Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about The Growth Of British from Class 7 Social_Science. The main topic of this lesson is the manner in which the British emerged as a political and economic power in the period 1758 to 1856 C.E in India. Towards this, we will explore the decisive battle of Buxar, the attainment of Diwani rights, the Anglo Mysore, Anglo Sikh, and Anglo Maratha wars. We will also reveal how the Doctrine of Subsidiary Alliance and the Doctrine of Lapse were cunning schemes of the British. The Indian agitation against the British attitude, which culminated in the revolt of 1857, acts as a background for this lesson. By the end of this chapter, you will learn about the political and economic aspects of granting Diwani rights, understand the consequences of the Mysore, Sikh, and Maratha wars, grasp the cunningness behind the policies of Wellesley and Dalhousie, and learn to identify and compare the areas under British control in 1805 and 1856 C.E on a map of India. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us begin our journey. The East India Company appointed Robert Clive as the first Governor of Bengal in 1758 C.E. Credit goes to him for laying the foundation for British supremacy in India. After looting India for two years, Clive returned to his native country as one of the wealthiest persons. However, after Clive departed, the misrule of the British began. Company employees involved themselves in private trade more than before and earned huge profits. There was no end to their greed. The Company employees, including the British Governors, were corrupt. The common people were frustrated with the maladministration. A British historian has described this period as the period of open and shameless looting. Hence, the prosperity of Bengal started to decline very fast. The British soon realized that they would not get money or wealth from Nawab Mir Jafar anymore. Therefore, they dethroned him and brought his son in law Mir Qasim to the throne. In return, Mir Qasim gave the zamindari rights of three districts to the British. [CHECKPOINT]
Now let us move on to the Battle of Buxar in 1764 C.E. Mir Qasim was an independent thinking person. He noticed that the British were misusing dastaks and hence abolished the tax on all trades in Bengal. Furious at this, the British expelled him from the post of Nawabship. With an intention to take revenge on them, Mir Qasim formed a military alliance with the Nawab of Oudh and the Mughal king. The British defeated this alliance in the battle that took place at Buxar. After their victory, the British became more powerful. The weakened Mughal king sought refuge with the British. In order to set right the affairs of the Company, the British government re-sent Clive to India again as Governor. As soon as he arrived in India, in 1765 Clive entered into a treaty with the Mughal ruler Shah Alam II in 1765 C.E as the first step towards consolidation of company power in India. According to the agreement, it was decided that the Company had to pay 26 lakh rupees to the Mughal King every year. In return, the British obtained Diwani rights in the provinces of Bengal, including Assam, Bihar, and Odhisha. Diwani means the right to collect land revenue. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us understand the effect of Diwani. Through the Diwani right, the East India Company acquired official sovereignty in Bengal. It also gained freedom in matters of levying and collecting taxes. As a result, Bengal was subjected to severe economic exploitation. The company collected crores of rupees in the form of land revenue and filled its coffers. Robert Clive returned to England in 1767. Maladministration was being carried on in Bengal. During this time, one third of the people in Bengal died of starvation due to outbreak of severe famine. Taking advantage of this situation, the Company bought all the rice in the market, sold it at maximum price, and gained enormous profit. This was the other face of British economic exploitation. Now, let us look at the map showing areas under British control in 1805. The map is titled Areas under British control 1805. For our audio lesson, please note that this map visually represents the territories the Company had secured by this date, primarily highlighting their firm hold over Bengal, Bihar, Odhisha, and surrounding regions following their early military and diplomatic victories. [CHECKPOINT]
Next, we will learn about the Regulating Act of 1773 C.E. The British officials working in the East India Company started extorting money through unscrupulous means. In order to put an end to this, the British government decided to properly regulate the activities of the Company and keep it under control. In this direction, the British Parliament passed the Regulating Act. According to this Act, Warren Hastings got appointed as the First Governor General. After him, more than 20 people served as Governor Generals. During this period, the British converted Calcutta into their centre of power and took control of the activities of the provincial governments. In order to correct the defects of the Regulating Act, the British Government enacted Pitts India Act in 1784. [CHECKPOINT]
Now let us discuss the Anglo Mysore Wars from 1767 to 1799 C.E. You will learn in detail about the four wars fought by Hyder Ali and Tippu Sultan against the British. As a consequence of these wars, the British captured the kingdom belonging to Tippu and divided it into four divisions. The British kept one division for themselves. They gave one division to the Nizam, another to the Marathas, and the remaining division to the Mysore Wodeyar family. Due to this, the strength of the British in South India gradually improved. Moving forward, we come to the Anglo Maratha Wars from 1775 to 1818 C.E. The Marathas who were defeated in the Third battle of Panipat soon recovered. However, within a short period of time, internal conflicts arose among them. To take advantage of this, the British used many political strategies. In addition, they fought three wars with the Marathas. These wars are called Anglo Maratha wars. Finally, Peshwa surrendered to the British. The Maratha were defeated in these wars and their areas came under the control of the British. The British abolished the post of Peshwa. