and consequences of the decline of the Mughal Empire

Ch:2

Section 1 (1600-1900 and Languages)

Decline of the Mughal Rule
Reasons:
A. The nature of the empire:
• Weak administration: Huge empire; no effective means of communication b/w
the center (Delhi) & far off territories; news of rebellions reached the emperor
very late; gradually failing Mansabdari system, especially by the time of
Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb's policies: religious intolerance, e.g., demolition of Hindu
temples, reimposition of Jiziya, ban on art, painting, music; his Deccan
campaigns; 25 years against the Marathas & on his return exhaustion of straight
treasury.
• Heavy military costs to suppress revolts; diverse regional & cultural groups, often
against the Mughal rule; also, foreign invaders, e.g., Afghans, Persians (Ahmed
Shah & Nadir Shah) & then the Europeans.

Failures in Delhi:
• Grouping of courtiers; palace conspiracies, usually due to the succession wars; no
written law of succession; fight among princes on death of emperor, & division of
courtiers (ministers) in support of different princes; e.g., four sons of Shah Jehan
fought over power even when he was alive; Aurangzeb divided empire between
three sons but still succession disputes.

B. Complacence due to success

• Military inefficiency: No advancement in military skills & weapons due to a false
sense of being inconvincible/indomitable; no organized navy; corruption affected
military officers, as it did the rulers; this emboldened the rebel groups Sikhs in the
north and Marathas in the south grew stronger with time.
 • Pleasure seeking/weak later Mughals: rulers & noble's fell into luxurious life style;
finest garments, expensive jewelry, lavish spending, all as a result of fabulous
wealth accumulated by the early Mughals; all successors of Aurangzeb proved
corrupt & inefficient; heavy spending on monumental buildings (e.g., the Taj,
Agra), but no scientific research, exploitation of resources and public welfare
schemes.
• Weak control: highly powerful court nobles and ministers; difficult for weak rule
to control them; neglect of the Mansabdari system led to administrative
inefficiency; state revenue began to decline.

C. The Arrival of the British:

The British EIC already looking for an opportunity to replace Mughals; benefits of the
Industrial Revolution, large scale manufacture of cheap goods brought huge wealth;
all this resulted in acquiring enough military strength; British were able not only to
accelerate the process of decline b o take control of India
Summary of the Decline of the Mughals

 Vastness of the empire

 Wars of succession
 Weak and corrupt later Mughals
 Military inefficiency; no strong Navy
 Internal revolts & foreign invasions
 Aurangzeb’s policies: religious intolerance, e.g., demolition of Hindu
temples, re-imposition of Jiziya, ban on art, painting, music; his
Deccan campaigns; 25 years against the Marathas & on his return
exhaustion of straight treasury.
 Arrival of British with stronger weapons & better skills
 Failure to advance in science and technology
Reasons for Europeans being attracted to India

 Splendor and wealth of Indian Rulers, especially, the Mughals; wealth

needed for various industries in Europe in the wake of the Industrial
Revolutions; metalwork of India & gold & diamond were in great
demand in Europe.
 Discovery of sea routes to India helped trade flourish b/w Europe &
India: trade of spices, cotton, cloth, opium, gold etc.; highly
profitable trade, for both Indians & Europeans, in the beginning.
 Mughal rulers and Indian traders welcomed the Europeans, 16th
century onwards.
 British first tried spice trade in the East Indies (Indonesia), but the
Dutch were already established there; the British EIC turned towards
India, decided to oust the Dutch, Portuguese & French in order to
enjoy monopoly.
Reasons for the British replacing the Mughals / Conquering Indians:

A mix of weaknesses of Indian & strengths of the British:

1) Indian Weaknesses:

 Highly divided Indians

  Diverse ethnic groups; tribes, states; religious, linguistic & regional
divisions.
 No common identity or uniting force; often fought with each other,
many seeking British help against rivals.
 Rich, luxury – loving rulers, least interested in protecting their
homeland.
2) British strengths:

 Militarily & technologically superior to Indians, due to the Industrial

Revolution, 16th century onwards; superior weapons & fighting skills;
disciplined army & better means of communication.
 Brought benefits to Indian, e.g., network of roads & railways,
irrigation of 20 million acres of land; built educational & health
institutes, King Edward Medical college, Lahore; universities in
Lahore, Calcutta, Bombay.
 Rich sense of superiority of, not only weapons, but also, culture;
strong belief of progress & victory, together with a strong sense of
patriotism.
 Successful use of their strategy of “divide & rule”, & by threatening,
outsmarting, bribing Indian rulers & princes.

