EXPANSION AND CONSOLIDATION OF BRITISH POWER IN INDIA

Question 1

According to B.L. Grover: Why did Lord Wellesley resorted to aggressive application of the subsidiary alliance system?

Answer 1

To extend British dominion in India as a defensive counter measure against the imperialistic designs of France and Russia.

Question 2

Prelude to the Battle of Plassey?

Answer 2

1. The English fortified Calcutta without the nawab’s permission.
2. Black hole tragedy- Siraj-ud-daula imprisoned 146 English persons who were lodged in a very tiny room due to which 123 of them died of suffocation.

Question 3

Traitors of Battle of Plassey?

Answer 3

1. Mir Jafar
2. Rai Durlabh
3. Jagat Seth (an influential banker of Bengal)
4. Omichand.

Question 4

Mir Kasim and the treaty of 1760?

Answer 4

1. Mir Kasim agreed to cede to the Company the districts of Burdwan, Midnapur and Chittagong.
2. The Company would get half of the share in chunam trade of Sylhet.
3. Mir Kasim agreed to pay off the outstanding dues to the Company.
4. Mir Kasim promised to pay a sum of rupees five lakh towards financing the Company’s war effort in southern India.
5. It was agreed that Mir Kasim’s enemies were the Company’s enemies, and his friends, the Company’s friends.
6. It was agreed that tenants of the nawab’s territory would not be allowed to settle in the lands of the Company, and vice-versa.
   Under the pressure of the Company, Mir Jafar decided to resign in favour of Mir Kasim. A pension of Rs 1,500 per annum was fixed for Mir Jafar.

Question 5

Steps taken by Mir Kasim after being appointed as the Nawab?

Answer 5

1. He shifted the capital from Murshidabad to Munger in Bihar.
2. Reorganized the bureaucracy with the men of his own choice.
3. Remodelling the army to enhance its skill and efficacy.

Question 6

Prelude to the Battle of Buxar?

Answer 6

1. Ram Narayan, the deputy governor of Bihar, was not responding to repeated requests by the nawab to submit accounts of the revenues of Bihar. Ram Narayan was supported by English officials of Patna.
2. Misuse of the Company’s dastak or trade permit by company officials meant the loss of tax revenue to the nawab.
   - The Nawab-Company tussle over transit duty led to the outbreak of wars between the English and Mir Kasim in 1763.

Question 7

Battle of Buxar was fought between?

Answer 7

The combined armies of Mir Kasim, the Nawab of Awadh (Shuja-ud-daulah) and the Mughal emperor Shah Alam 2 were defeated by the English forces under Major Hector Munro at Buxar on October 22 1764.

Question 8

After the Battle of Buxar?

Answer 8

Mir Jafar who was made Nawab agreed to hand over the districts of Midnapore, Burdwan and Chittagong to the English for the maintenance of their army. The English were also permitted duty-free trade in Bengal, except for a duty of two per cent on salt. After the death of Mir Jafar, his minor son, Najim-ud-daula, was appointed nawab, but the real power of administration lay in the hands of the naib-subahdar, who could be appointed or dismissed by the English.

Question 9

Treaty of Allahabad:- Robert Clive concluded two important treaties at Allahabad in August 1765— One with the Nawab of Awadh and the other with the Mughal Emperor, Shah Alam 2.
Treaty with Nawab Shuja-ud-daula?

Answer 9

The Nawab Shuja-ud-Daulah agreed to
1. Surrender Allahabad and Kara to Emperor Shah Alam 2.
2. Pay Rs 50 lakh to the Company as war indemnity and
3. Give Balwant Singh, Zamindar of Banaras, full possession of his estate.

Question 10

Treaty of Allahabad:- Robert Clive concluded two important treaties at Allahabad in August 1765— One with the Nawab of Awadh and the other with the Mughal Emperor, Shah Alam 2.
Treaty with Shah Alam 2?

