “The Making and Unmaking of British Raj”, “Bengal was the most prosperous, densely populated and fertile region of India at that time.
There is no exact information about how many people lived there then. Clive thought it was a million and a half people, but it was much less or much more than that. It is estimated that a fifth of the people of Bengal died in the famine of 1769-70. The famine was a direct result of the rule of Robert Clive and his successor British rulers. Clive returned to England in 1760 aged 34. By then he had become one of the richest men in England.
Clive stayed in England until 1765 and continued to establish himself politically. Non-graduate Clive was awarded a DCL degree by Oxford University this year. In 1764, he was knighted of the Bath. He was elected MP for Shrewsbury. Later he became mayor. Two years later he was given the title "Baron Clive of Palashi". In 1765 Clive became the Governor of Bengal for the second time.
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The Company then exempted Nawab Nazim-ud-Daula of Bengal from the authority of revenue collection in return for an annual stipend of 53 lakh rupees. He entrusted police and civil administration to the Nawab but left military administration to the Company. In this, the Nawab of Bengal actually became powerless. And on this occasion the people of the company started to commit unrestrained looting and torture in the name of tax collection. Clive's system is known in history as dualism.
Clive returned to England in February 1767. He spent some time in Paris in 1768 AD. He then returned to England. Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1768. In 1769 AD he purchased a garden and house. In 1772 AD, a parliamentary inquiry into the company's activities in India was raised. How Clive earns so much money in India is discussed.
But the charges brought against him were rejected by the vote of Parliament. This year he was invested in the Order of the Bath and appointed Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire. In 1770 AD (Bangla 1176) there was no rain in Bangladesh. As a result food shortage occurs in Bangladesh. In history it is called the Manvantar of the Seventy six . A large number of people died in Bangladesh during this Manvantara till 1773 AD.
As a result, Parliament again became heated about the activities of Clive and company. At this time, there was an uproar in Parliament about Clive's misrule, corruption, and looting in India. The investigation is also against him. He was criticized in the investigation for accepting large sums of bribes from Indian leaders, helping them stay in power.
Historian William Dalrymple questions how such an indicted, hated man was resettled in England and memorialized in places like Whitehall.
Robert's final transformation
In 1767 that is 10 years after the Battle of Plassey, Clive returned to England. He left India but left behind many things. Such as - a sordid history of bribery, corruption, embezzlement, palace conspiracies, malfeasance and impoliticism. His corruption reached such a level that in 1772 the Parliament of England was forced to launch an inquiry into his corruption. Information about his corruption started coming out one by one.
Then he gave up the illusion of wealth, considering his self-respect he wanted to stop the investigation in exchange for all the wealth. lamented to save his honor. But it didn't work. The investigation continues at its own pace.
Two whistleblowers revealed the extent of the destruction and looting of Bengal during Clive's rule. Horace Walpole wrote, “We have murdered, deposed, plundered and occupied. What do you think about '3 million died of famine in Bengal due to monopoly of East India Company'?
Clive committed suicide shortly thereafter. Clive never wrote a suicide note. But citing the popular theory behind his suicide, Samuel Johnson wrote, "(Clive) made his fortune by crimes, the consciousness of which compelled him to cut his own throat."
He was buried in a secret funeral ceremony at night. No identifying plaque or marker was placed on his grave. When Robert Clive, the founder of British rule in India, committed suicide in 1774, he was one of the most hated figures in England. He was widely reviled.
On November 22, 1774, unable to bear the humiliation, Clive committed suicide. It is said that he stabbed himself in his body or inserted a knife in his own throat to commit suicide. However, his family denied this. Some preach that he died of an overdose of opium or drugs or of a heart attack. He died at the age of 49.
Meanwhile, ongoing anti-apartheid protests around the world are removing statues of slave traders and black killers one after the other. Some idols are thrown into lakes, some into rivers. Even the statue of Christopher Columbus, the European colonist who discovered America, has been decapitated. The statue of Robert Clive, which stands proudly behind Downing Street in White Hall, the administrative center of the British government, has also been demanded to be removed.
Famous writers and historians of Britain are also making this claim from ordinary people. One of them is William Dalrymple.
Dalrymple made his case quite forcefully in a Guardian column for the removal of Clive's statue. Questioning how a figure like Clive still exists at the very heart of British government, he wrote, "Clive is not a man we should honor in this day and age."
Statue of Edward Colstone (Bristol slave trader) taken down. Now it's time to send Clive's statue to the museum as well. It will serve to inform future generations of Britain's dark past. This racist man is hated by both India and Britain.