Q: Who were the Mughals?

(4)

Or

Describe the Mughal Rule.

Ans. The Mughal Rule was founded by Babur in 1526. Six great rulers, from
Babur to Aurangzeb, expanded and consolidated their rule from 1526 to
1707. During his period, they excelled in literature, music, painting and
architecture, building several monuments like Taj in Agra. After the death
of Aurangzebin1707, there were corrupt and in efficient rulers who failed
to run the affairs of a huge empire. The process of decline continued till the
British overthrew them after the 1857 War of Independence. The last
Mughal Ruler, Bahdur Shah Zafar, was exile to Rangoon and imprisoned.
The British thus replaced the Mughals to make India their colony.

Q: Describe what the Marathas did?

(4)

Ans. Marathas were a ferocious and militant Hindu community living in the
Deccan, south India.

They excelled in guerrilla warfare and offered stiff resistance to the

Mughals. They were especially organized under their dynamic leader Shivaji
who laid the foundation of Maratha Empire in the 1670s. Aurangzeb fought
against them for about 25 years but failed to crush them. So they became a
reason of the decline of the Mughals. They defeated a huge Mughal army
outside Delhi in 1737 and later occupied it in 1760. They were defeated by
the Afghan army of Ahmad Shah Abdali in 1761, in the third battle of
Panipat.

Q: What were Aurangzeb’s religious policies? (4)

Ans. Aurangzeb was an orthodox Mughal ruler. During his reign, 1658-1707,
he earned hostility and opposition by his non-Muslim subjects. He re-
introduced the Jiziya, a tax levied on non-Muslims that had earlier been
demolished by Akbar. He also destroyed some Hindu temples and tried to
ban the old Hindu custom of Suttee, burning a widow alive on the
cremation ceremony of her husband. He also showed strictness in enforcing
Islamic law and tried to fix the length of beard Muslim men were required
to keep. Thus, he became a controversial figure for the historians. Many
tried to defend him while others blamed him for religious intolerance.

Q: Explain why the Mughal Empire declined following the death of

Aurangzeb.[7]
Ans: Aurangzeb's successors were inefficient. They Proved to be
lazy, corrupt and luxury loving and left the state affairs to their
courtiers and ministers who were usually selfish. These weak
successors became victim to an extravagant lifestyle as a result of
which they failed to run and defend the huge empire effectively. State
resources were spent on personal comfort and so, the empire suffered
from financial inefficiencies.

There was no law of succession due to which the princes often fought for
the throne on the death of the emperor. These wars of succession led to a
division of the army with various lobbies supporting various princes.
Succession was usually decided by the ability of the individual princes and
strength they could get from the countries and the army. This infighting
incurred huge loss to the state exchequer that should have been spent on
the public welfare schemes and consolidating the empire.Invasions by the
Persians of, Afghans and Europeans further accelerated the process of
decline. Nadir Shah Durrani sacked many cities in1739, and Ahmed Shah
Abdali repeatedly attacked India 1748 onwards. Gradually, fighting wars
became expensive and the military was stretched and suffered from
inefficiency and skills. It became hard to defend a vast empire with an
orthodox and outdated weapon and fighting tactics. The British fully
exploited these weaknesses of a very rich Mughal Empire that they overran
with their advance weapons, warfare and clever strategies.

