2. From Trade to Territory
Let’s recall
Q1. Match the following:
Solution:
| Diwani | right to collect land revenue |
| “Tiger of Mysore” | Tipu Sultan |
| faujdari adalat | Criminal Court |
| Rani Channamma | Led an anti-British movement in Kitoor |
| sipahi | Sepoy |
Q2. Fill in the blanks:
(a) The British conquest of Bengal began with the Battle of ___________.
(b) Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan were the rulers of ___________
(c) Dalhousie implemented the Doctrine of ___________.
(d) Maratha kingdoms were located mainly in the ___________ part of India.
Answer:
(a) The British conquest of Bengal began with the Battle of Plassey.
(b) Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan were the rulers of Mysore.
(c) Dalhousie implemented the Doctrine of Lapse.
(d) Maratha kingdoms were located mainly in the South-western part of India.
Q3. State whether true or false:
(a) The Mughal empire became stronger in the eighteenth century.
(b) The English East India Company was the only European company that traded with India.
(c) Maharaja Ranjit Singh was the ruler of Punjab.
(d) The British did not introduce administrative changes in the territories they conquered.
Answer:
(a) False
(b) False
(c) True
(d) False
Let’s discuss
Q4. What attracted European trading companies to India?
Answer: European trading companies were attracted to India for the following reasons.
(i) There was a great demand for fine cotton cloth and silk made from India in the markets of Europe.
(ii) Apart from these there was a demand for black pepper, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon.
(iii) By buying goods at cheap prices from here, they used to sell them at expensive prices, which made them more profitable.
Q5. What were the areas of conflict between the Bengal nawabs and the East India Company?
Answer:
(i) The Nawabs of Bengal refused to give principality to the company.
(ii) Instead of giving the right to trade, they used to ask the company for a gift.
(iii) The right to put coins from them was also taken away.
(iv) Stopped from increasing his fortification.
(v) The East India Company was not willing to pay tax.
(vi) English officers wrote insulting letters to him
(vii) An attempt was made to humiliate the Nawabs and their officers.
Q6. How did the assumption of Diwani benefit the East India Company?
Answer: The East India Company benefited from getting Diwani in the following way.
(i) The company started acquiring more princely states.
(ii) were engaged in taking maximum advantage of the rights already existing officers.
(iii) The company got control over the huge revenue resources of Bengal due to getting Diwani.
(iv) The Mughal emperor appointed the company as the Diwan of Bengal province.
(v) After getting Diwani, the company no longer needed golds from Britain, because with this income the company could buy cotton and silk cloth in India, take care of its forces and take the cost of forts and offices in Calcutta.
Q7. Explain the system of “subsidiary alliance”.
Answer: The princely state which accepted this settlement did not get the right to keep its independent armies. He used to get security from the company and used to give money to the company for maintenance of the auxiliary army. If the Indian ruler had missed paying the money, the company would have taken possession of his area as a fine.
Q8. In what way was the administration of the Company different from that of Indian rulers?
Answer:
(i) The Indian rulars had divided the administrative and revenue divisions of their kingdom into different units. But these units were not as effective as the British administrative and revenue units. The British created a new administrative units in the form of Presidency. The governor was the head.
(ii) Civil and Criminal Courts were established in the district from 1772.
(iii) The Supreme Court was established in Kolkata by the Regulatory Act of 1773.
(iv) Even the police and the revenue system were greatly improved by the British.
Q9. Describe the changes that occurred in the composition of the Company’s army.
Answer:
(i) The company reinstated professional soldiers in place of foot and rider soldiers.
(ii) These soldiers were trained in European style with new warfare techniques.
(iii) These soldiers were equipped with new and sophisticated weapons like muskets and matchlock etc.
(iv) The company also upgraded its artillery and made minor changes.
Q10. Why did the East India Company consider Tipu Sultan a threat?
Answer:
(i) Tipu Sultan stopped the export of sandal wood, black pepper and cardamom from the ports falling in his kingdom.
(ii) Tipu Sultan developed close relations with the French merchants living in India. With his help, he modernized his army.
(iii) The local merchants from Tipu Sultan were also barred from doing business with the company.
(iv) Tipu Sultan looked very ambitious, arrogant and dangerous, the British felt that it was necessary to control and crush such kings.
