SEBA Class 9 History: Advent of Europeans into India
EXERCISE QUESTION
Very short/short answer questions:
1. Who was the first Portuguese sailor to discover the sea route between India and the west? When and where in India did he arrive for the first time?
Answer: The first Portuguese sailor to discover the sea route between India and the West was Vasco-da-Gama. He arrived for the first time at the port of Calicut in South India in 1498 A.D.
2. Who was the English sailor able to move round the earth through the sea route?
Answer: The English sailor who was able to move round the earth through the sea route was Francis Drake in 1580 A.D.
3. Who was the English sailor who entered India for the first time with a petition letter and when?
Answer: The English sailor who entered India for the first time with a petition letter was John Mildenhall. He came in 1599 A.D. with a letter from Queen Elizabeth of England.
4. When and where did the East India Company initially establish?
Answer: The East India Company was initially established in 1600 A.D. in England.
5. Write two objectives of the East India Company to permanently rule in India?
Answer: Two objectives of the East India Company to permanently rule in India were:
1. To increase their trade by gaining more privileges and territory.
2. To establish political power by taking advantage of the weakness and enmity among Indian rulers.
6. When and where in India was the first trade centre of the English established?
Answer: The first trade centre of the English in India was established at Masulipatam in 1611 A.D., with permission from the Sultan of Golconda.
7. What is 'Fort William'?
Answer: The Calcutta trade centre was renamed as 'Fort William' in honour of William III, the King of England.
8. Which were the two main divisions of the British administrative period of dependent India?
Answer: The two main divisions of the British administrative period of dependent India were:
1. From the downfall of the Mughal Empire to the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857.
2. From 1858 to 1947, the transfer of power to the Indians.
9. Who, when and with what objective was the 'Govt. of India Act' enacted?
Answer: The Government of India Act was enacted by the British Parliament on 2nd August, 1858. The objective is to entrust the British Government with the power of ruling India directly.
10.When and with what objective was the 'Indian Councils Act' enacted?
Answer: The Indian Councils Act was enacted in 1861 A.D. The objective is to make the educated Indians familiar with the new administrative structure.
Short/long answer questions:
1. What were the efforts made by the British to establish trade relation with India? Analyse the steps by which they succeeded.
Answer: The British made continuous efforts over a long period to establish trade relations with India. Through petitions, negotiations, and medical help, they gradually gained trade privileges from the Mughal emperors. The following points highlight the key steps in their success.
a) In 1599 A.D., John Mildenhall came to India with a petition letter from Queen Elizabeth of England. He met Mughal Emperor Akbar and succeeded in procuring certain trade privileges for the English.
b) In 1600 A.D., the English merchants formed a trade organisation known as the English East India Company. The Company was granted permission to trade in a large sea area for fifteen years.
c) In 1608 A.D., Captain William Hawkins arrived at Surat with a petition from King James I to Emperor Jahangir. He stayed in the Mughal Empire for two years but his trade request was rejected.
d) In 1615 A.D., Sir Thomas Roe met Emperor Jahangir at Ajmer. Though he could not sign any trade contract, the Mughal Emperor allowed the Company to establish factories at Surat for trade.
e) In 1715 A.D., John Surman and William Hamilton helped cure Emperor Farukhsiyar. In return, the Company received three firmans allowing duty-free trade in Bengal, land in Calcutta, and trade in Deccan.
2. How did the East India Company establish three trade centres at three important places in India?
Answer: The East India Company established three main trade centres in India by taking permission from local rulers. In 1611, the first trade centre was set up at Masulipatam with the permission of the Sultan of Golconda. In 1636, the second trade centre was built at Armagaon. Later, in 1639, they made a treaty with the King of Chandragiri and shifted the Armagaon trade centre to a nearby place called Madras, which was renamed as Fort St. George.
3. Who was the most remarkable person of the East India Company to pave the way for the establishment of British imperialism in India? Write with five arguments about his strategies to lay the foundation stone of the British Empire?
Answer: Robert Clive was the most remarkable person of the East India Company to lay the foundation of British imperialism in India. His strategies helped build the base of British power.
1. Robert Clive, an ordinary servant of the East India Company, acquired the art of diplomatic skill to build up a colonial empire in India within a very short time.
2. He created a scheme to remove other European companies from India to serve the interest of the East India Company and increase its dominance in Indian trade and politics.
3. Clive tried to win over native kings like the Nawab of Bengal, Nizam of Hyderabad, and others either by war or friendship and made them surrender their authority.
4. He defeated Siraj-ud-daulah in the Battle of Plassey (1757) by deceit, which led to the foundation of the British Empire in India and opened the path to imperialism.
5. From Clive’s governorship to Lord Dalhousie’s time, the East India Company gradually built up a colony of British imperialism throughout India by weakening the Indian rulers.
4. Write the causes for the outbreak of the Sepoy Mutiny.
Answer: The causes for the outbreak of the Sepoy Mutiny lay in the political, economic, and social backdrop of rule by the English rulers preceding a hundred years. The atmosphere for the rebellion was created by the unrest of the royal class and the people. The name of the Mughal Emperor was scraped away from the coins of the Company in 1835.
At the same time, English was introduced in the administration, replacing royal Persian, to increase discontent and dissatisfaction in the minds of the Indians. The reactionary administration of Lord Dalhousie doubly increased the disgruntlement of the minds of the Indians of all religions. As a result of which the famous Sepoy Mutiny flared up.