Q: The Spread of Marathan power was the main reason for the decline of
the Mughal Empire do you agree or disagree? Give Reasons for your
answer. (14)

Ans: Marathas were the militant Hindu community constrained mainly in

the southern Indian state of Maharashtra. The Maratha Empire was
founded by the ferocious Marathan commander Shivaji in the 1670s. They
gradually organized themselves and began to offers stiff Resistance to the
Mughals. They defeated the Mughal Army in 1737 outside Delhi and had
captured the strategic town of Malwa in 1738.During the first 6 decades of
18th century, they were the most powerful and established community in
India that was ready to fill in the power vacuum created by the declining
Mughal rule. Successive Mughal rulers found it almost impossible to check
the rapidly growing Marathan power. Aurangzeb spent about 25 Years in
Deccan desperately try to eliminate the Marathas. On his Return he found
the state treasury almost empty and his edit to his difficulties.

However, the Mighty Mughal rule did not decline due to the Maratha factor
alone historians also blame the prejudiced and intolerant policy of
Aurangzeb who adopted strict measures against the non-Muslims. The
imposed the discriminatory Islamic tax Jizya on the non-Muslims that had
earlier been abolished by Akbar, though he try to defend himself by waiving
some other taxes. He also demolished the number of Hindu temple and
adopted a harsh attitude toward the Sikhs. Being a staunch Sunni Ruler, he
banned many activities such as painting music drinking gambling and dance
that had been part of Indian culture and society .He also tried to ban the
Hindu custom of Suttee, Burning widow alive on the cremation of her
husband .In order to meet huge expenses of military, he imposed heavy
taxes, and the money collected by taxes was spent on luxurious buildings, a
tradition of the Mughal rulers. All this made Aurangzeb very unpopular, and
his successors found it quite difficult to rule the empire. Weak successors of
Aurangzeb fell victim to extravagant and luxurious lifestyles and paid little
attention to the defense and consolidation of the empire. They became
morally corrupt and comfort-loving, and could not overcome the difficulties
faced by various parts of the huge empire. This complacence is the usual
result of continued successes of major empires, and the Mughals were no
exception to this. Negligence of the weak later Mughals to the state affairs
also contributed to the fall of the Mughal Empire.

The Mughal did not have a definite law of succession. On the death of an
emperor the princes got engaged in conspiracies, intrigues and making loyal
groups that always led to regicidal wars of succession. Success of a
candidate often depended on the support he could get from the military
and ministers. Thus, State resources were wasted on mutual fights instead
of public welfare and defense of the empire. Finally, the last nail in the
coffin of the Mughal rules was perhaps driven by the British who began to
dominate the political horizon of India, 1750 onwards. The totting Mughal
Empire was no match to the British supremacy in warfare. The British very
skillfully established themselves in India and eventually replace the
Mughals by annexing all important states between 1757 and 1856. They
started their victorious journey from north-eastern India, and moving
southwards, they turned to the north western territories of Sindh, Punjab
and Kashmir. They also successfully applied their famous strategy of divide
and rule to occupy the Indian subcontinent.

To conclude, we can say that the power of the Marathas was the decisive
factor in the decline of the Mughals because, if the Mughals had won their
support, they might have jointly averted the process of decline, or at least
slowed it down. Instead, Mughals failed to make friends with them and
constantly earned their hostility.

Enter The British

Ch:2
Q: What was the East India Company? (4)
It was a trading company that was granted the charter of trading rights in
1600 by Queen Elizabeth I. Its first ship landed on the southern Indian town
of Surat, in 1608. It was granted permission to trade in India by the
emperor Jahangir in 1612. It began to earn huge profits, and moved its
headquarters to Bombay /Mumbai in 1664. Gradually, it began to acquire
military power during 18th century, and got its first victory in the battle of
plassey, Bengal, in 1775. It was abolished in 1858 and thus, direct British
rule over India started.

Q: Explain why the EIC became involved in the Indian subcontinent during
the 17th century? (7)

British were attracted to the Indian wealth and resources. with the
discovery of sea route to India, reports began to reach about Indian riches
and resources to England. Indian became known as the “golden sparrow”
because of its fabulous wealth and resources such as cotton, silk, jute,
indigo, jewelry and even the addictive drug opium. British needed these to
feed their factory industry as they were a fast industrializing nation.

