From Trade to Territory | Chapter 2 | History | Class 8th | Questions and Answers |

JANDKNCERT | Free NCERT Solutions | Class 8th | History |

From Trade to Territory| Chapter 2 | History | Class 8th | Questions and Answers |

 

Chapter 2: From Trade to Territory

(The Company Establishes Power)

(Solutions by Teacher Rimpy Sharma)

 

Let’s Recall

Q1. Match the following:

 

Diwani	Tipu sultan
Tiger of Mysore	Right to collect land revenue
Faujdari Adalat	Sepoy
Rani Channamma	Criminal court
Sipahi	Led an anti-British movement in kitoor

 

Answer.

 

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.   Haider 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.  Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan were the rulers of Mysore.

c.   Dalhousie implemented the doctrine of lapse.

d.  Maratha kingdoms were located mainly in the part of Western India.

Q3. State whether true or false:-

a.   The Mughal Empire became stronger in the 18th 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 didn’t introduce the administrative changes in the territories they conquered.

Answer.

a.   The Mughal Empire became stronger in the 18th century. False

b.  The English East India Company was the only European company that traded with India. False

c.   Maharaja Ranjit Singh was the ruler of Punjab. True

d.  The British didn’t introduce the administrative changes in the territories they conquered. False

Let’s Discuss

Q4. What attracted European trading companies to India?

Answer. European trading companies were attracted due to the following reasons:

(i) Cheap and fine quality of silk and cotton.

(ii) For species like pepper, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, etc.

Q5. What were the areas of conflict between the Bengal Nawabs and East India Company?

Answer. The Bengal Nawabs asserted their power and autonomy and refused to grant the company concessions. They demanded large tributes for the company’s right to trade. They denied the company any right to mint coins. They stopped the company from extending its fortification.

Accusing the company of deceit, they claimed that the company was depriving the Bengal government of a huge amount of revenue and undermining the authority of the Nawabs. It was refusing to pay taxes, writing disrespectful letters, and trying to humiliate the Nawabs and his officials. These were the areas of conflict between the Bengal Nawabs and the East India Company.   

Q6. How did the assumption of Diwani benefit the East India Company?

Answer. The Mughal Emperor, in 1965, appointed the company’s Diwan of the province of Bengal. The Diwani allotted the company to exploit the vast revenue resources of Bengal. This solved a major problem that the company had earlier faced. Although its trade had expanded, it has to buy most of the goods in India with gold and silver imported from Britain. The overflow of gold stopped after the assumption of Diwani. Now revenue from India could finance the company’s expenses. This revenue they used to purchase cotton and silk textiles in India. Maintain company’s troops and meet the cost of building the company fort and offices at Calcutta.

 

Q7. Explain the system of ‘Subsidiary alliance’?

Answer. The subsidiary alliance system:

The Britishers as the supreme power:  whichever state wanted to sign its treaty, had to accept the English as a supreme authority. The East India Company behaved as the guardian of the state.

Appointment of resident: - the state kept an English resident in their court, to check the activities of the king.

Keeping of an English army: Indian rulers were not allowed to have their army to protect the state from external and internal invasion. The state had to keep an English army. The state had to bear the financial bear of the army.

Giving to the territory: If the Indian rulers failed, to make payments part of their territory was taken away, as a penalty. Example,

The Nawab of Awadh was forced to give over half of his territory to the company in 1801. Hyderabad was also forced to cede territories on similar grounds.

Protection by the English: In return for the above mentioned conditions the English company promised to protect the state from its enemies. They also promised the state not to interfere in the internal affairs of the state but this was a promise they seldom kept.

Q8. In what way was the administration of the company different from that of the Indian rulers?

Answer. The administration of the company was different from that of Indian rulers in the following ways:

(i) The company divided its administrative units called presidencies. There were three presidencies- Bengal, Madras, and Bombay. In India, districts were the main administrative units.

(ii) Each presidency was ruled by a governor. Districts were ruled by collectors.

