Impact of the Brits
By 1650, after the British had arrived in India,they had established trading forts in Surat, Fort William (later renamed Calcutta), and Madras. These British ships exported Indian-made cotton goods to the East-Indies where they were traded for spices. But, the British success in India attracted competitors such as the French, who established their own forts, and captured the British fort on Madras while on the offensive. They were saved by Sir Robert Clive, a military genius and aggressive British empire builder. After Clive and an army of three thousand had defeated the Monguls, the East India Company was able to collect takes from lands surrounding Calcutta. Though the British had many successes in India, they had failures as well. Many of the east India officials were arrogant and incompetent, often offending their Indian allies along with the local population, which was heavily taxed to meet company compensation. The company moved away to costal cities in the late eighteenth century, and their expansion brought great riches to individual merchants and officials who had discovered they could obtain money from the local rulers by selling trade privileges. Through the hardships and victories, the British were in India to stay.
- Robert Clive, military genius who had made a big impact in the East India Company, as well as fighting for the British in India.