Answer 10

Shah Alam II agreed to:
1. Reside at Allahabad, to be ceded to him by the Nawab of Awadh, under the Company’s protection;
2. issue a farman granting the diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa to the East India Company in lieu of an annual payment of Rs 26 lakh; and
3. A provision of Rs 53 lakh to the Company in return for nizamat functions (military defence, police and administration of justice) of the said provinces.
Clive did not want to annex Awadh because it would have placed the Company under an obligation to protect an extensive land frontier from the Afghan and the Maratha invasions. The treaty made the Nawab a firm friend of the Company, and turned Awadh into a buffer state.

Question 11

What is the dual system of government and who introduced it?

Answer 11

Robert Clive introduced the dual system of government, i.e., the rule of the two—the Company and the Nawab—in Bengal in which both the diwani, i.e., collecting revenues, and nizamat, i.e., police and judicial functions, came under the control of the company.

Question 12

Who did away with the dual system of Bengal?

Answer 12

Warren Hastings in 1772 did away with the dual system.

Question 13

Term Dulwai and Sarvadhikari meaning?

Answer 13

• Dulwai– Commander in Chief.
• Sarvadhikari– Controller of revenue and finance.

Question 14

Haidar Ali took the help of the French to set up an arms factory at _______ (now in Tamil Nadu), and also introduced Western methods of training for his army.

Answer 14

Dindigul.

Question 15

Which Mysore ruler gave his support to the French soldiers at Seringapatam in setting up a Jacobin Club in 1797?

Answer 15

• Tipu Sultan was a great lover of democracy and a great diplomat.
• He gave his support to the French soldiers at Seringapatam in setting up a Jacobin Club in 1797.
• He ordered a salute of 2300 cannons and 500 rockets to celebrate the occasion.
• Tipu himself became a member of the Jacobin Club and allowed himself to be called Citizen Tipu.
• He planted the tree of Liberty at Seringapatam.

Question 16

Mysore after Tipu?

Answer 16

• Wellesley offered Soonda and Harponelly districts of Mysore Kingdom to the Marathas, which the latter refused.
• The Nizam was given the districts of Gooty and Gurramkonda.
• The English took possession of Kanara, Wynad, Coimbatore, Dwaraporam and Seringapatam.
• The new state of Mysore was handed over to the old Hindu dynasty (Wodeyars) under a minor ruler Krishnaraja II, who accepted the subsidiary alliance.
• In 1831 William Bentinck took control of Mysore on grounds of misgovernance.
• In 1881 Lord Ripon restored the kingdom to its ruler.

Question 17

Twelve Maratha chiefs led by Nana Phadnavis were known as?

Answer 17

Barabhai.
They made an effort to name the infant (Sawai- one and a quarter, son of Gangabai) as the new peshwa and rule for him as agents.

Question 18

Treaties of Surat and Purandhar?

Answer 18

• Raghunathrao, unwilling to give up his position in power, sought help from the English at Bombay and signed the Treaty of Surat in 1775. - Under the treaty, Raghunathrao ceded the territories of Salsette and Bassein to the English along with a portion of the revenues from Surat and Bharuch districts.
• In return, the English were to provide Raghunathrao with 2,500 soldiers.
• The British Calcutta Council, on the other side of India, condemned the Treaty of Surat (1775) and sent Colonel Upton to Pune to annul it and make a new treaty (Treaty of Purandhar, 1776) with the regency renouncing Raghunath and promising him a pension.

Question 19

Course of First Anglo Maratha war and the treaties?

Answer 19

• Mahadji Sindhia aka Mahadji Shinde trapped English army into ghats near Talegaon and trapped them from all sides and attacked the English supply base at Khopali.
• The Marathas also utilized a scorched earth policy, burning farmland and poisoning wells.
• The English surrendered by mid-January 1779 and signed the Treaty of Wadgaon that forced the Bombay government to relinquish all territories acquired by the English since 1775.
• Treaty of Salbai (1782): End of the First phase of the struggle Warren Hastings, the Governor General in Bengal rejected the Treaty of Wadgaon and sent a large force of soldiers who captured Ahmedabad in February 1779, and Bassein in December 1780.