British also began to think about expanding their influence and trade to the
far East and South East Asia. For this they needed a strategic port in a south
Asia (Indian subcontinent) as the Indian peninsula was surrounded by a
warm water where multiple ports could operate throughout the year. Such
ports (as founded by the British in a planned way) could greatly help British
expand their trade in multiple directions from India.

Also, British wanted other European colonial powers such as the Dutch,
Portuguese and French from India in order to enjoy monopoly of trade in
India. Dutch had driven British out of South East Asia and British had to turn
towards India. By gaining political control of India, they could dictate their
own trade laws and strengthen their position

British govt. replacing the EIC

 Various steps taken by the govt., aimed at restricting the EIC, 1770
onwards, after reports of mis governance and corruption in
Bengal
 1773, Regulating Act: the EIC now accountable before the British
Parliament, EIC to provide a detailed report of its activities to the
Parliament
 Governor of Bengal (Warren Hastings) was made governor
general, with the authority to ‘Superintend & Control’ the
governor of Bombay and Madras
 Supreme Court was set up in Calcutta.

1784, Pitt’s India Act;

 Direct control of the Indian possessions by Brit. Govt.
 More powers for the Governor General; he could now supersede
the administration of Bombay and Madras;3 presidencies under
his control; a post of the Commander-in-Chief of the armed
forces.
 EIC lost most of its powers, though it continued its trading
activities.
 Later, police force and civil services, too.
 By 19th century, powers of the EIC were further limited.
 1858, it was completely abolished.

Reasons:
 Reports of mis governance, financial embezzlement, corruption
(esp. in Bengal) about the EIC (officials).
 British government had to act in time to control this.
 India was a huge country; political affairs of such a large state
couldn’t be permanently given to a trading company; India had to
be a “Jewel in the crown’’ --- matter of prestige
  Threat of Russian attack through Afghanistan: Britishers had to
secure the north-Western Borders of India in order to check any
Russian advance by way of Afghanistan; a regular British army
was needed to be stationed along north west border.

Q Why were British able to expand their influence in India between 1750
and 1850 (7)

Ans: British expanded their influence in India quite skillfully between 1750
and 1850. They gained strength primarily due to the major victories like the
battle of Plassey (1757) and Buxar (1764) in northern India, and the Mysore
wars in southern India. These victories gave them huge and rich areas to
rule and to exploit local resources to strengthen their position.

While getting control of the conquered states the EIC began to enforce
British system of administration. This compromised the system of judiciary
and governors and the Governor General. This helped the EIC to run the
state affairs along the British lines. The EIC also introduced trade laws that
favored its imports and exports as well as local trade.

British also had superior military skills and more advanced weapons to
which Indian Army was no match. British were the most important and
beneficiary of the Industrial Revolution as they began to develop highly
advanced weapons. Indians were also a disunited nation and so could not
stop British.

Q Why did British government take control from the EIC? (7)

Ans: British government wanted to make India into colony. It knew that
political affairs of the Indian Sub-continent could no longer be run by a
trading company. In a way it was becoming a matter of prestige for the
British government. Therefore, by passing a series of acts, the powers of
the EIC were gradually restricted. Under the Regulating act of 1773 the EIC
was made accountable to parliament.

There were also reports of mismanagement and corruption by the EIC

officials in Bengal and other provinces .The company officials forced the
new appointed nawab of Bengal to give heavy bribe to them in the form of
groups .they were involved in financial embezzlement of the revenue of the
states they had annexed .this was damaging the repute of British
government .So, in 1813the EIC lost its monopoly. Other British companies
wanted to share in the profits of India.

British also wanted to deploy a regular army in the nonwestern border to

counter the Russian threat. Russia had been desperately looking for the
access to the warm water sea. By way of Afghanistan, it could invade India
to reach the ports of Indian ocean as Afghanistan have been several earlier
invaders as a springboard to attack India

therefore, in order to keep Russia from any such adventure the British
government had to take control from EIC.