5. Mention four important results of the Sepoy Mutiny.
Answer: The Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 brought important changes in the political and social life of India. Four important results were:
1. The administration of India was transferred from the East India Company to the British Government through the Government of India Act, 1858.
2. The Governor General was retained as the supreme head of Indian administration but was given the title of Viceroy, meaning the representative of the Crown.
3. The British Government introduced new administrative arrangements, including the appointment of a Secretary of State for India assisted by a Council of 15 members.
4. Modernisation started in Indian society. The feeling of unity among Indians also developed, and the idea of “we are Indian people” arose among different races, castes and communities.
6. Mention four administrative changes brought through the 'Govt. of India Act'.
Answer: The Government of India Act, 1858 brought the following important administrative changes:
1. The administration of India was transferred from the East India Company to the British Government. The Board of Control and the Court of Directors lost their authority over Indian affairs.
2. A new post of Secretary of State for India was created. He was given responsibility for the administration of India and was assisted by a Council of 15 members.
3. The Governor General continued as the supreme head of Indian administration but was given the title of Viceroy, meaning the representative of the British Crown.
4. The British Government received the power to appoint the Viceroy and the Provincial Heads (Governors), and the army of the East India Company was brought under its control.
7. Write about two main reforms of Lord Canning.
Answer: Lord Canning introduced several important reforms during his second term as Viceroy (1858–62). Two main reforms were:
1. Economic reforms: Lord Canning invited finance experts James Wilson and Samuel to India and acted on their suggestions. He imposed income tax for the first time on people earning Rs. 500 or more per month on an experimental basis. He also imposed a 10 percent import duty on imported commodities.
2. Land and agricultural reforms: In 1859, Lord Canning enacted the Bengal Rent Act to end the turmoil created by the Permanent Settlement. This law gave tenants rights over land and protected indigo farmers from the control of indigo merchants.
8. Write two merits and two demerits of the 'Indian Councils Act'.
Answer: Merits:
1. The Act introduced Legislative Councils at the Centre and in the provinces and distributed legislative powers between them on the principle of decentralisation of power.
2. It gave Indians an opportunity to take part in legislative functions through membership in the Central Legislative Assembly. This was an important beginning of representative institutions in India.
Demerits:
1. The representatives were not true representatives of the Indian people, as they mainly belonged to high origins and elite landlord classes.
2. The legislative powers of the Provincial Councils were very limited, while the Governor General had extensive powers. He could override the suggestions or proposed laws of the Legislative Assembly and could also promulgate ordinances without consulting the Council.
9. Discuss the changes occurred through the local self-government during the British period.
Answer: The local self-government developed gradually during the British period. The important changes were:
1. Lord Mayo’s “Resolution on Financial Decentralisation”, enforced on 14th December 1870, gave the provinces responsibility for departments such as education, health, registration, prison and police.
2. Lord Ripon (1880–84) laid the foundation of local self-government in India. He wanted local self-government to improve administrative efficiency and provide political and popular education.
3. In 1882, Lord Ripon created a Local Board in each subdivision. A Primary Board could also be formed in rural areas under each Local Board. The majority of members of the Local Boards were to be elected so that Indians could learn to manage their own affairs.
4. Local self-government was also introduced in urban areas. Town Committees and Municipal Boards were formed, with provision for 75 percent of their members to be elected.
5. In Assam, Local Boards were formed at the sub-division level. Although the English Government resisted some of Lord Ripon’s proposals, his reforms marked the beginning of local self-government under a democratic system.
10. How were the Indians included in the civil services? Discuss the growth of these services.
Answer: The inclusion of Indians in the Civil Services developed gradually through the following important steps:
1. The Charter Act of 1833 agreed to the recruitment of Indians to high administrative posts. The posts of Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector were created in 1833 and 1843 respectively, and Indians were considered eligible for these posts.
2. The Charter Act of 1853 directed the holding of competitive examinations for Civil Service and allowed Indians to appear in the examination. However, the examination was held in England, so only a few Indians could appear.
3. The Queen’s Proclamation of 1858 assured the recruitment of native people to Civil Service posts. Satyendranath Tagore became the first Indian to obtain a Civil Service post in 1864.
4. During Lord Lytton’s period, the upper age limit for the Civil Service Examination was reduced to 19 years. Surendranath Banerji organised opposition against it, and the age limit was later increased to 22 years.
5. The Montague-Chelmsford Report declared the policy of holding Civil Service Examinations simultaneously in England and India. The Lee Commission, formed in 1923, proposed the formation of a Civil Service Commission in India and an increase in the number of Indians in Civil Service posts.
11. Mention three differences of the civil services of British occupied India and independent India.
Answer: The system of Civil Services changed considerably after India became independent. The three main differences supported by the textbook are:
1. During British rule, Civil Service posts were initially filled only by the English. Later, Indians were gradually allowed to enter the Civil Services through various reforms and competitive examinations.
2. During British rule, the Civil Service Examination was held in England. After independence, the old system of recruitment was abolished and open competitive examinations were introduced at the All-India level.
3. During British rule, Civil Service recruitment was carried out under the British administrative system. After independence, the Union Public Service Commission and State Public Service Commissions were formed for recruitment to Civil Services at the national and state levels.