Short Description of the Regulating Acts – History Essay
The ‘Regulating Acts’ were a series of edicts with the purpose of subordinating the East India Trading Company to the British Government. In 1772 because of all the fiscal disorder and chaos the company was facing in
India, Warren Hastings was inserted as the first governor-general of the company’s Indian territories; his goal was to establish an ordered system of government for British India.
During Hastings’ time in office he faced nothing but problems. It was extremely difficult for Hastings to establish any type of government because of a lack of knowledge of Indian culture as well as the inability to speak any Indian languages. On top of the problems Hastings faced actually dealing with the Indian people, there were internal conflicts.
The company’s agents in India were unwilling to give up profitable trading activities for the uncertain advantages of government. It was clear at this point that the East India Company was no longer capable of ruling the empire it had created. In 1783 the ‘Board of Control’ was established, whose president sat in British Parliament, officially ending the sovereignty of the East India Company.