Q) Who was Robert Clive? (4)

Ans. He was hired as a clerk by the east India company but soon he joined
the company army and earned fame as a brilliant commander. In 1751 he
gained his first victory by defeating the Nawab of Carnatic in the battle of
Arcot. In June 1757 his army defeated Nawab Siraj- ud- doula in the battle
of Plassey and became the governor of Bengal. His third victory was in the
battle of Pondicherry against the French in 1761 after returning to Britain
he faced trials on charges of mismanagement and corruption. Though he
was acquitted being an opium addict he committed suicide in 1774 at the
age of 49.
Q) What was the Black Hole Tragedy? [4]

Nawab Siraj- ud doula decided to punish the British after they had started
fortifying themselves at important post in Calcutta in violation of their
treaty with him. He marched on Calcutta and seized the company’s fort
Williams in June 1756 the 64 captured British residence were locked up in a
small room where 23 of them were found dead the following morning this
was used by Robert Clive as an excuse to wipe up anger against the nawab.
Clive’s army defeated and killed the nawab in the battle of Plassey in 1757.

Q) Describe the Battle of Plassey?[4]

In 1757 the French encouraged nawab Siraj- ud -doula of Bengal to attack

the EIC base at Calcutta the nawab captured the city but the Robert Clive
reached with his army of 3000 soldiers and bribed Mir Jafar one of Siraj’s
key commanders. Clive defeated the nawab’s army of 18000 in the battle
the nawabs dead body was found in a river after the battle. Mir Jafar was
made the nawab as a reward for turning against the nawab and supporting
the Robert Clive. This victory became the foundation of British rule in India
as Clive became the governor of Bengal.

Q Who was Tipu Sultan?[4]

Tipu was the Sultan of Mysore in southern India from 1782to 1799 and was
a formidable enemy of the British. The EIC had to launch a strong
propaganda campaign to malign his conduct by declaring him the monster
of Mysore. He was helped by the French and defeated the British in the
second Anglo Mysore war and forced the British to accept the treaty of
Mangalore in 1784 the EIC defeated him in the 3rd Anglo Mysore war in
1789 and a humiliating treaty of Seringapatam. He desperately sought help
from France, Turkey and Afghanistan but of no use lord Wellesley’s army
defeated and killed him with the help of Maratha’s and the nizam of
Hyderabad in the 4th Anglo Mysore war in 1799 in his fort of Seringapatam.
Q : Describe the annexation of Sindh. (4)

Ans: In 1841 all British troops were killed in a rebellion in Afghanistan

causing a serious damage to the British prestige. In order to undo the
damage, they decided to annex Sindh. The Amir’s of Sindh had been
friendly to British, since 1809 under the Treaty of friendship. They were
provoked by the British general Charles Napier so much that they attacked
British with residency in 1848. The British, in return, attacked and annexed
Sindh by defeating the Amirs in the same year.

Q: Describe the annexation of the Punjab and the NWF. (4)

Ans: After the death of Ranjit Singh in 1839, there was political crisis in
Punjab. The Sikhs, violating the Treaty of Perpetual friendship of 1809,
attacked the British and were defeated in the battle of Aliwal in January
1846. They were penalized and forced to sign the treaty of Lahore. In the
second Sikh war, 1848 – 1849, the Sikhs were defeated again and the Sikh
empire came to an end. The British annexed the Punjab and NWF on 30th
March 1849. Gulab Singh, the ruler of Kashmir bought the state and made
the Maharaja of Kashmir as a reward for his support to the British.

Q: What was the Doctrine of Lapse? (4)

Ans: In 1852, Governor General Lord Dalhousie introduced the Doctrine of

Lapse. Under this, if a state ruler died without a natural/male heir, the EIC
would annex the state. Soon the states of Sitara, Nagpur and Jhansi were
annexed by EIC. The Indian rulers resented the policy greatly, especially
when it was misused to take the state of Oudh in 1856 on the death if its
Nawab. Though he had many sons, Dalhousie annexed Oudh on the excuse
of bad governance. It became a reason of the War of Independence and
was abolished in 1858.
 Q. (a) According to source A what type of man Tipu Sultan was? (3)

“The British claimed that Tipu was a Muslim fanatic and considered himself
as the wisest man. In fact, Tupu made offerings in Christian churches and
Hindu temples of his loyal subjects. He only destroyed the places of worship
of his enemies”.

