10th Standard, Social, History Chapter – 2
THE EXTENSION OF THE BRITISH RULE
EXERCISES
I. Fill in the blanks with suitable answers:
1. At the end of First Anglo-Maratha war, Salbai agreement was signed between the Marathas and the British.
2. The Subsidiary Alliance system was implemented by Lord Wellesley
3. The Governor General who integrated Punjab in to the British Empire was Lord Dalhousie.
4. The Doctrine of Lapse policy was implemented by Lord Dalhousie.
II. Discuss in group and then answer the following:
5. Explain the reasons for First Anglo-Maratha War.
Answer: The Marathas installed Shah Alam-II back on the throne of Mughal Empire in Delhi. Shah Alam-II was under the control of the British after the defeat in Buxar war. Now, the Emperor gave Kara and Allahabad to Marathas, which he had earlier given to the British. This resulted in the enemity between the Marathas and the British. During this period, the death of the Maratha strong man Madhav Rao Peshwa was a major setback to Marathas. Though his brother Narayanrao came to power, he was murdered by his uncle Raghobha (Ragunatha Rao). This resulted in fighting for the Peshwa post. The Maratha federation brought Madhav Rao II the minor son of Narayana Rao to the post of Peshwa. Upset with this development, Raghobha approached the British for support. The British thought of exploiting this situation in their favour. A long war was waged from 1775 to 1782 between the Marathas and the British. These are the reasons for First Anglo-Maratha War.
6. What were the conditions under Subsidiary Alliance? Explain.
Answer: The conditions under Subsidiary Alliance are as follows.
1. The Indian Kings had to keep the British Army in their kingdom.
2. The state concerned had to bear the expenses of the army and the wages of soldiers, or had to give certain revenue lands for the same.
3. The King had to have a British Resident in his Court.
4. The King could not appoint any other European without the permission of the British.
5. In order to enter into any agreement or pact with any Indian state, the permission of the Governor General was mandatory.
6. In return for all these services, the Company would offer protection to the state from any internal or external aggression.
7. Explain the Third Anglo-Maratha War.
Answer: The Maratha families tried their best to protect their independence and honour. Even the Peshwa attempted to free himself from the clutches of the English. In 1817 the Peshwa attacked the British Residency in Poona and burnt it down. Appa Saheb of Nagpur and Malhar Rao Holkar rebelled against the British and were suppressed ruthlessly. Finally, in 1818 Peshwa Baji Rao II fought against the British at Koregaon and Ashti and later surrendered to the British. The British abolished the Peshwa post and granted a pension to Baji Rao II. They installed Pratapa Simha, the descendant of Shivaji as the ruler of Satara, a mini state, and named him as the traditional leader of Marathas and suppressed the Maratha resistance.
8. How did the Doctrine of Lapse support the expansion of British Empire in India?
Answer: Dalhousie who arrived in India as the Governor General in 1848 adopted the Doctrine of Lapse policy whereby the adopted children of Indian Kings were refused of their right to throne. According to this policy, “If any Indian ruler died childless, his adopted male child had no legal right over the throne”. Such a state was merged with the British Empire. The Governor General knew the conditions of some Indian states, he used this policy as a political weapon. That is how the Doctrine of Lapse support the expansion of British Empire in India.
9. Which were the states that came under the Doctrine of Lapse policy?
Answer: Satara, Nagpur, Sambalpur, Udaipur, Jhansi, Jaipur states that came under the Doctrine of Lapse policy.
Additional Questions and Answers;
- What are the two cunning policies implemented by British to expand their empire in India?
Answer: The two cunning policies implemented by British to expand their empire in India are ‘Subsidiary Alliance’ and ‘Doctrine of Lapse’.
- Explain the second Anglo-Maratha War.
Answer: The differences among the Maratha Chieftains was the reason for this war. There was enemity between Yeshwanth Rao of Holkar family and Daulath Rao of Scindia family. Both wanted to establish control over the Peshwa Balaji Rao II. In 1802, the army of Holkar defeated the armies of Scindia and the Peshwa. The Peshwa appealed to the British for help. Lord Wellesley finally got an opportunity to meddle in the affairs of the Marathas. The Peshwa entered the Subsidiary Alliance system by accepting the Treaty of Bassein. Other Maratha families like Holkar, Gwalior and Bhonsle formed an alliance opposing this treaty. Lord Wellesley defeated the armies of various Maratha families from 1803 to 1805.
- Describe the Anglo-Sikh Wars.
Answer: A political anarchy broke out in the Punjab after the death of King Ranjith Singh in 1839. The British attempted to invade Punjab violating the Treaty of friendship of 1809, they had with the erstwhile King. In December 1845, a war broke out between the British and the Punjab. Sensing the danger from an outside force; the Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims got together to defeat the British. Finally, they had to accept defeat due to few traitor leaders. They signed a humiliating Lahore Agreement in 1846. With this the British Resident became the de facto ruler of the Punjab. Thus, Punjab became the dependent state of the British. In 1848, the Sikh opposed the attempts by the British to rule Punjab directly. The opposition was led by ‘Chattar Singh Attariwala’ in Lahore and ‘Moolraj’ in Multan. Again the people of Punjab were defeated. Finally, Lord Dalhousie merged the state of Punjab with the British Empire.
III. Activity:
1. Analyse the strategies adopted by the British to expand their empire in India and write an essay on the same.
Answer: Through the Carnatic and Bengal wars British to expand their empire in India. Apart from the wars, they also annexed various kingdoms with cunning policies like ‘Subsidiary Alliance’ and ‘Doctrine of Lapse’. During this period, the British waged three Anglo-Maratha wars, four Anglo-Mysore wars and two Anglo-Sikh wars.
First Anglo-Maratha War was waged from 1775 to 1782 between the Marathas and the British. Maratha federation was unable to sustain the war with the British and finally entered into ‘Salbai Agreement’ and ended the war. In second Anglo-Maratha War and third Anglo-Maratha War also Marathas were defeated by the British. Apart from these wars, British implemented some policies like ‘Subsidiary Alliance’ and ‘Doctrine of Lapse’ to expand their empire in India.
Lord Wellesley brought ‘Subsidiary Alliance’ policy into effect in 1798 in order to bring the local kings under control. This was basically a military protection agreement between the East India Company and the Indian State. The British could place the Indian states under their control through this policy and the maintenance of the army became easy. The Indian states were subjected to severe economic exploitation. Hyderabad was the first state to enter into this agreement. Later, Mysore, Awadh, Tanjavur, Maratha Kingdom, Berar, Arcot, Pune, Gwalior and other states entered this agreement.
Lord Dalhousie adopted the Doctrine of Lapse policy whereby the adopted children of Indian Kings were refused of their right to throne. According to this policy, “If any Indian ruler died childless, his adopted male child had no legal right over the throne”. Such a state was merged with the British Empire. Princely states like Satara, Nagpur, Sambalpur, Udaipur, Jhansi, Jaipur came under this policy. As the Governor General knew the conditions of these states, he used this policy as a political weapon.
