West Bengal Class 8 English Medium History Solution Chapter 2 Rise of Regional Powers
In this Page we have given West Bengal Class 8 English Medium History Solution Chapter 2 Rise of Regional Powers Question and Answer for our Students of West bengal Class 8 English Medium. Hope this following Question Answer will help our Students.
1.) Match the column A and B:
Answer:
Ayodhya – Sadat Khan
1764 – BattleofBuxar
Doctrineof Lapse – Lord Dalhousie
Lahore treaty – 1stAnglo Sikhwar
Tipu Sultan – Mysore
2.) Fill in the blanks with the correct alternative:
a) During Aurangzeb’srule, Murshid Quli Khan was the__ of Bengal (Diwan/ Faujdar/Nawab)
Answer: Nawab
b) Ahmed Shah Abdali was __ (Maratha/Afghan/ Parsi)
Answer: Afghan
c) The Alinagar Treaty was concluded between __ (MirJafarand the Englishcompany/ Sirajand British Company/MirQasim andBritish Company)
Answer: Siraj and British Company
d) The Diwani rights of Bengal,Biharand Orissa weregiven tothe EnglishCompany by __ (Emperor ShahAlam II/EmperorFaruksiyar/Emperor Aurangzeb.)
Answer: Emperor ShahAlam II
e) The Subsidiary Alliance waswillinglyacceptedby__ (Tipu Sultan / SadatKhan/the Nizam)
Answer: the Nizam
3.) Answer briefly: (30-40 words)
a) What was the importance of Farukh Siyar’s farman?
Ans: 1717, the Mughal emperor Faruksiyar issued an order or a farman. The farman granted certain trading rights to the English East India Company.The English Company could trade in Bengal for an annual payment of three thousand rupees. The Company needed to pay no further taxes.
b) When, how and by whom was Hyderabad established asaregionalpower?
Ans: Emperor Faruksiyar and Muhammad Shah took over the title of Nizam – ul – Mulk and Asaf jah together, respectively, they established the kingdom of Hyderabad in 1724.
c) What is known as the ‘Plassey Plunder?’
Ans: The East India Company’s senior officials, including Clive had acquiredahuge amountofpersonal wealth from Mir Jafar. The Company extracted wealth to the tune of 3 crores fromJafar afterthe Battle of Plassey. This is known as the Plassey Plunder.
Also See: Important Paragraph Writing
d) What is ‘dual government?’
Ans: The Diwani rights vastly increased the political and economic power of the Company. The Company had spent alot ofmoney fightingMirQasim. The British then brought about anew system of rule. Two rulers existed in Bengal.On onehand,the Nawab, Najm ud-daulah enjoyed political power and looked after law and administration.On the other hand, the British had economic power and the right to revenue collection.Therefore,theNawabcouldwield politicalpower minus economic power.Thissystem inBengal was known asthe dual government.
e) What was the work of British Residents?
Ans: The work of British residents was to protect the company’s commercial interests in various courts, they kept a watch over the Indian kingdoms on behalf of the company, provoked the company to capture Indian regions.
4) Write in your own words (120- 160 words):
a) Do you think it was the incompetence of the Mughals which led to the rise of regional powers? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans: Yes, it was the incompetence of the Mughals which led to the riseofregional powers.
The Mughal were unable to sustain their empire after the death of Auerangzeb. This decline is often attributed to the weakness of a particular ruler.However, the decline of an entire empire and a ruling system cannot depend on the personal failure of a single individual.
Aurangzeb’s successors failed to prevent the decline. The Mughal military system even weakened. The eighteenth century emperors did not follow certain reforms. Thr Mughals were disturbed by the Marathas and Shivaji, Persian invader Nadir Shah and the Afghan invader Ahmed Shah Abdali, and the city of Delhi was destroyed completely.
The Jagirdari and Mansabdari crisis had weakened Mughal economy, which negatively affected the economy of the Mughals. The Mughal nobility was divided among themselves to secure a profitable jagir. Instead, of rendering proper governance to the people, the emperor and the nobility were engrossed with personal gains and losses. The discrepancy between income and expenditure of the empire, put pressure on the peasants, and later the peasants revolted. In the eighteenth century the authority of the emperors was not feared anymore.
And this is how, the incompetence of the Mughals led to the riseo fregional powers.
b) Between Plassey and Buxar which battle do you think was more important for British expansion? Give reasons foryour answer.
Ans: Battle of Buxar was more important for the British expansion.
