10. Clive served in India during the Seven Years’ War
In 1755 Clive returned to India as a deputy governor of the East India Company, posted at Fort St. David. He also held a commission as a lieutenant colonel in the British Army. He combined both positions to use company troops against French colonial posts in India, and Indian factions supporting the French or otherwise hostile to company interests. Through his exertions, supported by others of the company and the Royal Navy, the EIC steadily increased its holdings in India and nearby lands. He also enriched himself, through quitrents and tribute over the areas he seized for the EIC.
Through his efforts, the East India Company acquired most of the Indian subcontinent, including modern day Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh, and administered the holdings through the establishment of puppet governments who reported to EIC officials. The system remained in place for a century before Parliament replaced it with the system known to history as the British Raj. The EIC controlled what crops were planted, and where, to maximize their value to the company, with little concern for the effect of shortages of food suffered by the populace. The company’s private armies suppressed dissent, its ships protected its trade, and its officers negotiated favorable trade terms with Parliament.