International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

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The British Maladministration & The Great Bengal Famine of 1770: A Study

Author(s) Mr. Ranjit Roy
Country India
Abstract Robert Clive by virtue of military talents and administrative wisdom founded the British Empire in India. He was appointed as the Governor of Bengal and founded a new history of British Empire in India. During his second term as Governor of Bengal, he concluded a treaty of Allahabad in 1765 with Mughal Emperor Shaha Alam II and the Company got the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar & Orissa. By this treaty of Allahabad the Company became politically powerful
and got the right of collecting revenue of Bengal, Bihar & Orissa. But the company was not prepared to administer such a large territory. So, they introduced Dual Government policy. During the Dual Government, the Company undertook the defence and left the civil administrations in the hands of the Nawab. Nawab was paid Rs. 53 lakhs rupees annually for administration. but after two years it was reduced to 32 lakh rupees. Mir Jafar's son Najm-ud-
daula remained the Nawab of Bengal and the British appointed two Deputy Nawabs to collect land revenue. The administration of Bengal was divided between the British and the Nawab of Bengal so it was known as Dual system. The dual system proved very unsatisfactory while the Nawab was burdened with all responsibilities, the company retained all the power. The grant of "diwani‟ for Bengal, Bihar and Orissa in 1765 was a kind of supreme power. The East India
Company used this weapon to exploit the people. Soon their major concern in India was to collect as much revenue as possible. During this period agriculture was the basis of economy of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa and it was the main source of income of the people. The East India Company introduced several land revenue in haste in order to maximise extraction of revenue. The greed of the company led to complete disorganisation of the agrarian economy and society
in the diwani provinces within a few years. The devastating famine of 1769-70, in which about one-third of the Bengal population was wiped off, was one tragic outcome of these experiments. The primary causes of this famine included epidemic, failure of the monsoon rains and the subsequent failure of crops. The economic policies of the British East India Company including high taxation and the disruption of traditional agricultural practices significantly worked to exacerbate the crisis. The famine affected state economy and caused a massive decline in agricultural productivity and weakened local economic structures. Many villages were significantly depopulated. People migrated in search of food, medicine and work. Some historians remark that the Great Bengal Famine of 1770 highlighted the consequences of colonial economic policies on local populations.
Keywords British Empire, Diwani, Dual Government, revenue, responsibilities, Agriculture, Famine, tragic outcome.
Field Sociology > Archaeology / History
Published In Volume 8, Issue 2, March-April 2026
Published On 2026-04-03
DOI https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i02.73352
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