Question

Describe Lord Dalhousie’s policy of Annexation.

Answer 1

Instructions:

• Write about the impact of the Subsidiary Alliance.
• Write about the aim of Dalhousie’s policy of Annexation.
• Give a summary of the states which fell to the British due to the policy of Annexation.

Solution:
Lord Wellesley's policy of Subsidiary Alliance enslaved the native kingdoms without utilising many British resources. The states that accepted the alliance believed the British as friends. These states did not face any external or internal threats and became irresponsible. The result was anarchy in many states.

Dalhousie wished to support British traders in generating profits from the trade of tea, coffee, and cotton by annexing the territories producing these products.As a result of the anarchy, the British had an excuse to intervene in the internal affairs of these states. The British annexed various kingdoms, including Burma and sections of Punjab, via interference.

The British annexed states that had no successor to the throne. This was known as the ‘Doctrine of Lapse’. Many states, like Satara, Jhansi, Nagpur etc., became the victims of the ‘Policy of Annexation’.