THE RISE OF THE ENGLISH EAST INDIA COMPANY

Very short Questions:

1. Why did the Europeans try to find out an
alternative sea route to India?
=Because it became necessary for the Europeans to a
direct sea route to the East because of the increase in
demands of cotton ,silk and spices.
2. Make a list of Indian goods which were in
demand in Europe?
= Indian spices, Silk, textile,Indigo and salt –petre( for
making gun powder were very much in demand in
Europe.
3.Who discovered the sea route to India ?
=Vasco –da- Gama
4.When was English East India Company formed?
= In 1600 with a charter from Queen Elizabeth I.
5.Where did the Dutch establish their settlements
and Factories?
= Masulipatnam,Patna,Dhaka (in Bengal) Fort
St.George (in Madras) Bombay and Sutanati,Kalikata
and Govindpur.
6.Who was the last powerful Mughal empire?
= The last powerful Mughal empire was Aurangzeb.
7.When was Battle of Plassey fought?
=It was fought on 23 June,1757.
8.Who was Mir Jafar?
= Mir Jafar was the Nawab of Bengal.
9.In which year Battle of Buxar fought?
= It was fought in 1764.
10.Who was called Tiger of Mysore?
= Tipu Sultan
11. Who was the first Indian to pass the civil
services examination?
=The first Indian to pass the civil services Examination
was Satyendra Nath Tagore brother of Rabindranath
Tagore.
12.Who were the first to establish political power in
India along the coast?
= The Portuguese
13.Who introduced “Doctrine of Lapse”?
=Lord Dalhousie introduced Doctrine of Lapse.
13.What were the two methods adopted by the
British to establish their supremacy?
=The British adopted :
1. Carnatic Wars and Conquests
2. Subsidiary Alliance and Doctrine of Lapse
14. Who devised the “Subsidiary Alliance”system?
=The subsidiary Alliance was devised by Governor –
General Lord Wellesley.
 15. What led to rivalry among European power in
India?
=The Trade led to rivalry among Europeans power in
India.
Short Answers:
1.Why did the British clash with Siraj-ud-Daulah
,the Nawab of Bengal?
=The clash between the British and the Nawab of
Bengal –Siraj –ud- Daulah began when Nawab ,furious
at the British for their gross misuse of power,attacked
the English factory atKasim Bazar which captured the
company officials and blocked the English ships.
2.How was the Battle of Plassey a turning point in
the Indian History?
=The Battle of Plassey was a turning point in Indian
history and of immense historical importance as it
paved the way for the British dominance over Bengal
and eventually the whole of India.
1. State the reasons for the success of the British in
India?
= 1.The East India company got free trading rights in
Bengal
2. The British got the Zamindari of 24 Parganas
3. They utilized the resources of Bengal to maintain a
large and well equipped army.
4. They British also started draining the wealth from
Bengal.
 4. What do you understand by the system of
Subsidiary Allaince?
= The subsidiary Allaince was devised by Governor –
General lord Wellesley.It was a very clever method
developed by the British to expand British territory
indirectly.Under this system,the British promised to
protect the Indian states by stationing their army in the
rulers territory.In return the indian states had to make
payment for their unkeep,if Indians failed to make
payment ,the part of their territory was taken away as
penalty.
2. Expalin the term “Rule of Law” introduced by the
British.
= The British introduced the modern concept of the
Rule of law.This meant that their administration was
carried out according to the laws which defined the
rights and duties of the people and not according to
the whims and fancies of the British authorities.
Long Answer Questions:
1. Who were defeated in the Battle of Buxar?
What were the consequences of the battle?
=The joint armies of Mir Qasim were defeated by the
British.
Consequences are:
a. The battle resulted in the 1765 Treaty of
Allahabad,in which the Mughal Emperor
surrendered sovereignty of Bengal to the British.
b. Lord Robert clive ,became the first governor of
Bengal.
c. After the Battle of Buxar the company appointed
residents in Indian States.
d. Through the residents the company officials began
interfering in the internal affairs of the INsdian
states.
e. Mir Jafar was reinstalled.The Nawab had to pay
500,000 every month but the company wanted
more money to finance its wars and demand of
tade and its other expenses.
2.Expalin the “Doctrine of Lapse” Which states
were annexed on its basis?
=Under Lord Dalhousie who was the Governor
General from 1848 to 1856 a new scheme for indirect
annexation was devised .This policy was known as
Doctrine of Lapse.
According to the doctrine if an Indian ruler died
without a male heir his kingdom would lapse and it
would be taken over by the East India Company with
immediate effect.
The states were annexed on its basis were Satara
,Sambalpur,Uaipur,Nagpur,Jhansi .
3.Briefly discuss the role of the police in the
British administration in india?
=The third pillar of the British rule was the
police,formed by Lord Cornwallis.He introduced a
system in which a district was divided into a number
of thanas each under a daroga whose responsibility
was to maintain peace and order in his area.The
District Superintendent of Police was the head of the
police organisation in a district.In the Police service
Indians were excluded from superior posts.
4.What was the main motive of the British rule in
India?How did they succeed in their objective?
Refer the text.
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