Ans. The source presents Tipu as a mix of extremes. He is shown as an

intolerant Muslim ruler, who didn’t show respect to his non-Muslim
subjects. However, at the same time, the source portrays him as a skilled
ruler who knew how to treat his loyal non-Muslim subjects while punishing
those created problems for him.

Q.4 (b) Source B: A photograph showing Tipu Sultan fighting EIC army.

Q: Describe the scene of the Battlefield. (5)

Ans. The source shows that a fierce fight is going on between the two
armies. Some soldiers from both sides have been killed or wounded as they
are seen lying on the ground. Both armies are oblivious to these soldiers
and are engaged in the fight. Tipu’s army is fighting with the outdated
weapons like swords, spears and shields whereas the British are equipped
with modern weapons like guns. The British soldiers are more smartly
dressed against their Indian counterparts. Tipu’s crown has fallen on the
ground and the British are visibly pressing in the decisive way. This seems
to be a hard-won victory for the British EIC.

Why were the British able to replace the Mughals as the ruling force of
India? [7]

British were militarily superior to the Indians/Mughals ruler. British were

the first and foremost beneficiary of the Industrial Revolution and they
soon began to acquire sophisticated weapons while developing other
industries. They used these weapons against the Mughals who continued to
reply on outdated weapons and old warfare.

They had a strong sense of success.

British also used nonmilitary warfare to establish themselves in England.

Their ‘divide’ and ‘rule’ policy enable them to annex various states by
keeping their ruler’s hostile against each other. Indians had been a divided
nation and many states rulers sought British help against their rivals
without considering their collective interests. Many of them were bribed or
threatened by the EIC.

By the start of 18 century the Mughals got involved in a luxurious style of

life neglecting state affairs. Rulers of several peripheral states became
autonomous and they proved an easy target for the British. Weak
successors of Aurangzeb gradually distanced themselves from the state
affairs that were given in the hands of greedy and selfish courtiers and
ministers. These ministers were mainly concerned about misusing the
states funds and filling their own pockets. They remained ignorant of the
EIC acquiring military power.
How successful was the Indian resistance against the British between
1750 and 1850?

OR

How successful were the British in expanding their control over Indian
territories between 1750 and 1850? [14]

Indians made several attempts against the British. They had a mix of
successes and failures. Since India was a huge territory with several armies
under powerful Nawabs, British could not have any major success till as late
as 1757, in northern India. Powerful armies of various strong rulers kept
British from gaining political control of these states.

In southern India, the Marathas and the rulers of Mysore (Deccan) also
offered stiff resistance till 1799. The ruler of Mysore Hyder Ali and then his
son Tipu Sultan fought three fierce against the British- the Anglo-Mysore
wars from 1770’s to 1799.Hyder Ali assisted by his son and the French
naval force got a significant victory in 1780-1782. According to McLeod,
“Hyder Ali gave a damned rap over the knuckles of the British.” He captured
Carnatic, Arcot and Cuddalore in the war. After his sudden death in 1782,
his sons Tipu continued to resist the British. He defeated Brigadier
Mathews in 1782 and capture Bendor and Bangalore. With success from
both sides, the 2nd Anglo Mysore War ended in 1784 under the treaty of
Mangalore.

Lord Hastings was successful by Lord Cornwallis who fought the third Anglo
Mysore against Tipu. He provoked Tipu by giving help to the nizam of
Hyderabad in 1789. Tipu attacked the British and the war lasted for about 2
years. Tipu was initially successful but later had to accept the treaty of
Seringapatam in 1792. The Marathas also gave very tough time to the
British in the Anglo Mysore War 1775-1782. Lord Hastings policy of
handling Maratha’s was quite defective that embolden Marathas.
Marathon power continued to resist British till 1818. In north Western
India The Sikh ruler of Punjab Raja Ranjit Singh became elite for the British
due to his own power as well as the strategic location of Punjab. British
needed him to counter the Russian threat to Afghanistan. Moreover, the
defeat of the British in Afghanistan in 1841 lowered their prestige in India.

