photo.jpg

## India During the 18th Century The district was looked after by the Collector who was responsible for collection of revenue and for maintaining law and order. He supervised the day-to-day working of the district administration. The Collectorate emerged as the new center of power in the district....

## India During the 18th Century The district was looked after by the Collector who was responsible for collection of revenue and for maintaining law and order. He supervised the day-to-day working of the district administration. The Collectorate emerged as the new center of power in the district. ### Civil Services Civil Services, started by Lord Cornwallis, were meant to manage the Indian territories. After 1853, civil servants were selected through a competitive exam held in London. Prior to that, the Company directors nominated civil servants. Satyendranath Tagore, brother of Rabindranath Tagore, was the first Indian to join the Indian Civil Service (ICS). ### The Police The police assisted the Collector in maintaining law and order. The districts were divided into thanas managed by a daroga. In towns and villages, there were kotwals and chowkidars. The District Superintendent of Police was head of the police force. ## Judiciary Prior to the advent of the British, the system of India was based on local customs and traditions. Therefore, there was no uniform judicial system. From 1772, a new system was introduced which included two courts—criminal court (Faujdari adalat) and a civil court (diwani adalat). The civil courts were presided over by a European District Collector, while criminal courts were managed by a qazi and mufti. As per the Regulating Act of 1773, a new Supreme Court and a separate Nizamat (court of appeal), were established at Calcutta (Kolkata). For the convenience of European judges, in 1775 a digest of Hindu law and in 1778, a code of Muslim laws were prepared to codify the Indian laws. This eventually led to the compilation of Indian Penal Code (IPC) in 1883. ## Army The British required a large army to defend its trade, expand and defend its territories as well as put down internal rebellion. The British army included European soldiers and Indian sepoys (from Hindi word sipahi, meaning soldier), but Indians could at the most become a subedar. Each presidency had its independent army. The British recruited peasants as sepoys and gave them European style training. From the 1820s, the cavalry requirements of the Company's army declined. They were trained to use muskets and matchlocks. This was when the British Indian Army was fighting wars in Burma, Afghanistan and Egypt. The soldiers had to keep abreast of the latest requirements of warfare. The infantry regiments now became popular. ## A Uniform Military Culture A uniform military culture was introduced in the early 19th century, with the soldiers being introduced to the drill and discipline that regulated their life. However, some problems followed this change as caste and community feelings were not given priority when professionalism was introduced among soldiers. ## Conclusion By 1857, large territories were brought under the British rule. Later, this economic exploitation, from their political domination, followed. ## Other Slave trade was started in other parts of the world when ships reached Southern parts of Africa. Children were chained, sold and traded in the market. Slavery emerged in India, found at the Cape, while its details are unclear. Many books have been written on the history of slaves. ## Competency Based Discussion * Trading companies had established different trading centres in different parts of the country. * Rivalry in trade led to wars. * Ultimately, the British won the war. * The Battle of Plassey marked the beginning of the British conquest. * Bengal came under British rule. * The rulers of Awadh and Hyderabad were annexed. * The Subsidiary Alliance was imposed on Hyderabad and Sindh (1843). * Lord Dalhousie introduced the policy of annexation. * Administration, justice and the army established the civil service.