Question 20

Treaty of Salbai main provisions?

Answer 20

• The treaty guaranteed peace between two sides for twenty years
  1. Salsette should continue in the possession of the English.
  2. The whole of the territory conquered since the Treaty of Purandhar (1776) including Bassein should be restored to the Marathas.
  3. In Gujarat, Fateh Singh Gaekwad should remain in possession of the territory which he had before the war and should serve the Peshwa as before.
  4. The English should not offer any further support to Raghunathrao and the Peshwa should grant him a maintenance allowance.
  5. Haidar Ali should return all the territory taken from the English and the Nawab of Arcot.
  6. The English should enjoy the privileges at trade as before.
  7. The Peshwa should not support any other European nation.
  8. The Peshwa and the English should undertake that their several allies should remain at peace with one another.
  9. Mahadji Sindhia should be the mutual guarantor for the proper observance of the terms of the treaty.

Question 21

Provisions under treaty of Bassein?

Answer 21

• Treaty of Bassein (1802) Under the treaty, the Peshwa agreed:
  1. to receive from the Company a native infantry consisting of not less than 6,000 troops, with the usual proportion of field artillery and European artillery men attached, to be permanently stationed in his territories.
  2. to cede to the Company territories yielding an income of Rs 26 lakh.
  3. to surrender the city of Surat.
  4. to give up all claims for chauth on the Nizam’s dominions.
  5. to accept the Company’s arbitration in all differences between him and the Nizam or the Gaekwad.
  6. not to keep in his employment Europeans of any nation at war with the English.
  7. to subject his relations with other states to the control of the English.

Question 22

Treaties signed after the
1. Defeat of Bhonsle (December 17, 1803)–
2. Defeat of Sindhia (December 30, 1803)–
3. Defeat of Holkar (1806)–

Answer 22

1. Defeat of Bhonsle (December 17, 1803)– Treaty of Devgaon.
2. Defeat of Sindhia (December 30, 1803)– Treaty of Surajianjangaon.
3. Defeat of Holkar (1806)– Treaty of Rajpurghat.

Question 23

Significance of the Treaty of Bassein?

Answer 23

Though the Treaty of Bassein did not hand over India to the Company on a platter, it was a major development in that direction.

Question 24

Treaties signed after the Third Anglo-Maratha war?

Answer 24

1. June 1817– Treaty of Poona, with Peshwa.
2. November 1817– Treaty of Gwalior, with Sindhia.
3. January 1818– Treaty of Mandasor, with Holkar.
   In June 1818, the Peshwa finally surrendered and the Maratha confederacy was dissolved. The Peshwaship was abolished.

Question 25

Rise of Talpuras Amirs?

Answer 25

In the 1770s, a Baluch tribe called Talpuras, descended from the hills and settled in the plains of Sindh.
In 1783, the Talpuras, under the leadership of Mir Fath (Fatah) Ali Khan, established complete hold over Sindh and sent the Kallora price into exile.
The then Durrani monarch confirmed the claims of Mir Fath Khan and ordered the latter to share the country with his brothers (Mir’s brothers, popularly known as ‘Char Yar’).

Question 26

Treaty of 1832?

Answer 26

• In 1832, William Bentinck sent Colonel Pottinger to Sindh to sign a treaty with the Amirs. The provisions of the treaty were as follows:
  1. Free passage through Sindh would be allowed to the English traders and travellers and the use of Indus for trading purposes; however, no warships would ply, nor any materials for war would be carried.
  2. No English merchant would settle down in Sindh, and passports would be needed for travellers.
  3. Tariff rates could be altered by the Amirs if found high and no military dues or tolls would be demanded.
  4. The Amirs would work with the Raja of Jodhpur to put down the robbers of Kachch.
  5. The old treaties were confirmed and the parties would not be jealous of each other.

