Robert Clive's letter to former British PM William Pitt: Highlights a veiled justification for economic exploitation of India

Navrang India July 16, 2025
Robert Clive .en.wikimedia.org

 
Robert Clive and the Nawab. .en.wikimedia.org

 Above image: Madras Presidency's war against the French forces  and  Chanda  Sahib the and War at Plassey in Bengal showed us Clive as a military genius, coupled with cunningness  and manipulative powers,  which he developed over a period of time.
Besides, he also developed his administrative skills side by side right from the first job as an ordinary clerk in the company at Madras (Chennai).  It is just impossible to imagine how he won the battles in Bengal with such a small British army against the mighty Indian army. The wars against the French in southern India gave him the basic training in military diplomacy and war strategies.  The letter to Pitt mentioned above shows Clive's interest in matters related to geopolitics, improving economic power of the Crown and expansion of British domain...........

Robert  Clive in.pinterest.com

William Pitt (1708 –1778), Former PM of Britain
allthingsliberty.com
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Let us, for a moment, set aside the moral and ethical questions surrounding the British conquest of the Indian subcontinent. What began as a commercial venture by the East India Company gradually turned into a full-scale imperial enterprise. Between 1744 and 1767, Robert Clive—an ambitious young man from Shropshire with no formal military training—laid the foundation for what would become the British Indian Empire. It was later consolidated and expanded by administrators like Warren Hastings, Dalhousie, and Wellesley, and governed efficiently by figures such as Curzon, Bentinck, and Ripon.

worldwidehistory.org.in

Clive’s victories at the Battle of Plassey (1757) and Buxar (1764) against the Indian  rulers gave the British what they had been seeking—control over the wealthy Bengal province (East India). Through the Treaty of Allahabad (1765), the East India Company gained Diwani rights, enabling it to collect revenue and administer civil justice in Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa. This massive region, fertile and rich in resources, came under British control at a time when England was recovering from the expensive Seven Years' War. 

The British Crown, then under William Pitt (1708 –1778), was eager to reduce its financial burden, and Clive’s success was seen as a timely windfall.  Clive, then Governor of Bengal, sent a revealing letter to Pitt dated January 7, 1759. In it, Clive argued for Britain’s direct control over Bengal, citing the weakness of the Mughal administration and the lack of loyalty among Indian rulers.

Clive candidly  impressed on Pitts stating that the East India Company could make £2 million a year profit from its Indian conquests. Pitt saw India as the “greatest of all objects” and though that taxing its profits was preferable to taxing the American colonies

When Britain's economy  was in strain, Pitt saw the revenue from the company as an opportunity to tide  over  the financial difficulties. He considered the  revenue from  the company as the “redemption of a nation, within reach of being saved at once by a kind of gift from heaven.” Clive suggested that a small European force could easily take over and ensure continued tribute to the Mughal emperor, all while bolstering the British economy.

Clive mentioned about the immense economic potential of Bengal. and  argued for permanent British control, citing the inefficiency and unreliability of Indian rulers. He claimed that just 2,000 European troops, supported by Indian sepoys, would be enough to ensure British supremacy. Clive proposed that, in return for a modest annual tribute to the Mughal emperor, Britain could assume sovereignty over Bengal—a region producing immense revenue and strategic advantage.

What is less known, however, is that Clive’s actions were soon mired in scandal. In 1772, he was summoned before the British Parliament on charges of corruption and abuse of power. The East India Company’s loot of Bengal following Plassey had led to astronomical private fortunes, including Clive’s own. Critics alleged that he had used coercion, deceit, and manipulation to amass personal wealth. Though he defended himself vigorously—famously claiming he was “astonished at his own moderation” Clive defended himself with the now-famous statement: “- but  his reputation never fully recovered.

What remains lesser-known is that just a decade later, Clive was recalled to Britain to face Parliamentary inquiries into corruption. The East India Company’s loot of Bengal following Plassey had led to astronomical private fortunes, including Clive’s own. Accused of amassing vast personal wealth through coercion and manipulation of Indian rulers and merchants, Clive defended himself with the now-famous statement: “

Thus, Clive’s letter to Pitt stands not only as a calculated plan for empire-building but also as an early sign of the exploitative mindset that would come to define colonial rule in India—rationalized conquest cloaked in the language of governance and “improvement.”

Paradoxically, the man who spoke of “mild government” over despotic rule helped launch an era marked by famine, misrule, and profiteering, setting the stage for nearly two centuries of British domination in India.  Clive’s letter to Pitt is not just a blueprint for empire—it is also a veiled justification for economic exploitation. Apparently it was written two years after his victory at Plassey.  Madras Presidency's war against the French forces  and  Chanda  Sahib.

Ref:

William Dalrymple, “The East India Company: The original corporate raiders,” www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/04/east-india-company-original-corporate-raiders