Q. The Battle of Plassey (1757) is often considered the decisive starting point of the British political period in India primarily because:

[A] It formally transferred the Diwani (revenue collection) rights of Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha to the English East India Company.

[B] It installed a puppet Nawab who granted unprecedented financial concessions to the EIC, fundamentally changing the nature of the Company from a trader to a political kingmaker.

[C] It decisively ended the European rivalry in India, paving the way for unchallenged British supremacy.

[D] It led directly to the establishment of the British Crown's direct rule over the territories of Bengal.

Answer: B
Notes:

Explanation:

  • The Battle of Plassey (1757) was a political conspiracy and a skirmish, but its impact was decisive. It led to the installation of Mir Jafar, who granted massive nazarana (gifts) and Zamindari rights, allowing the EIC to finance its wars without British money, thereby becoming the political arbiter of the wealthiest province.
  • (a) The Diwani rights were secured later, after the Battle of Buxar in 1764, through the Treaty of Allahabad (1765).
  • (c) The European rivalry ended with the Battle of Wandiwash in 1760.
  • (d) Crown rule began much later, after the Revolt of 1857.
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