SHIKHAR Mains 2021 Day 2 Answer English

Updated : 26th Dec 2021

Q1 - Mention the reasons for the Battle of Plassey. Also, explain its consequences.

Approach -

Begin your answer with the background of the Battle of Plassey.
In main part, mention the reasons for the Battle of Plassey.
At last, write the events of the Battle of Plassey briefly and mention its consequences.

Answer -

The beginning of British political persecution in India is considered to be from the Battle of Plassey of 1757 when the army of the English East India Company defeated the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-daula. Enthused by defeating the French in the Carnatic Wars, the British made better use of their experiences in this war. Bengal was then the richest and most fertile province of India. With all, The beneficial interests of the company and its employees were also attached to this. The Company was doing illegal trade using the royal decree granted by the Mughal Emperor in 1717, which was harming the economic interests of Bengal. In this background, Siraj-ud-daula took Kasimbazar and Calcutta under his control in 1756 and the British had to take refuge on the island named Fulta.

After that, with naval aid under the leadership of Watson and Clive, who came from Madras, the British again challenged Siraj-ud-daula and won back Calcutta. However, soon another decisive battle took place between the two sides at Plassey on June 23, 1757.

Reasons for the Battle of Plassey

Imperialist ambitions of the British;

Disputes regarding misuse of the decree of 1717 - Damage to the revenue of Bengal due to the right of dastak given by Farrukhsiyar and misuse of it by the employees of the company not to pay tax on private business, which angered the Nawab.
Challenge to the sovereignty of Siraj-ud-Daula - Enthused by the Second Carnatic War, the British challenged Siraj-ud-Daula's persecution, such as taxing Indian goods in Calcutta, fortifying Calcutta despite the Nawab's refusal, protecting the Nawab's opponents, etc. Siraj took this as a violation of his sovereignty.
Siraj-ud-daula's reaction- Siraj-ud-daula established control over Kasimbazar and Calcutta in June 1756 and the British officers had to take refuge in Fulta Island. Siraj-ud-daula handed over the responsibility of Calcutta to an officer named Manikchand, who was betrayed.
Black-hole Incident - Holbel mentioned this incident. Although this has not been proved historically, yet it united the British to take vengeance from Siraj-ud-Daulah.
British control over Calcutta- In January 1757, under the leadership of Clive, British control of Calcutta was re-established. Siraj-ud-Daulah accepted the sovereignty of the British for an instant. Although the Nawab compulsorily accepted all the demands of the British, but the British wanted to put a confidant on the throne in his place.
Conspiracy by Clive - Clive plans to remove the Nawab. Along with the Chief General Mir Jafar, many other officers and big businessmen were also involved in this conspiracy. According to the plan, there was a confrontation between the two armies at a place called Plassey and within a few hours the British won.

Consequences of the Battle of Plassey

Political consequences

Rise of the British as a political power in the East (Bengal, Orissa).
Weakening of the political position of the Nawab of Bengal, due to which the influence of the British on the political administration of Bengal such as interference in the appointment of officers of the Nawab etc.
The ambition of the British increased and its effect was seen in the form of political intervention in other Indian regions.

financial results

A huge amount to the British as compensation.
The British took a considerable amount of zamindari of 24 Parganas and also in the form of gifts. The British took advantage of the access to the rich resources of Bengal in the Third Carnatic War and the expansion of their territory in North India.
The employees of the company were also given the facility of free trade on private trade.
The English East India Company weakened the French and Dutch companies and acquired a monopoly on the trade and commerce of Bengal.

After the Battle of Plassey, the East India Company established itself not only as a commercial body but also as a military company. Now it had a huge land that could be kept safe only through a trained army. As a result of this, the company moved towards military consolidation and its political interference and dominance in different parts of India went on increasing.

Q2- Discuss its importance in the expansion of the British Empire in India by mentioning the features of the Subsidiary Treaty.

Approach :

Introduce the subsidiary junction system in the role.
Discuss the features of this system in the first part of the answer.
Then discuss the importance.
Conclude the answer by writing a conclusion in summary form.

Answer -

During the rule of the East India Company in India, Lord Wellesley used the subsidiary alliance system to bring the Indian states under the British political purview. With its help, it helped in establishing the supremacy of the British power in India. Many states of India came under this like - Hyderabad, Mysore, Tanjore, Awadha, Peshwa etc.

