The British East India Company’s rise to power in India began with the Battle of Plassey in 1757. They employed various strategies to expand their territory, including:
- Subsidiary Alliance: Indian rulers agreed to maintain British troops in their states in exchange for protection, leading to their gradual dependence.
- Doctrine of Lapse: The British annexed states without heirs, further expanding their control.
- Military Conquests: Through wars like the Anglo-Maratha Wars and the Anglo-Sikh Wars, the British annexed new territories.
British East India Company
The British East India Company was a trading company chartered by the English Crown in 1600. Over time, it gained political and military power in India, eventually ruling much of the subcontinent.
Battle of Plassey (1757)
This decisive battle marked a turning point in British dominance in India. The British forces led by Robert Clive defeated the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, securing Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa for the Company.
Subsidiary Alliance
A system imposed by the British on Indian rulers, requiring them to maintain a British army at their own expense. In return, the British promised protection. This often led to the gradual erosion of Indian rulers’ power and their dependence on the British.
Doctrine of Lapse
A policy introduced by Lord Dalhousie, the Governor-General of India. It stated that if an Indian ruler died without a male heir, the state would be annexed by the British. This policy led to the annexation of several princely states.
Anglo-Maratha Wars
A series of conflicts between the British East India Company and the Maratha Confederacy, a powerful Hindu empire in India. The British eventually emerged victorious, leading to the decline of Maratha power and further expansion of British territory.
History Chapter 3 Expansion of the British Rule Question Answers
1. MCQs.
1. c
2. c
3. b
4. a
5. b
2. Fill in the blanks.
1. Cornwallis
2. Court
3. Bengal
4. 1775
5. 1782
3. True or False.
1. True
2. False
3. False
4. True
5. True
4. Very short answers.
1. The Second Anglo-Mysore War was fought when the English seized the port of Mahe from the French and Hyder Ali asked them to vacate it.
2. It shattered the Maratha power in India forever and help in emerging the Britishers as the supreme power in India.
3. The method of abolition of titles and pensions was adopted to annexed Arcot and Tanjore.
4. The Regulating Act of 1773 was passed to end the monopoly of the East India Company.
5. Pitt’s India Act 1784 retained the basic framework of administration till 1857.
5. Write answer in short.
The important aspects of the Pitt’s Act are as follows:-
i. The Act set up a Board of Control which gave the British Government supreme control over the East India Company.
ii. It has six commissioners including two Cabinet Ministers in the British Government.
iii. The Governor-General had permission from the Board of Control before entering into any treaty or declaring war against native kings.
iv. It introduced the system of dual government.
2. It was a system which was introduced in India in 1798 by lord Wellesley. According to this system, any Indian ruler who adopted this alliance was not supported to keep their Independent armed force. They were protected by the forces of the British East India Company.
3. In the First Anglo-Maratha War the British were defected and they had to sign a treaty of Wadgaon. It was called a very humiliating treaty for the Britishers because the Britishers had to surrender all the territories acquired by the company in 1773.
4. The three main functions of the Army in the British period are as follows:-
i. To conquer more territories.
ii. To safeguard British territories in India from foreign powers.
iii. To put down internal revolts against the British Indians.
5. After the Marathas’ defeat at Panipat in 1761, internal divisions led to the rise of smaller states. The Britishers took advantage of this weakness, conquering the Marathas after three wars.
6. Long Answer type questions.
1. Doctrine of Lapse was introduced by Lord Dalhousie, he was the Governor General of India. It was determined to extent the direct rule of the British on a large area of India. According to this policy, if a ruler died without a national heir to the throne, this territory would lapse or pass into the British hands.
2. The Charter Act of 1813 limited the company’s powers as it abolished the company’s monopoly on Indian trade. The company was asked to spend one lakh rupees on education in India. For the first time, an Act made the Company responsible for the well-being of the Indian People.
3 . The main provisions made under the Regulating Act 1773 are as follows:-
I. To remove the political and administrative power from the hands of a trading company.
ii. To root out the malpractices and corruption of the company officials.
iii. It proposed the setting of a Supreme Court at Calcutta.