Mir Qasim’sconflict with the British began in 1763.Defeated by the British at Katwa, Murshidabad, Giria, Udaynalaand Mwighyr Mir Qasim fled to Awadh.The Company of the British again chose MirJafaras Nawab. Mir Qasim had formed an anti-british alliance with Suja-ud duallah Nawab of Awadh andthe Mughal emperor ShahAlam II.
The allied army fought with the British in 1764.ThiswastheBattleof Buxar. The Company’s army won the battle. The Mughal emperor entered intoadeal with the British. Siraj- ud – daullah and Mir Qasim escaped. The expansion ofthe Company’s power which had begun with Plassey,reached its climax at Buxar. The Company firmly established itspolitical andeconomiccontrol over Bengal. With the defeat of Ayodhya’s ruler,the Company couldexpand its power allover North India. With the defeat of the Mughal emperor, Mughal sovereign authority, faced a crisis.In 1765,Emperor ShahAlam llgavethe Company Diwani rights of Bengal, BiharandOrissa.
This is how the British got a firm control and was more effective than Battle of Plassey.
c) What role did the private trade of Company officials play in the conflict between Mir Qasim and the Company? What effect did dual government have on Bengal?
Ans: Mir Qasim’sconflict with the British began in 1763.Defeated by the British at Katwa, Murshidabad, Giria, Udaynalaand Mwighyr MirQasim fled toAwadh.The Company of the British again chose MirJafaras Nawab. Mir Qasim had formed an anti-british alliance with Suja-ud duallah Nawab of Awadh andthe Mughal emperor ShahAlam II.
The allied army fought with the British in 1764.ThiswastheBattleof Buxar. TheCompany’s army won the battle. The Mughal emperor entered intoadeal with the British. Siraj- ud – daullah and Mir Qasim escaped. The expansion ofthe Company’s power which had begun with Plassey,reached itsclimax at Buxar. The Company firmly established itspolitical andeconomiccontrol overBengal. With thedefeatofAyodhya’s ruler,the Company couldexpand its power all over North India. With the defeat of the Mughal emperor, Mughal sovereign authority, faced a crisis.In 1765,Emperor ShahAlam llgavethe Company Diwani rights of Bengal, BiharandOrissa.
The most important outcome of the battle of Buxar was the acquisition by the British of the Diwani rights. Lord Clive returned to Bengal in the middle of 1765. Mir Jafar had died, his son Najm ud-daulah was the new Nawab of Bengal. Clive was interested inincreasing the advantages gained from Buxar war. Instead of directly occupying North India from Bengal to Delhi, the British showed formal loyalty to the Mughal emperor.Accordingly,ShahAlam II and Sujaud-daullah signed treaties with the British at Allahabad in 1765. The treaties provided for Suja ud-daullah’s recovery of the throne of Awadh uponapayment of 50 lakh rupees.Allahabad and Kara region were detached and given to the Mughal emperor.The Diwani rights vastly increasedthe political and economic power of the Company. The Company had spent alot ofmoney fightingMirQasim. The British then brought about anew system of rule. Two rulers existed in Bengal.On onehand,the Nawab, Najm ud-daulah enjoyed political power and looked after law and administration.On the other hand, the British had economic power and the right to revenue collection.Therefore,theNawabcouldwield politicalpower minus economic power.Thissystem inBengal was known asthe dual government.
d) How would you analysethechange in policy from Subsidiary Alliance to the Doctrine of Lapse inthecontext ofthe expansion of the Company’s power in India?
Ans: The English took over most of the Indian kingdoms by the medium of Subsidiary Alliance signed between the Indian princely state and the British Company. The subsidiary alliance was framed by Lord Wellesley during the time when he was the governor general of India from 1798-1805. The subsidiary alliance proved to play one of the most important roles in the expansion of the British empire.
In the 18th century, Mysore had grown to be the most important power in the Deccan. Under Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan, Mysore’s army was set up in the European model. The expansion of Mysore led to Haidar and Tipu’s conflict with other powers. The British got involved in the conflict. To protect their commercial interests, the British declared war on Mysore.The four wars that took place between 1767 and 1799 are known as Anglo-Mysore wars. In 1799, Lord Wellesley dealt a fatal blow to Mysore. Tipu Sultan died defending hiscapital Sriranga pattam . All of Mysore’s powers were taken away through the Subsidiary Alliance. The Company established direct control over some regions ofMysore. The Company’sarmywas stationed atMysore. Some portions of Hyderabad were given to Mysore.Innorth India,Awadh and Punjab faced British aggression. A Company representation was appointed in Awadh at 1773.Apermanent army of the Company was station Awadh. At this time, a conflict occurred over the succession to Awadh’s throne. Company interefered in Awadh’s administration and annexed various regions.
