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 and laid the foundation for the Company's political power in India.
Explanation
The Battle of Plassey was fought on 23 June 1757 between the East India Company's forces led by Robert Clive and Siraj-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal. NCERT explains that after the fall of Calcutta, Company officials sent forces under Clive. The Company was concerned about Siraj-ud-Daulah's power and wanted a nawab who would grant trade concessions and other privileges. The decisive point was Mir Jafar's betrayal; the troops under his command did not fight. Clive had secured Mir Jafar's support by promising to make him nawab after Siraj-ud-Daulah was defeated. Plassey thus became the Company's first major victory in India, established British supremacy in Bengal, and marked the beginning of the Company's political control there.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Punjab is incorrect because the British conquered it much later; the 1757 Battle of Plassey concerned Bengal and established British supremacy there.
- (B) Madras is incorrect because the British had already established themselves there before Plassey. Company officials sent forces from Madras under Robert Clive to fight Siraj-ud-Daulah in Bengal, but the battle did not establish British supremacy in Madras.
- (C) Bombay is incorrect because it was a separate Presidency. Plassey arose from the East India Company's conflict with the Nawab of Bengal and concerned Calcutta and Bengal's politics, not Bombay.
Concept
This tests the RAS Modern Indian History theme of the East India Company's rise from a trading organisation to a political power. Plassey recurs in RAS because this named battle marks the Company's decisive advance in Bengal, a regional power centre, and the beginning of British political and colonial control in India.