Chapter 7- Rise of British Power in Bengal

E. My Mixed Bag

1. Identify the odd one out.

(a) Madras (b) Bombay (c) Pondicherry (d) Calcutta

Answer: (c) Pondicherry

Reason: Madras, Bombay and Calcutta were major British settlements, whereas Pondicherry
was a French settlement.

2. Read the statements given below and choose the correct option.

(A) Assertion: The British made Mir Qasim the new Nawab of Bengal but turned increasingly
hostile thereafter.
(B) Reason: Mir Qasim improved the financial position of Bengal.

Answer: (b) (B) is the reason for (A).

Explanation: Mir Qasim was an able ruler who tried to strengthen Bengal financially and
administratively. He also tried to check the misuse of British trading privileges. These
measures threatened British interests and relations between Mir Qasim and the Company
became increasingly hostile.

3. Which one of the following was a consequence of British victory in the Battle of
Plassey?

Answer: (b) The Company was granted the exclusive right to free trade in Bengal, Bihar
and Orissa.

Why? After the Battle of Plassey, the Company received the undisputed right to free trade
in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa and also received the zamindari of the 24 Parganas.

4. Arrange the following in chronological order.

(a) Introduction of Dual Government in Bengal

Answer: (c) → (b) → (a) → (d)

Dates:
  Carnatic Wars – 1746–1763

 Battle of Buxar – 1764

 Dual Government introduced – 1765

 Warren Hastings appointed Governor General – 1773

Correct order: Carnatic Wars → Battle of Buxar → Dual Government → Appointment of

5. Which of the following rights was vested in the Company by the grant of the Dewani of
Bengal, Bihar and Orissa?

Answer: (c) The right to collect revenue from Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.

Explanation: The grant of the Diwani gave the Company the right to collect revenue from
Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. It also gave it the right to deal with civil cases.

F. Answer the following questions in one or two words/sentences.

1. Who granted the English East India Company the exclusive right to trade with the East?

Queen Elizabeth I of England granted the English East India Company the exclusive right to
trade with the East.

2. Name the British trading settlements in:

(a) Madras: Fort St George

3. What important right did the Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar grant the English East India
Company?

In 1717, Farrukhsiyar granted the Company the right to carry on duty-free trade in Bengal,
Bihar and Orissa.

4. Why were European traders attracted to the Bengal province in the 18th century?

Bengal was the richest and most fertile province in India. Its prosperity and valuable
products attracted European traders.
5. What privileges did the Farman of 1717 confer on the English East India Company?

The Farman of 1717:

 Allowed the Company to carry on duty-free trade in Bengal.

 Allowed it to import and export goods without paying taxes.

 Gave it the right to issue dastaks, or passes, for the free movement of its goods.

6. What important trading right was granted to the English East India Company after their
victory in the Battle of Plassey?

The Company was granted the undisputed right to free trade in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. It
was also given the zamindari of the 24 Parganas.

7. State the political significance of the Battle of Buxar.

The British victory at Buxar:

 Established their political influence over Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.

 Gave them influence over Awadh and the Mughal emperor.

 Laid the foundation of British rule in India.

8. Name the Indian signatories of the Treaty of Allahabad. [2]

The Indian signatories were:

1. Shuja-ud-Daulah, Nawab of Awadh

2. Shah Alam II, Mughal emperor

9. In which year was the Dual Government abolished and by whom? [2]

The Dual Government was abolished in 1772 by Warren Hastings.

G1. Why did the Farman of 1717 become a bone of contention between the nawabs of
Bengal and the English East India Company?

The Nawabs of Bengal wanted the British to pay taxes like other Indian merchants, but the
Company refused, claiming the privilege granted by the Farman. This created conflict
between the Nawabs and the Company.
G2. Why did the British fortify their trade settlement in Calcutta?

The British fortified Calcutta because they anticipated a war with the French, who had a
trading settlement at Chandernagore.

G3. Why did Siraj-ud-Daulah attack Calcutta in 1756?

Siraj-ud-Daulah ordered the British and French to dismantle their fortifications. The French
obeyed, but the British refused. This angered the Nawab, who attacked Calcutta and
captured Fort William.

H. Answer the following questions briefly.

1. The Battle of Plassey was a major turning point in the history of India.

(a) Give an account of the events leading from the conspiracy to replace Siraj-ud-Daulah to
his eventual defeat in the Battle of Plassey.

Robert Clive conspired with Mir Jafar, the commander-in-chief of the Nawab's army, and
other influential people to overthrow Siraj-ud-Daulah. Mir Jafar secretly agreed to support
the British in return for being made the Nawab of Bengal.

When the Battle of Plassey was fought in 1757, a major part of Siraj-ud-Daulah's army under
Mir Jafar did not participate in the battle. Siraj realised that he had been betrayed and fled
from the battlefield. He was later captured and put to death.

(b) State the results of the Battle of Plassey.

The important results were:

1. The Company received the undisputed right to free trade in Bengal, Bihar and
Orissa.

2. The Company received the zamindari of the 24 Parganas.

3. Mir Jafar paid a large amount of money to the Company and its officials.

4. Mir Jafar was made the Nawab of Bengal.

(c) Why is this battle considered a major turning point in the history of India?