However, Indians had a greater number of failures during this period of

time. They suffered their first humiliating defeat in 1757 in the Battle of
Plassey in Bengal. Nawab Siraaj- Ud- Daula of Bengal fought against Robert
Clive of the EIC and was defeated and killed. Partly due to the military
superiority of the British and partly due to the treachery of Mir Jafar who
had been bribed by the EIC. British gained a very important British territory.
Second major defeat by Indians was in 1764 in the battle of Buxar. A
combined army of the Mughal rule Shah Alam II and nawabs of Bengal and
Oudh was crushed by the EIC solely due to superior fighting skills. A larger
area of North Eastern India came under EIC.

In south India the EIC kept the Marathas ruler of Mysore and nizam of
Hyderabad divided to decisively defeat of Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore.
Lord Wellesley’s army defeated and killed Tipu Sultan in the last Anglo
Mysore War in 1799. Tipu’s general Mir Sadiq had been bribed by the EIC.

The EIC got rid of Marathan threat in the 3rd and last marathon war by
defeating their Peshwa Baji Rao II and got several states of southern and
central India.

In 1803 the EIC army entered Delhi and shifted the royal court from Red
Fort to Qutab Saheb and this gained a major victory. Amirs of Sindh were
provoked in 1843to attack the British. This way the British had undone the
damage done to their prestige in Afghanistan.

Finally, the Indians lost the strategic north-western territory of Punjab and
Kashmir between 1864 and 1849. Ranjit Singh’s death turmoil in Punjab
that was exploited by the EIC.
It may be concluded that the Indian resistance was an utter failure because
they continued to lose various territories to the British due their own
disunity and clever strategy and military supremacy of the British.

In 1803 the EIC army entered Delhi and shifted the royal court from Red
Fort to Qutab Saheb and this gained up major victory. Amirs of Sindh were
provoked in 1843 to attack the British. This way the British had undone the
damage done to their prestige in Afghanistan.

Finally, the Indians lost the strategic North-Western territory of Punjab and
Kashmir between 1846 and 1849. Ranjit Singh’s death caused political
turmoil in Punjab that was exploited by the EIC.

It may be concluded that the Indian resistance was an utter failure because
they continued to lose various territories to the British due to their own
disunity and clever strategy and military supremacy of the British.

Q: Did educational reforms have a more important effect on the Indians

than the social, religious and economic ones introduced by the British
during the years 1773 to 1856? Explain your answer.
[14]

Ans: British established themselves in India through their educational

system. British had carried a firm belief in the superiority and their culture,
especially their Educational system. According to a British official in 1835,
“a single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native
literature of India and Arabia”. British felt justified in holding such views as
they had emerged a military giant and scientifically advanced due to their
success in science and technology. They considered it their duty to spread
their superior culture.
They introduced English as the official language In 1834 and gradually
popularized their own education system. This scheme was master minded
by Thomas Babington Macaulay. Several schools, may run by Christian
missionaries, were set up trough out India 1830 onwards. These steps had a
westernizing effect on India but Indian resisted it inwardly as they thought
the British were trying to impose their culture on India

British also took steps to introduce other social reforms. They abolished
suttee, a Hindu custom of burning widow alive on the cremation of her
husband. They eradicated Thugge, another Hindu ritual of killing their
victims in the name of a goddess. In 1830 colonel Sleemans army arrested
2000 thugs. This step was welcomed by Indians as the custom had terrified
Hindus and Muslims alike. In 1795 female infanticide (killing baby
daughters) was abolished by the EIC and it was declared as an act of
murder. Most Hindus resisted this and the ban on Suttee because they
considered these British acts as direct interference as the local religious and
cultural tradition. Eventually, however, these British attempts had a good
effect on Indian life.

In 1833, the EIC allowed Christian missionaries to preach in India.

Accordingly, several missionaries began their mission of spreading
Christianity in India. They also spread western knowledge and way of life
thinking themselves superior to the local people. as a result, the
missionaries got intolerant towards Indians and this caused resentment
amongst Indians. Gradually there were conversions among locals specially
among the Shudras Christianity slowly emerged as a major religion in India
also, a new community Anglo Indians emerged in India.

