RAS question
The Battle of Plassey (1757) established British supremacy in:
Correct answer: (D) Bengal.
The Battle of Plassey in 1757 established British supremacy in Bengal.
Explanation
The Battle of Plassey was fought on 23 June 1757 between Robert Clive and Siraj-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal. NCERT places the battle within the confrontation between the East India Company and the Bengal nawab, noting that Company officials sent forces under Robert Clive after the fall of Calcutta. The decisive point was Mir Jafar's betrayal: his forces, though under one of Siraj-ud-Daulah's commanders, did not fight. Clive had secured Mir Jafar's support by promising to make him nawab after Siraj-ud-Daulah was crushed. This made Plassey the Company's first major victory in India and marked the beginning of British political control in Bengal.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Punjab is wrong because Punjab was conquered much later, while Plassey established British supremacy in Bengal.
- (B) Madras is wrong because the British were already established there earlier, and the NCERT account says forces from Madras were sent to fight Siraj-ud-Daulah in Bengal.
- (C) Bombay is wrong because it was a separate Presidency, whereas Plassey concerned the East India Company's conflict with the Nawab of Bengal.
Concept
This tests the RAS Modern Indian History theme of the East India Company's rise from trade to political power. Plassey recurs because it links a named battle, a regional power centre and the start of British political control in India.