The Inner Conflict of Tradition: Essays in Indian Ritual, Kingship, and Society c15.s1.39

c15.s1.39

After this lengthy disquisition, it is time to return to the theme of expansion and reaction. But before we can speak about a reaction, or even before we can ask whether there was a clear-cut reaction at all, a few words must be said about the way expansion took place. In the first place, it is important to note that there was no strategic level or center where the expansionist forces could come to grips with the Mughal system in a decisive manner, even if they had wanted to do so. But except for a single and ill-prepared venture to start a diminutive empire of their own, the English, like their European competitors, did not want to do so. Instead they desperately tried to stick exclusively to their commercial role. When they were finally forced to give up this stance and started to intervene in India's politics, it was not because of the empire's weakness. Primarily it was a by-product of inter-European competition for control of the sea lanes. When this happened, the English had to combine their commercial operations with military activities and land control. In other words, the English—following the French lead—became partners in the classical game of the inner frontier, to the point where the Company Bahādur obtained, as provincial dīwān, the revenue rights of Bengal, and Clive became a high-ranking imperial noble with a resounding Persian title. Although it presented the somewhat jarring picture of a mercantile company going into agrarian land control, and on a dangerously large scale at that, this type of expansion hardly called for an Indian reaction. On the contrary, it was the English who reacted by adapting, not without enthusiasm, to Indian ways and circumstances. The game was played on Indian terms, even though the English generally could call the shots.