Spectrum Test: Expansion & Consolidation of British Power in India- 2 - UPSC MCQ

• At the end of the war came: the surrender of the Sikh army and Sher Singh in 1849; 

• the annexation of Punjab; and for his services, the Earl of Dalhousie was given the thanks of the British Parliament and promotion in the peerage, 

• as Marquess; setting up of a three-member board to govern Punjab, comprising the Lawrence brothers (Henry and John) and Charles Mansel. 

• In 1853 the board was nullified and Punjab was placed under a chief commissioner. John Lawrence became the first chief commissioner.

• Warren Hastings followed a policy of ring-fence which aimed at creating buffer zones to defend the Company's frontiers. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

• Lord Wellesley introduced the policy of subsidiary Alliance as an extension of the Ring fence system which sought to reduce Indian states into a position of dependence on the British government. Hence, statement 2nd is incorrect. 

• Lord Dalhousie annexed Awadh in 1856 after deposing Nawab Wajid Ali Shah on grounds of misgovernment. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

• Dalhousie annexed 8 states during his 8-year tenure as governor-general. Hence, statement 2nd is incorrect. 

Lord Dalhousie, as the Governor-General of India in the mid-19th century, implemented a policy known as the Doctrine of Lapse. This policy stipulated that if a ruler of an Indian state under British control passed away without a natural heir, the British East India Company would annex the state rather than allowing an adopted heir to assume the throne. This policy contradicted traditional Indian succession practices that recognized adopted heirs as legitimate successors. The Doctrine of Lapse, therefore, disregarded the rights of adopted heirs, resulting in widespread dissatisfaction among the affected populations. Dalhousie's aim with this policy was to solidify British dominance over the Indian subcontinent by undermining indigenous power structures.

• Treaty of Eternal Friendship: In June 1807, the alliance of Tilsit with Alexander I of Russia was joined by Napoleon Bonaparte. The alliance had as one of its conditions a combined invasion of India by the land route

• Sindh was visited by Nicholas Smith who met the Amirs to conclude a defensive arrangement. After negotiations, the Amirs agreed to a treaty--their first-ever treaty with the English. After professing eternal friendship, both sides agreed to exclude the French from Sindh and to exchange agents at each other's court.

• First Burma War (1824-26) The first war with Burma was fought when the Burmese expansion westwards and occupation of Arakan and Manipur, and the threat to Assam and the Brahmaputra Valley led to continuous friction along the ill-defined border between Bengal and Burma, in the opening decades of the nineteenth century. 

• The British expeditionary forces occupied Rangoon in May 1824 and reached within 72 km of the capital at Ava.

• Peace was established in 1826 with the Treaty of Yandabo which provided that the Government of Burma 

1. pay rupees one crore as war compensation

2. cede its coastal provinces of Arakan and Tenasserim;

3. abandon claims on Assam, Cachar, and Jaintia;

4. recognize Manipur as an independent state;

5. negotiate a commercial treaty with Britain;

6. accept a British resident at Ava, while posting a Burmese envoy at Calcutta.

• During 1891-92 the British occupation of Hunza, Nagar in Gilgit valley, which passed commanding communications with Chitral, alarmed Abdur Rahman (Amir of Afghanistan). A compromise was finally reached by drawing a boundary line known as the Durand Line between Afghan and British territories. 

• Amir received some districts and his subsidy was increased. But the Durand Agreement (1893) failed to keep peace and soon there were tribal uprisings. 

• Curzon, the viceroy between 1899 and 1905, followed a policy of withdrawal and concentration. British troops withdrew from advanced posts which were replaced by tribal levies, trained and commanded by British officers. 

• Treaty of Amritsar: Treaty of Amritsar The Treaty of Amritsar was significant for its immediate as well as potential effects. 

• It checked one of the most cherished ambitions of Ranjit Singh to extend his rule over the entire Sikh nation by accepting the river Sutlej as the boundary line for his dominions and the Company.