(iii) The supreme head of the administration of the company was the Governor-General. But in India, the head of the administration was the King.

(iv) The main job of the Governor-General was to introduce administrative reforms while the main job of the collector was to collect revenue and taxes- and taxes and maintain law and order in his district.

Q9. Describe the changes that occurred in the composition of the company’s army?

Answer. Changes that occurred in the composition of the Company’s army are:

(i) East India Company adopted its own method when it began recruitment of the army.

(ii) It was known as the sepoy army (from the Indian word sipahi, meaning soldier)

(iii) With the change in warfare technology from the 1820s, the cavalry needs of the company’s army declined because the British Empire was fighting in Burma, Afghanistan, and Egypt, there the soldiers were armed with muskets and matchlocks.

(iv) The soldiers had to make pace with changing military requirements.

(v) Its infantry regiments now become more important.

(vi) In the early 19th century the British began to develop a uniform military culture.

(vii) Soldiers were given European-style training drills and disciplines.

(viii) They regulated their lives far better than before.

(ix) Often this created problems since caste and community feelings were ignored in building a force of professional soldiers.

Let’s Do

Q10. After the conquest of Bengal, Calcutta grew from a small village to a big city. Find out about the culture, architecture, and the life of Europeans and Indians of the city during the colonial period?

Answer.

Culture: British Influence began.

Architecture: Influenced by British Architecture (fortification of the city, churches, etc). rich Indians started constructing bungalows in the English style.

Life: English education, English clothes became to be popular.

 

Exercise questions:

A. Choose the correct option from the questions given below:

 

i. Which one was not a trading company?

a.   The Portuguese

b.  The Dutch

c.   The French

d.  The Japanese

Answer. The Japanese

 

ii. What was Farman?

It was a royal dress

It was a royal order

It was a royal food

It was a royal procession

Answer. It was a royal order

iii. The Nawab of Bengal after Ali Vardi Khan was…

a.   Murshid Quli Khan

b.  Tipu Sultan

c.   Siraj-ud-Daulah

d.  Mir Qasim

Answer. Siraj-ud-Daulah

 

iv. The British who did the Company’s army against Siraj-ud-Daulah at Plassey was ….

a.   Robert Clive

b.  Lord Hasting

c.   Edmund Burke

d.  Lord Dalhousie

Answer. Robert Clive

 

v. The Governor-General introduced the policy of ‘paramountcy’ ……

a.   Lord Hasting

b.  Lord Dalhousie

c.   Warren Hastings

d.  Lord Bentinck

Answer. Lord Hastings

 

vi. Which one of these was annexed on the basis of Dalhousie’s ‘Doctrine of Lapse’ …..

a.   Punjab

b.  Awadh

c.   Satara

d.  Hyderabad

Answer. Satara

 

vii. The Governor-General who was impeached ….

a.   Lord Dalhousie

b.  Lord Mountbatten

c.   Warren Hastings

d.  Lord Hasting

Answer. Warren Hastings

 

B. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words to complete each sentence:

 

British territories were broadly divided into administrative units called _______. _______, _______and _______ were two famous Maratha soldiers and statesman of late 18th century. The royal charter could not prevent other European power from entering the _______ markets. The Bengal Nawabs asserted their power and autonomy after the death of _______. _______ was made the Nawab of Bengal after the defeat of Siraj-ud-Daulah at Plassey. The company took over Awadh in the year_______. The principal figure in an Indian district was the _______. The first Anglo-Maratha war ended with the treaty of _______.

Answer.

British territories were broadly divided into administrative units called Presidencies. Mahadji, Sindhai, and Nana Phadnavis

 were two famous Maratha soldiers and statesmen of the late 18th century. The royal chatter could not prevent other European power from entering the Eastern markets. The Bengal Nawabs asserted their power and autonomy after the death of Aurangzeb. Mir Jafer was made the Nawab of Bengal after the defeat of Siraj-ud-Daulah at Plassey. The company took over Awadh in the year1856. The principal figure in an Indian district was the Collector. The first Anglo-Maratha war ended with the treaty of Sabai.

