Question

The founder of the British empire in India was ______.
a. Robert Clive
b. Dupleix
c. Mir Jafar
d. Lord Dalhousie

Answer 1

Hint: The British Empire in India started from the year 1858 to 1947. It is known as the period of British Raj. The raj succeeded in the management of the Indian subcontinent by the British East India Company. There was a sense of general distrust and dissatisfaction with the company leadership which resulted in a widespread mutiny of sepoy troops in 1857 and causing the British to reconsider the structure of governance in India.

Complete answer: On August 2 1858, the Parliament passed the Government of India Act which transferred the British power over India from the company to the crown. The merchant company’s residual powers rested with the secretary of state for India, a minister of Great Britain’s cabinet, who would ultimately preside over the India office in London. With the uncountable sacrifices made by various Indian freedom fighters and the various non-cooperation and non-violence movements led by Mahatma Gandhi, the British had to forcibly let go of the power that they had over India. The British Parliament passed in July 1947 the Indian Independence Act. According to that, the dominions of India and Pakistan would be demarcated by midnight of August 14 and 15, 1947.
Let us look at the options given.
Option a- Robert Clive is one of the key makers of Indian history. His victory over the French power in Southern India, over Siraj-ud-Daulah in the Battle of Plassey and gain of Diwani in the states of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa were the pillars of the castle of the East India Company. Thus, he is regarded as the founder of the British empire in India.
Option b- Joseph Francois Dupleix was the Governor-General of French-India. He had almost realized his dream of establishing French rule over India. But the wars between France and Britain led the former to surrender and retreat because of the strong opposition made by Robert Clive. So, this is the wrong answer.
Option c- Mir Jafar was a military general under Siraj-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal. But he joined hands with Robert Clive to defeat the Nawab. Later he became the first dependent Nawab of Bengal of the British East India Company. This is an incorrect answer.
Option d- Lord Dalhousie was the governor-general of India from 1848 to 1856. He introduced the Doctrine of Lapse which proved to be the cause of the revolt of 1857. This revolt was a turning point in India’s struggle for freedom. But Lord Dalhousie came much later after the establishment of the British East India company. It is an incorrect option.
Hence, option ‘a’ is correct.

Note: The transfer of power was completed on August 14 in Pakistan and August 15 in India. It was held a day apart so that Lord Mountbatten could attend both the ceremonies. With the formation of two independent nations, the British rule formally came to an end in the year 1947.