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us now study the Anglo Sikh Wars. There were many sects among the Ranjit Singh Sikhs in the later part of the 18th century. Those sects were called Misl. An adventurous youth named Ranjit Singh was the leader of one Misl. At the age of 18, he became the king of Lahore in Punjab. Credit goes to him for bringing together all the Sikhs and transforming them into a strong political force. He ruled Punjab for over four decades. He is one of the memorable kings of modern India. After the death of Ranjit Singh in 1839 C.E, political turmoil surfaced in the state. The British were awaiting for such time as an opportune. Four battles were fought between the Sikhs and the English. Finally the Sikhs lost and Punjab came under British rule in 1849 C.E. The Afghan king had taken political patronage from Ranjit Singh and had gifted the Kohinoor diamond to Ranjit Singh. Now, let us examine the map showing areas under British control in 1856. This map is titled Areas under British control, 1856. It visually demonstrates the massive territorial expansion compared to 1805, showing British rule stretching across the vast majority of the Indian subcontinent, including the newly annexed Punjab region, while clearly marking Nepal as an independent neighboring kingdom to the north. [CHECKPOINT]
Now let us examine the cunning British policies. First is the Doctrine of Subsidiary Alliance. Lord Wellesley, who served from 1799 to 1805 C.E, made a plan to establish the supreme power of British in India. He encouraged the kings to engage British army support to avoid possible danger of attack from the neighbouring kings. In this direction, some of the kings were forced to take support. These kings had to retain the British army in their kingdoms and pay for their expenses in cash, failing which they had to transfer a portion of land to the British. The British called this Doctrine of Subsidiary Alliance. The Indian states who agreed to this had to bear the military expenses of the British themselves. The effects of the Doctrine of Subsidiary Alliance were severe. The massive burden of military expenses weakened the financial position of the kingdoms. The British took large areas of land under their control. The kings who agreed to this system came indirectly under the British control. The states coming under this policy lost their sovereignty. [CHECKPOINT]
Next is the Doctrine of Lapse policy. The Governor General Lord Dalhousie, who served from 1848 to 1856 C.E, brought into a weird policy called Doctrine of Lapse. Any Indian king who had no descendants lost the kingdom, since adopted children were denied the right to the throne. Consequently, many kingdoms which did not have royal descendants came under British control. This rule was against the practice of adoption in India since ancient times. As a result of this cunning Act, Audh, Satara, Nagpur, Jhansi and other eleven states were directly annexed by the British. Altogether, by the time of Dalhousie return to England in 1856 C.E, two thirds of the Indian sub continent was under the British rule. The British victory in India was a victory of their political realism and military might. This was further compounded with internal rivalry among the locals and lack of unity. The British never felt that public interest was their responsibility. Their aim was to gain wealth and power. Enraged by this, the people revolted widely in 1857 C.E. Some authors called it the first war of Indian Independence. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us remember the important dates from this chapter. 1764 was the year of the Battle of Buxar. 1765 was the year of the Attainment of Diwani Rights. 1799 to 1805 C.E marks Wellesley Administration and the Doctrine of Subsidiary Alliance. 1848 marks Dalhousie Administration and the Doctrine of Lapse policy. Now it is time to practice with the exercises from your textbook. Let us solve them together. First, fill in the blanks. Question one: Doctrine of Subsidiary Alliance was introduced by Lord Wellesley. Question two: Robert Clive entered into an agreement with Mughal ruler Shah Alam II. Question three: Regulating act was passed in the year 1773 C.E. Question four: Doctrine of lapse policy was introduced by Lord Dalhousie. [CHECKPOINT]
Next, answer the following in one or two sentences each. Question five: Between whom was the Battle of Buxar fought? The Battle of Buxar was fought between the British and a military alliance formed by Mir Qasim, the Nawab of Oudh, and the Mughal king. Question six: What is meant by Diwani right? Diwani means the right to collect land revenue. Question seven: Who is Ranjit Singh? Ranjit Singh was an adventurous youth who became the king of Lahore at the age of 18, united the Sikh sects into a strong political force, and ruled Punjab for over four decades. Finally, answer the following in two or three sentences each. Question eight: How did the British obtain Diwani right? What were its effects? In 1765 C.E, Robert Clive entered into a treaty with Mughal ruler Shah Alam II, agreeing to pay 26 lakh rupees annually to obtain Diwani rights in Bengal, Bihar, and Odhisha. The effects were that the East India Company acquired official sovereignty in Bengal, gained freedom to levy and collect taxes, subjected Bengal to severe economic exploitation, collected crores of rupees, and during a severe famine, one third of the population died while the Company hoarded and sold rice at maximum prices for enormous profit. [CHECKPOINT]
Question nine: What are the effects of the Doctrine of Subsidiary Alliance? The massive burden of military expenses weakened the financial position of the kingdoms. The British took large areas of land under their control. The kings who agreed to this system came indirectly under British control, and the states lost their sovereignty. Question ten: Why was the Doctrine of Lapse policy unjust? The policy was unjust because it denied adopted children the right to the throne, which went against the ancient Indian practice of adoption. As a result, kingdoms without royal descendants like Audh, Satara, Nagpur, Jhansi, and eleven others were directly annexed by the British. I hope this lesson has helped you understand how the British established their supremacy in India through military victories, economic exploitation, and cunning political policies. Keep these dates, names, and definitions in mind for your exams. Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]