British EIC made it compulsory for Indian sepoys to serve the EIC army
wherever needed. According to Hindu belief, a caste Hindu would lose
caste by travelling overseas and so, this step of EIC was condemned by
Hindu community.

British also affected the economy of India by their involvement with the
local economic matters. They imposed heavy taxes on Indians to fully
exploit local resources. Some of the tax collectors became corrupt and kept
the money with themselves. Peasants and small land owners were worst
affected by heavy taxes.

Salaries of Indian sepoys were kept lower than British soldiers. Indian
wealth and raw materials were used to feed British factories in England,
while Indian markets were flooded with British manufactured goods. Local
products could not match these goods in quality and price. Consequently,
many rich Indians became poor. A British officer remarked on this by
equating the phenomenon with “a sponge drawing up all the good things
from the banks of Ganges, and squeezing them down on the banks of the
Thames”. Indians felt exploited and economically ruined and gradually
hatred grew against the British leading to the 1857 uprising.

To conclude, it seems that educational reforms affected Indians more than

other reforms because, with a new education system, British were able to
raise a team of Indians fully; loyal to the British. These Indians opposed any
uprising against their new rulers.

Q: Was the work of the Christian missionaries the most important reason
why the Indians opposed British attempts to westernize them between
1750 and 1850? Explain your answer. (10)

Ans. Christian missionaries came to India to spread Christianity by

various means. 1833 onwards the activity of the Christians missionaries
became more visible. They were seen at all public places , distributing the
Christian literature freely. They enjoyed the support of the EIC. Several
missionary schools were set up in all the major Indian towns where
teaching of the Bible to the local students was introduced. In these schools
the missionaries taught Christianity and expected local religions to be given
up which was resented by Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs alike. Gradually, the
British began to develop the belief that their Christian values made them
superior to the local faith followed by the Indians: Hinduism, Islam and
Sikhism. As a result, the ruling British Community in India began to show
intolerance towards the local religions. Many Indians started believing that
an alien culture was being imposed on them. So not many Indians changed
their religion.

However, there were other reasons why the Indians opposed the British
attempts to westernize them. The British replaced Persian and Sanskrit with
English as the official language in the 1830’s. This deeply upset both the
Muslims and Hindus as these had been the popular languages of India for
centuries. Therefore, they felt the native languages might be adversely
affected by English because language has always been a very effective tool
of the ruling elite.

The British introduced a number of social reforms without consultation or

care for local feelings which caused much unrest. Modern British education
was resisted by the Indians. Moreover, they were required to send their
children to co-educational schools which were hated since it appeared to
impose the British traditions on the Indians without due regard to their
religious and cultural feelings. Thomas Macaulay believed in the superiority
of the European advancement in knowledge and therefore, he looked down
upon the Indians and the Arabic educational system. Not surprisingly, a
British official in 1835 remarked ‘’A single shelf of a good European library
was worth the whole native literature of India and Arabia.” Such ideas
generated resentment among the Indians against the British. They were
more infuriated when they were forced to abandon parda/hijab which had
been an Indian culture for centuries. The Muslim community in particular,
opposed such steps as they went against the fundamental teachings of
Islam.

In 1795, female infanticide/killing of baby daughters was declared to be

murder but the British found difficulty in enforcing this as it was again a
tradition practiced by Hindus in many parts of India. Suttee was the Hindu
ritual of burning a widow alive on the cremation of her husband. When the
British abolished it first in Bengal and then in the rest of the country. They
faced fierce opposition by some of the Hindu tribes. In fact, many British
were not in favor of going to this extent of involvement in the local religious
beliefs and traditions, surprisingly there was little opposition to the ban on
this inhuman custom. Similarly, the encouragement of the widow
remarriage was also criticized by several Hindus.

Analyzing objectively, it may be concluded that the work of the Christian

missionaries was the most important reason for Indian opposition to the
British because religious beliefs and practices had been tremendously dear
to the Indians. They could go to any extent against who ever tried to
intrude in this culture sphere and that means they could make it a matter
of life and death when it came to imposing other religions on them.