[Complete] EXPANSION AND CONSOLIDATION OF BRITISH POWER IN INDIA (1757-1856) - Timeline

This diagram presents the major stages in the expansion and consolidation of British power in India from 1757 to 1856. It traces how the British East India Company transformed from a trading corporation into a territorial power following the Battle of Plassey, and later secured political dominance after the Battle of Buxar. The chart highlights the mechanisms of expansion—wars, subsidiary alliances, the doctrine of lapse, and administrative interventions—through which the Company steadily brought Indian states under its control. It also outlines the political, military, and diplomatic strategies that enabled the British to eliminate rival European powers, suppress regional kingdoms, and establish an extensive colonial administration. Together, these developments set the foundation for direct British Crown rule after 1858.