Question

Which trading company became the master of India?
A. French East India Company
B. Italian East India Company
C. The English East India Company
D. Dutch East India Company

Answer 1

Hint: In 1600 the company acquired a charter from the ruler of England, Queen Elizabeth I, which granted the sole right to the company to trade with the East. This made the company supreme ruler, that no other trading group in England could compete with. Soon this trading company became the master of India.

Complete answer: In 1600 after acquiring the charter from Queen Elizabeth I, the East India company could venture across the oceans and look for Newlands from which it could buy goods at the cheaper price and carry them back to Europe and sell them at higher prices. The charter however could not prevent other European powers from entering the Eastern markets and this led to the problem that all the companies were interested in buying the same things. The Portuguese had established their presence in the Western coast of India and had their base in Goa after that in the early seventeenth century the Dutch explored the possibilities of trade in the Indian Ocean and soon French traders also arrived on the scene. This led to the intensive competition among the European countries which inevitably pushed up the prices at which these goods could be purchased and this way their profits were reduced. Thus the only way the East India company can flourish is to eliminate the rival competitors. East India Company established its first factory on the banks of the river Hugli in 1651. As trade expanded the company persuaded traders and merchants to come and settle near the factory. By 1696, the company began building a fort around the settlement. It was also the time when the French settlers were dreaming about the French Empire in India. However, all their desires collapsed with the arrival of Robert Clive. Under him, the 1757 Battle of Plassey took place against the Nawab of Siraj ud Daulah which resulted in the victory of the British East India company. This led to the control of the province of Bengal. Finally, in 1765 the Mughal emperor granted the rights of Diwani to the company under which the company itself became the Nawab of Bengal with Robert Clive as the first British governor of the Bengal presidency. This marked the beginning of the supreme rule of the East India company which provided funds to the company's military presence in the subcontinent. Soon the company started aggressive territorial acquisitions in India in the early 19th century and established the policy of paramountcy.
All these events transformed the East India Company from a trading company to a territorial colonial power and soon East India company had virtually the whole of India under its control.
Hence, the correct answer is option-C.

Note: Although the English East India Company became the master of India, all their policies became the reason for its own collapse. The aggressive policies of the company and the oppressive rule gave birth to India's first war of Independence in 1857. The consequence of the war resulted at the end of the company's rule in India.