Question 27

Who was the Governor General when the Sindh was turned into a British protectorate in 1838?

Answer 27

Lord Auckland.

Question 28

In 1843, under Governor General ___, Sindh was merged into the British Empire and Charles Napier was appointed its first governor.

Answer 28

Lord Ellenborough.

Question 29

Why did Maharaja Ranjit Singh signed the Treaty of Amritsar?

Answer 29

In the changed political scenario in which the Napoleonic danger receded and the English became more assertive, Ranjit Singh agreed to sign the Treaty of Amritsar (April 25, 1809) with the Company.

Question 30

Treaties signed after First Anglo-Sikh war?

Answer 30

• Treaty of Lahore (March 8, 1846).
• Treaty of Bhairowal.

Question 31

Second Anglo-Sikh war– Course of war?

Answer 31

Lord Dalhousie himself proceeded to Punjab. Three important battles were fought before the final annexation of Punjab.
1. Battle of Ramnagar, led by Sir Hugh Gough, the commander-in-chief of the Company.
2. Battle of Chillhanwala, January, 1849.
3. Battle of Gujarat, February 21, 1849; the sikh army surrendered at Rawalpindi.

Question 32

Policy of Ring fence?

Answer 32

• Warren Hastings followed a policy of ring fence which aimed at creating buffer zones to defend the Company’s frontiers.
• It was the policy of the defense of their neighbors frontiers for safeguarding their own territories.
• This policy of Warren Hastings was reflected in his war against the Marathas and Mysore.
• The defence of Awadh constituted the defence of Bengal during that time. Thus the states brought under the ring-fence system were assured of military assistance against external aggression but at their own expense. In other words, these allies were required to maintain subsidiary forces which were to be organised, equipped and commanded by the officers of the Company who, in turn, were to be paid by the rulers of these states.
• Wellesley’s policy of subsidiary alliance was, in fact, an extension of the ring-fence system which sought to reduce the Indian states into a position of dependence on the British government.

Question 33

Who was the first who gave on hire European troops to Indian rulers to fight their wars?

Answer 33

Dupleix.

Question 34

The first Indian state to fall into this protection trap (which anticipated the subsidiary alliance system) was Awadh which in _____ signed a treaty under which the Company pledged to defend the frontiers of Awadh on the condition of the Nawab defraying the expenses of such defence. It was in _______ that the Company first insisted that the subsidiary state should not have foreign relations. This was included in the treaty with the Nawab of Carnatic which Cornwallis signed in February 1787.

Answer 34

1765, 1787.

Question 35

Stages of Application of Subsidiary Alliance?

Answer 35

1. First stage, the Company offered to help a friendly Indian state with its troops to fight any war the state might be engaged in.
2. The second stage consisted of making a common cause with the Indian state now made friendly and taking the field with its own soldiers and those of the state.
3. The Third stage when the Indian ally was asked not for men but for money. In return, the Company promised that it would recruit, train, and maintain a fixed number of soldiers under British officers, and that the contingent would be available to the ruler for his personal protection as also for keeping out aggressors.
4. In the Fourth or the last stage, the money or the protection fee was fixed, usually at a high level; when the state failed to pay the money in time, it was asked to cede certain parts of its territories to the Company in lieu of payment.

Question 36

Doctrine of Lapse?

Answer 36

• In simple terms, the doctrine stated that the (adopted son could be the heir to his foster father’s private property, but not the state) it was for the paramount power (the British) to decide whether to bestow the state on the adopted son or to annex it.
• The doctrine was stated to be based on Hindu law and Indian customs, but Hindu law seemed to be somewhat inconclusive on this point, and the instances of an Indian sovereign annexing the state of his vassal on account of lapse (leaving no issue as heir) were rather rare.
• Maharaja Ranjit Singh had annexed a few of his feudatory principalities on account of lapse.
• Though this policy is attributed to Lord Dalhousie, he was not its originator.