Features of Subsidiary Alliance -

States adopting subsidiary treaties had to have a British resident in their capital.
The foreign relations of the Indian kings would be under the company. They will not wage any war and talks with other states will also be done through the company.
The big states had to keep an army, which was commanded in the hands of the company. Its purpose was to maintain public peace. For this he had to give full sovereign territory to the Company and small states had to give cash money to the Company.
The states could not employ a European without the permission of the company.
The company will not interfere in the internal affairs of the states and the company will protect the states from all kinds of enemies.
Significance of the Subsidiary Treaty in the Expansion of the British Empire in India:
The company acquired complete sovereignty in the territories which were granted by the state in exchange for the maintenance of the British army.
The power to balance the French action was acquired. The British were now ready to face the fear of Napoleon which was prevailing at that time.
The British took control of their strategic and important sites by stationing their troops in the territory of the Indian states.
By signing from the then important provinces of India, Hyderabad, Mysore, Tanjore and Awadh etc., the British had captured a large part of India in a symbolic way.
It disarmed the Indian states and deprived the Indian kings of the possibility of forming any federation against the British.
British military spending was reduced. Due to which the number of soldiers increased. Ultimately which was used only against the Indians.
Through a treaty, almost all the important Indian states came under the protection of the Company.

In conclusion , this policy of subsidiary alliance started by the British was the first important imperialist policy in itself. Its provisions were such that the Indian rulers felt that it was in their interest, but this policy paved the way for the expansion of the British Empire.

Q3-The rise of extremist nationalism in Congress was the result of various reasons. Explain.

Approach

Define extremist nationalism in its role
In the main part, describe the reasons responsible for the rise of extremist nationalism.
Conclude the answer by explaining the importance of extremist nationalism in the national movement.

Answer -

From 1885 to 1905, the Indian National Congress was led by liberal leaders. The second phase of the Indian National Congress begins from the year 1905, which is called extremist nationalism. Extremist nationalists called for the path of struggle instead of prayer. Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lal Lajpat Rai, Bipin Chandra Pal and Arvind Ghosh were the prominent extremist leaders. The leaders of the Garam Dal believed that the rights could be achieved only by putting pressure on the government. Many reasons were responsible for the rise of extremist nationalism.

Reasons responsible for the rise of extremist nationalism

dissatisfaction with the government

There is dissatisfaction among the nationalists against the government policies due to various reasons, such as the lack of importance by the government to the constitutional politics of the moderate leaders.
Not only this, the government was also adopting a reactionary approach on many issues such as laws to control the press in 1904, increase in government control over Calcutta University and Calcutta Municipal Corporation, etc.
Apart from this, during a famine in the 1890s, lakhs of people died, the government neglected relief work and there is also evidence of misbehavior of government employees during the plague in Maharashtra.

Disappointment with the moderate leadership

Dissatisfaction with the moderate working style was another important reason for the rise of extremist leaders at the Congress and all India level.
Due to this working style, pressure could not be put on the government effectively.
Nationalists were also dissatisfied with the faith of the liberal leaders towards the government.
Not only this, due to not being able to agitate the youth and common people, the feeling of despair towards them also increased.

spread of education

By the end of the 19th century, education had a relatively wide spread through government and individual efforts.
Along with this, the number of educated unemployed also increased.
Since these youths were influenced by modern ideas and there was dissatisfaction due to unemployment, so their inclination towards militant nationalism increased.

role of reformers

In the second half of the 19th century, the writings, ideas and activities of reformers like Dayanand Saraswati and Vivekananda gave a sense of pride to the indigenous culture.
Self-confidence and energy were also communicated, their special effect was seen on the youth.

International factor

After 1890, Japan emerged as a fast modern nation and in 1905 Japan defeated Russia.
This incident inspired and encouraged the nationalists that if a small nation like Japan can be self-sufficient and can challenge the big powers, then we can also do this by uniting India.
Similarly, the event of Ethiopia's defeat of Italy in 1896 excited the nationalists.
Presence and activities of party leaders
Since the inception of Congress, one can see the presence of extremist leaders and the radical methods adopted by them in different parts of the country, as in 1890s Tilak started the movement of non-payment of tax in Maharashtra.
Similarly, Lajpat Rai in Punjab and Arvind Ghosh and Bipin Chandra Pal were active in Bengal.
Due to the working style of these leaders, the inclination of the youth towards them increased, with this the extremist era started in the national movement.

Thus it becomes clear that various national and international factors were responsible for the rise of extremist nationalism in the Indian National Congress. Extremist nationalism played an important role in transforming the middle class character of the national movement into a mass movement. Along with this, it played an important role in equipping the national movement with violent tools like boycott.