English were still to undergo a trial of strength with the Sikhs of North India. The too, were having succession problems. Business in North India got affected Seeause of political problems. The British gave the excuse of ‘unrest’and started terfering in Punjab. The Sikhs lost the First Anglo Sikh war in 1845. The British led control over the Jalandhar Doab by the Treaty of Lahore (1846). A British Resident was appointed to the Sikh court.Thepolicy of Doctrine of Lapse was set up by Lord Dalhousie, which helped the British establish their supremacy. Under him (1848-56), the aggressive role of the British became evident. Those Indian rulers who had no male heirs, lost their kingdom to the British. In that way Dalhousie occupied Satara, Sambalpur, Jhansi and other regions. Dalhousie snatched the Berar province of Hyderabad to provide for Company expenses. He alleged misrule and annexed the rest of Awadh. The British gained Punjab after the Anglo-Sikh war. Thus under Lord Dalhousie’s leadership, the Company established its rule over more than sixty percent of the Indian subcontinent by 1857.
e) What wastherelationshipbetween Bengal and the Mughal administration rule of Murshid Quli Khan andAlivardi Khan?
Ans: Farikhsiyar’s farman opened to the British the possibility of unlimited trade. Murshid Ali Khan had remained within the field of the Mughal empire. He couldn’t defy the farman issued by the emperor. But Murshid Quli Khan was unhappy with the fact that the British was enjoying the farman. He wanted to limit the company’s power in Bengal. He declared that the items being imported and exported by the sea would fall under the purview of custom duty. He didn’t even allow the British to allow the Royal Mint of Bengal. Like Murshid Quli, Alvardi Khan too had positive attitude towards the European traders. He felt thiswoufclh.em13eng economy. But Alivardi took care to see that the foreign companies did not increase their military strength. He kept vigil so that the foreign traders did not challenge sovereignty. On the other hand, the Nawab took care that the British traders, who were helping Bengal’s economic growth could carry on their activitieswithout any form of harassment. He had no intention of driving the British away from Bengal. Alivardi also kept strict watch that the foreign traders did not get into quarrel amongst themselves.
5) Imagine and write (in 200 words):
a) Supposeyouarea commonmanduring Alivardi Khan’s rule, who faced ‘Bargi.’Write aconversation between you andyour neighbour regarding the ‘bargi’ attack.
Ans:
Me: I don’t know how to get relief from the Marathas.
Suber: Let’s just pray to god that they don’t cross the Subarnarekha river.
Me: I don’t think they will cross it. The Nawab clearly mentioned that in the treaty.
Suber: Last night I heard they attacked and looted your family in Orissa. Is that right?
Me: Yes. You heard it right. They took away all the gold and crops collected by my father. I don’t know how to get rid of them.
Suber: They even attacked my aunt’s place at Murshidabad.
Me: Really? They even started looting in Murshidabad?
Suber: Yes. Thank God, they are told not to cross the Subarnarekha river. Otherwise, we would be damned.
Me: My aunt left the western part of Bengal and travelled to North Bengal.
Suber: I wished if my aunt joined you.
Me: The British actually provided shelter to my aunt and many others. The found themselves as an alternative. A ditch was actually dug by the British to prevent the attack of the Marathas.
b) Suppose you are an English company official.What experience would you have roaming across Bengal during the famine of ‘76. What advice can you give to Company about helping thepeopleduringthefamine?
Ans: The beginning of 770saw the burning ofthecremationfires allaround. Famine coupled with epidemic engulfed towns and villages.. We should take care of the matter, find out what exactly caused by us led to the famine and take preventive measures to keep it under control.
Hundreds of people died intheterrible summer of 1770. Thepeasants sold their cattle, agricultural tools changed hands, the famine dried up and burntthe seeds. Peasants have started to sell their sons and daughters. The situation is totally out of control and if we don’t fix it today, we might be the next victim as food shortage is increasing day-by-day. The revenue collection must be relaxed, as one-third of the peasants have lost their lives and cultivation has severely dwindled. And revenue has been collected in all these situations. Among all the factors that caused the ruin, this is the foremost.