Question 37

How many states did Dalhousie annexed during his eight year tenure (1848-56) as Governor General?

Answer 37

Eight states.

Question 38

Treaty of Sagauli was signed between?

Answer 38

English and Nepal in 1816.

Question 39

Treaty of Yandabo was signed between?

Answer 39

English and Burma in 1826 after first Burma war.

Question 40

Second and third Burma war?

Answer 40

• Second Burma war (1852)– an intense guerilla resistance had to be overcome before complete British control of lower Burma could be established.
• Third Burma war (1885)– final annexation of upper Burma in 1885.

Question 41

Treaty of Lhasa was signed between?

Answer 41

English and Tibet in 1904.

Question 42

What was the forward policy of Auckland?

Answer 42

This implied that the Company government in India itself had to take initiative to protect the boundary of British India from a probable Russian attack.

Question 43

What was the policy of masterly inactivity and who gave it?

Answer 43

• John Lawrence started a policy of masterly inactivity which was a reaction to the disasters of the First Afghan war and an outcome of practical common sense and an intimate knowledge of the frontier problem and of Afghan passion for independence.
• Even when Dost Mohammed died in 1863, there was no interference in the war of succession.
• Lawrence’s policy rested on the fulfillment of two conditions
  1. That the peace at the frontier was not disturbed.
  2. That no candidate in civil war sought foreign help.

Question 44

Who gave the policy of proud reserve and what is it?

Answer 44

Viceroy Lytton started the policy of ‘proud reserve’, which was aimed at having scientific frontiers and safeguarding ‘spheres of influence’.

Question 45

Treaty of Gandamak was signed between?

Answer 45

Yakub khan, the eldest son of Sher Ali with the British (1879).

Question 46

Durand Line?

Answer 46

Was drawn between Afghan and British territories.
Present day between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Question 47

________, the Viceroy between 1899 and 1905, followed a policy of withdrawal and concentration.

Answer 47

Curzon.

Question 48

Which battle laid the territorial foundation of British rule in India?

Answer 48

Battle of Plassey.

Question 49

Which Battle laid the real foundation of the English power in India?

Answer 49

Battle of Buxar.

Question 50

Treaties signed in Anglo-Mysore wars?

Answer 50

1. First Anglo-Mysore War (1767-69); Treaty of Madras.
2. Second Anglo-Mysore War (1779-1784); Treaty of Mangalore.
3. Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790-92); Trealy of Seringapatam
4. Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799); Mysore is conquered by British forces.

Question 51

Treaties signed in Anglo-Maratha wars?

Answer 51

1. First Anglo-Maratha War (1775-82); - Treaty of Surat (1775).
   - Treaty of Purandhar (1776), and
   - Treaty of Salbai, (1782)
2. Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803-05); Trealy of Bassein.
   1802.
3. Third Anglo-Maratha war (1817-1819).

Question 52

Subsidiary alliance of Wellesley
Subsidized states are?

Answer 52

1. Hyderabad (1798; 1800)
2. Mysore (1799)
3. Tanjore (October 1799)
4. Awadh (November 1801)
5. Peshwa (December 1801)
6. Bhonsle of Berar (December 1803)
7. Sindhia (February 1804)
8. Jodhpur (1818)
9. Jaipur (1818)
10. Macheri (1818)
11. Bundi (1818)
12. Bharatpur (1818)
13. Holkars (1818).

Question 53

Lapsed states under Lord Dalhousie?

Answer 53

1. Satara (1848)
2. Sambhalpur (1849)
3. Bhagat (1850)
4. Udaipur (1850)
5. Nagpur (1854)
6. Jhanshi (1855)
7. Awadh (1856; on charge of mal-administration).
   Also Jaitpur.