The Battle of Plassey was a major turning point because:

2. It transformed the East India Company from a trading company into a political
power.

3. It gave the British access to the vast resources of Bengal, which helped them finance
further military expeditions.

2. Mir Qasim was a competent ruler, determined to free himself from foreign control.

(a) What steps did Mir Qasim take to strengthen his position? Why did he abolish all duties
on internal trade?

Mir Qasim took the following steps:

 He improved the financial position of Bengal.

 He raised a modern, disciplined and well-equipped army trained by Europeans.

 He tried to strengthen his administration and free himself from British control.

The Company's employees were misusing their trade privileges and selling their duty-free
trade permits to Indian merchants. This deprived the Nawab of a large amount of revenue.
Therefore, Mir Qasim abolished all duties on internal trade so that Indian merchants and
British merchants would be treated equally.

(b) Trace the events from the outbreak of war (1763) between Mir Qasim and the British
up to the Battle of Buxar in 1764.

 In 1763, war broke out between Mir Qasim and the British because of growing
conflict over trade privileges.

 Mir Qasim was defeated and Mir Jafar was reinstated as Nawab of Bengal.

 Mir Qasim fled to Awadh and formed an alliance with Shuja-ud-Daulah, Nawab of
Awadh, and Shah Alam II, the Mughal emperor.

 Their combined forces fought the British at Buxar in 1764, but were decisively
defeated.

(c) Explain the importance of the Battle of Buxar.

The Battle of Buxar was important because:

1. The British became the masters of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.

3. It laid the foundation of British rule in India.

3. With reference to the Treaty of Allahabad and its impact:

(a) Mention the terms of agreement between Robert Clive and Shuja-ud-Daulah in this
treaty.

The main terms were:

1. Awadh was returned to Shuja-ud-Daulah, but the districts of Kora and Allahabad
were taken away.

2. Shuja-ud-Daulah had to pay a war indemnity of ₹50 lakh to the Company.

3. The British agreed to protect Awadh from its enemies, but the Nawab had to bear
the cost of the British troops.

(b) Explain how the treaty between Robert Clive and the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II
legalised the English East India Company's control over Bengal.

The British gave Kora and Allahabad to Shah Alam II and agreed to pay him an annual
pension of ₹26 lakh.

In return, Shah Alam II granted the Company the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. This
gave the Company the right to collect revenue and deal with civil cases in these provinces.

Thus, the Company's control over Bengal was given legal recognition.

(c) Give an account of the events that followed the death of Mir Jafar, leading to the
establishment of the Company as the real ruler of Bengal.

After the death of Mir Jafar in 1765, his son was made the Nawab of Bengal. He had to sign a
treaty with Robert Clive.

According to the treaty:

1. The Nawab had to disband most of his army.

2. He had to transfer the Nizamat powers, including general administration and

3. The deputy Nawab could not be dismissed by the Nawab.

4. As a result, the East India Company became the real ruler of Bengal from 1765.
4. With reference to the establishment of Dual Government in Bengal (1765–72):

(a) Why was the government introduced in Bengal by Robert Clive referred to as 'Dual
Government'?

It was called Dual Government because Bengal had two authorities:

 The Nawab was responsible for administration, law and order and criminal justice.

 The Company had military power and the right to collect and use the revenue of
Bengal.

Thus, the Nawab had responsibility, while the Company enjoyed the real power.

(b) What were the advantages and disadvantages of this system for the Company and the
Nawab respectively?

For the Company:

 The Company enjoyed power without responsibility.

 It controlled the revenue of Bengal.

 It did not have to take direct responsibility for administration.

For the Nawab:

 The Nawab had responsibility without sufficient power or resources.

 He was responsible for administration but had little control over the revenue.

 The system weakened his authority and made effective administration difficult.

(c) The evils of the Dual Government led to the collapse of the administration and the
economy. Explain.

The Dual Government had serious consequences:

 Company officials became greedy and corrupt and exploited the people.

 The Company took little interest in the welfare of the people.

 Bengal suffered a terrible famine, in which about one-third of the population

 The administration and economy gradually collapsed.

 Finally, in 1772, Warren Hastings abolished the Dual Government.

The picture shows the historic grant of the Diwani in 1765.

(a) Identify the Mughal Emperor and the British Governor.

Mughal Emperor: Shah Alam II

(b) What is the significance of this grant of the Diwani?

The grant of the Diwani gave the East India Company the right to collect revenue from
Bengal, Bihar and Orissa and to deal with civil cases.

It gave legal recognition to the Company's control over these provinces.

(c) Give a brief account of the battle that preceded this event. When did it take place?

The battle was the Battle of Buxar, fought in 1764.

The British defeated the combined forces of Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daulah and Shah Alam II.
This victory strengthened British power in Bengal and paved the way for the grant of the
Diwani in 1765.

(d) What is the importance of this battle?

The Battle of Buxar was important because:

1. It firmly established the British as the masters of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.

2. It gave the British political influence over Awadh and the Mughal emperor.

3. It laid the foundation of British rule in India.