 

Q3. State whether each of the following statements is true or false:

a.   The Maratha power was crushed in the third Anglo-Maratha war.

b.  Tipu Sultan disallowed local merchants from trading with the company.

c.   The company took away parts of territories from Punjab and Satara on the basis of ‘Subsidiary Alliance’

d.  The Mughal Emperor appointed the company as the Diwan of the provinces of Bengal in the year 1700

e.   Siraj-ud-Daulah get help from his commander Mir Jafar and finally won a victory in the battle of Plassey.

f.    Lord Dalhousie’s ‘Doctrine of Lapse’ proved to be a total failure.

Answer.

a.   The Maratha power was crushed in the third Anglo-Maratha war. (true)

b.  Tipu Sultan disallowed local merchants from trading with the company. (true)

c.   The company took away parts of territories from Punjab and Satara on the basis of ‘Subsidiary Alliance’. (false)

d.  The Mughal Emperor appointed the company as the Diwan of the provinces of Bengal in the year 1700. (true)

e.   Siraj-ud-Daulah get help from his commander Mir Jafar and finally won a victory in the battle of Plassey. (false)

f.    Lord Dalhousie’s ‘Doctrine of Lapse’ proved to be a total failure. (false)

 

Q4. Match the items given in column A correctly with those given in column B:

 

Trained soldiers on horseback	Diwani Adalat
Training in archery	Sawers
A heavy gun used by infantry soldiers	Seringapatam
Civil court	Teerandzi
Tipu sultan	Portuguese explorer
Vasco da Gama	Musket

 

Answer.

 

Trained soldiers on horseback	Sawers
Training in archery	Teerandaz
A heavy gun used by infantry soldiers	Musket
Civil court	Diwani Adalat
Tipu sultan	Seringapatam
Vasco da Gama	Portuguese explorer

 

 

Short Answers type questions:

 

i. Who was the ruler of England in 1600?

Answer. Queen Elizabeth

 

ii. What causes a huge loss of revenue in Bengal?

Answer. Aurangzeb’s Farman had granted the company only right to trade duty-free. But the officials of the company, who were carrying on private trade on the side, also stopped paying duty. This causes a huge loss of revenue for Bengal.

 

iii. Why did the company want a puppet ruler?

Answer. A puppet ruler would willingly give it trade concessions and other privileges.

 

iv. What was the main reason for the defeat of Siraj-ud-Daulah at Plassey?

Answer. Mir Jafar, one of his commanders, did not fight the battle.

 

v. Why did the battle of Plassey become famous?

Answer. It was the first major victory the company won in India.

 

vi. Whom did the company install in place of Mir Jafar?

Answer. Mir Qasim

vi. How did the company purchase Indian goods?

Answer. It purchased Indian goods with gold and silver imported from Britain.

 

vii. Who was called ‘Nabobs’?

Answer. Several company officials returned to Britain with wealth and led flashy lives and showed their riches with great pride. They were called ‘Nabobs’.

 

viii. Who were the residents?

Answer. The residents were the political and the commercial agents and their job was to serve and further the interest of the country.

 

ix. What purpose did the residents serve?

Answer. Through the residents, the company officials began interfering in the internal affairs of the Indian states.

 

x. Name the two rulers under whose leadership Mysore became powerful?

Answer. Haider Ali, and his son, Tipu Sultan

 

xi. Why did Tipu Sultan develop a close relationship with the French in India?

Answer. He did so in order to modernize his army with their help.

 

xii. What happened in the battle of Seringapatam?

Answer. Tipu Sultan was killed defending his capital Seringapatam.

 

xiii. What was the result of the second Anglo-Maratha war?

Answer. The British gained Orissa and the territories north of the Yamuna River including Agra and Delhi.

 

xiv. What was the objective behind the company’s new policy of paramountcy?

