The Role of the Calcutta Press in the Commencement of the Second Anglo-Burmese War

Abstract

Discussions about the historiography of British imperial history has led scholars to focus on the role of British expatriates in the making of the empire. The new imperial history, as it has been called, suggests that British traders, missionaries, colonial government officers, and agents of the commercial house were the real determinant force in the imperial expansion of the British Empire, especially in the Far East. This article aims to identify that the Calcutta press was also one of the driving forces that led Britain to the Second Anglo-Burmese War of 1852-53. The period of study is set between the summer of 1851 and April 1852 when the second Burmese war commenced. News about Burma which had been published in three Calcutta newspapers : Bengal Hurkaru, Englishman and Friend of India, will be analysed. The study reveals that the Calcutta press had an important role in influencing public opinion, and also the Government of India, to the necessity of state intervention in Burma, the Second Burmese War and the imposition of British rule over Lower Burma. The press also acted as a spokesperson for the British mercantile classes in Burma and India who saw a benefit of the war and the annexation of Lower Burma to their trading interests.