ABSTRACT
British rule in Bengal lasted for 190 years, and developments that occurred during this period continue to have an observable impact on the politics, economy, and society of Bangladesh. One such development was the movement to separate Hindus and Muslims in India that culminated in the partition of 1947. The political divisions between the national and vernacular Muslim elites that contributed to the later breakup of united Pakistan also emerged. The economic and administrative patterns that continue almost unchanged in Bangladesh today originated under British rule. The early nineteenth century also saw major reforms in Hinduism that were not then matched by changes in Bengali Islam. The role of the company in its original trading mission was gradually eroded. At the same time the role of the British government in managing the company's affairs increased following the Regulating Act of 1773, passed by the government of William Pitt the Elder.