Answer. The company claimed that its authority was paramount or supreme and therefore its power was greater than that of Indian states.

 

xv. What was the result of the Rani Channamma’s anti-British resistance movement?

Answer. She was put in prison where she died.

 

xvi. What was Lord Dalhousie’s ‘doctrine of lapse’?

Answer. If an Indian ruler died without a male heir his kingdom would become the part of the company’s territory.

 

xvii. Name the kingdoms, which were annexed on the basis of the ‘doctrine of lapse’?

Answer. Satara, Sambalpur, Udaipur, Nagpur, and Jhansi

 

xviii. What constituted the Mughal army?

Answer. Cavalry and infantry, that is, paidal (foot) soldiers

 

xiv. Why was Warren Hastings, the first Governor-General of India, tried after he returned to England?

Answer. He was tried for the misgovernance of Bengal.

 

xv. What was the result of this trial?

Answer. Warren Hastings was impeached.

 

Short Answer type questions:

 

Q1. Give an account of different European trading companies besides the British East India Company that entered the Eastern markets.
Answer.
Different European trading companies were:

The Portuguese: By the time the first English ships sailed down the West coast of Africa, round the Cape of Good Hope, and crossed the Indian Ocean, the Portuguese had already established their presence on the western coast of India and had their base in Goa.

The Dutch: By the early 17th century, the Dutch too were exploring the possibilities of trade in the Indian Ocean.

The French: The French traders soon arrived on the scene for the same purpose.

 

Q2. What were the grievances of the Company regarding the Nawabs of Bengal?
Answer.
The Company declared that the unjust demands of the local officials were ruining the trade of the Company. Trade could flourish only if the duties were removed. It was also convinced that to expand trade it had to enlarge its settlements, buy up villages and rebuild its forts.

Q3. Write a note on Tipu Sultan – The ‘Tiger of Mysore’.
Answer.
Tipu Sultan was the famous ruler of Mysore. He ruled Mysore from 1782 to 1799. Under his leadership, Mysore became very powerful. It controlled the profitable trade of the Malabar coast where the Company purchased pepper and cardamom. In 1785 Tipu Sultan stopped the export of these items through the ports of his kingdom and disallowed local merchants from trading with the Company. He also developed a relationship with the French in India to modernize his army with their help. The British got furious. They waged four battles against Tipu Sultan. The last battle proved unfortunate for him. He was killed defending his capital Seringapatam. The way he resisted the British is undoubtedly praiseworthy.

Q4. Give a brief description of all the three Anglo-Maratha Wars. Also, write the main consequences.
Answer. The Company waged a series of wars against the Marathas in order to crush Maratha power:

In the first war, there was no clear victor, hence it ended in 1782 with the Treaty of Sabai.

The second Anglo – Maratha War began in 1803 and ended in 1805. This war was fought on different fronts resulting in the British gaining Orissa and the territories north of the Yamuna river including Agra and Delhi.

The Third Anglo – Maratha War of 1817-1819 crushed Maratha's power. The Peshwa was removed. The Company now had complete control over the territories south of the Vindhyas.

Q5. What administrative reformations were brought in the sphere of justice?
Answer: Before the reformations were brought, there were Maulvis and Hindu pandits interpreted Indian laws for the European district collectors who presided over civil courts. The criminal courts were still under a qazi and a mufti. The Brahman pandits usually gave different interpretations of local laws. But there was no uniformity in them. To bring out uniformity, in 1775 eleven pandits were asked to compile a digest of Hindu laws. N.B. Halhed translated this digest into English. By 1778 a code of Muslim laws was also compiled for the benefit of European judges, under the Regulating Act of 1773, a new Supreme Court was established, while a court of appeal – the Sadar Nizamal Adalat – was also set up at Calcutta.

