On June 23, 1757, Robert Clive leads a British military force to victory at Plassey against the Nawab of Bengal. As a result, the East India Company takes political control over a large swath of India, despite its background as a trading company.

Warren Hastings becomes the first Governor-General of India in 1773, a position he holds until 1784. Hastings works quickly to consolidate the East India Company's control in India, removing power from the Nawab of Bengal and crippling the Mughal Empire. Hastings wages war and forms alliances to increase Britain's control. While he hopes to introduce Britain to Indian history and culture, his successors launch decades of "reforms" meant to westernize the subcontinent.

The scholar Ram Mohun Roy, educated in both Western and Eastern classics, believes that India can learn from the West, but that there is room for a revitalization of Indian culture. In 1822 he sets up educational societies that help revive pride in Indian culture, and his influence on later leaders places him as the founder of Indian nationalism.

The East India Company requires sepoys, or Indian soldiers serving the company, to bite off cartridges greased with animal fat to load their rifles. The animal fat is from cows, which are sacred to Hindus, or from pigs, which are forbidden to Muslims, and angry sepoys rise up in rebellion against their British officers. After brutal massacres on both sides, the British quell the rebellion, but an atmosphere of hatred and distrust remains.