 

Long Answer type questions:

 

Q1. Give an account of the Battle of Plassey.
Answer. The Company was very keen to have a puppet ruler in place of Siraj-ud-Daulah so that it might enjoy trade concessions and other privileges. It began to help one of Siraj-ud-Daulah’s rivals become the Nawab. This infuriated Siraj-ud-Daulah. He sternly asked the Company to stop meddling in the political affairs of his dominion. After negotiations failed, the Nawab marched with his soldiers to the English factory at Kasimbazar, captured the Company officials, disarmed all Englishmen, and blocked English ships. Then he marched to Calcutta to establish control over the Company’s fort there. As soon as the Company officials in Madras heard the news of the fall of Calcutta, they sent forces under the command of Robert Clive, reinforced by naval fleets. Prolonged negotiations with the Nawab followed. But no concrete solution came out. Finally, in 1759, Robert Clive led the Company’s army against Sirajuddaulah at Plassey.

In this battle, Sirajuddaulah got defeated. The main reason was that one of his commanders, Mir Jafar, did not fight the battle. He, in fact, supported the Company by not fighting because the Company had promised to make him Nawab after defeating Sirajuddaulah. The victory of the Company in the Battle of Plassey gave it immense confidence. It was the first major victory of the Company in India.

Q2. Who introduced the policy of ‘paramountcy’? What did it mean? What sort of resistance did the Company face?
Answer.
Lord Hastings, who was the Governor-General of India from 1813 to 1823, introduced a new policy of ‘paramountcy’. Now the Company claimed that its authority was paramount or supreme, hence its power was greater than that of Indian states. In order to protect its interests, it was justified in annexing or threatening to annex any Indian kingdom.
However, this process did not go unchallenged. For example, when the British tried to annex, the small state of Kitoor (in Karnataka today), Rani Channamma took to arms and led an anti-British resistance movement. She was arrested in 1823 and died in prison in 1829. But this resistance movement did not stop. It was carried on by Rajana, a poor chowkidar of Sangoli in Kitoor. With popular support, he destroyed many British camps and records. He was also caught and hanged by the British in 1830.

Q3. How did the East India Company begin to trade in Bengal?
Answer. The East India Company set up the first English factory on the banks of the river Hugh in the year 1651. This became the base from which the Company’s traders, known at that time as ‘factors’, operated. The factory had a warehouse where goods for export were stored and it had offices where Company officials set. As trade expanded, the Company persuaded merchants and traders to come and settle near the factory.

By 1696 the Company began to build a fort around the settlement. Two years later it bribed Mughal officials into giving the Company zamindari rights over three villages. One of these was Kalikata which later developed into a city, known as Calcutta. The Company also persuaded the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb to issue a Farman granting the Company the right to trade duty-free. The Company tried continuously to press for more concessions and manipulate existing privileges. For instance, Aurangzeb’s Farman had granted only the Company the right to trade duty-free. But Company officials who were carrying on private trade on the side were expected to pay duty. But they refused to pay. This caused a huge loss of revenue for Bengal.

 

 

 

Map skills:

 

Q1. On outline maps of India show expansion of British territorial power in India.

Answer. Fig. 1(a), (b), (c), show the expansion of British territorial power in India.

 

 

Picture-Based Questions

 

Observe the following pictures taken from NCERT textbooks subsequently and Answer the questions that follow:

 

Picture 1

Questions.
(i) Identify the person above.
(ii) When was he appointed the Governor of Bengal?
(iii) Which battle did he fight in ‘1757 and against whom?

Answer.
(i) He is Robert Clive.
(ii) He was appointed the Governor of Bengal in 1764.
(iii) In 1757, he fought the Battle of Plassey against Sirajuddaulah.

Picture 2

Questions.
(i) What is it?
(ii) Where is it kept?
(iii) When did the British take it way?

Answer.
(i) It is a toy tiger of Tipu.
(ii) It is kept in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
(iii) The British took it away when Tipu Sultan died defending his capital Seringapatam on 4 May 1799.

Special Thanks, and Credits to Teacher Rimpy Sharma for Providing Solutions to this Chapter of History 8th.