Question

The entire process of expansion and consolidation of the British power in India took almost a century. In light of the statement, highlight various policies of annexation by diplomacy and administrative mechanisms followed by Britishers.

Answer 1

Approach:

• Try to explain what is meant by annexation by diplomacy and administrative mechanisms.
• Mention various policies followed by britishers.
• Conclude by highlighting the results which Britishers got by using these mechanisms.

The entire process of expansion and consolidation of the British power in India took almost a century. In these hundred odd years the English used many diplomatic and military tactics, apart from other mechanisms, to finally emerge as the rulers of India. The British were not averse to using unscrupulous tactics to exploit a situation or a regional ruler to get their own way. In this context, we may cite examples of Warren Hastings’ ‘ring-fence’ policy, Wellesley’s system of ‘subsidiary alliance’ and Dalhousie’s ‘doctrine of lapse’

The Policy of Ring-Fence
Warren Hastings followed a policy of ring-fence which aimed at creating buffer zones to defend the Company’s frontiers. Broadly speaking, it was the policy of defence of their neighbours’ frontiers for safeguarding their own territories. The Company undertook to organise the defence of the frontiers of Awadh on the condition that the Nawab would defray the expenses of the defending army. The defence of Awadh constituted the defence of Bengal during that time.

Subsidiary Alliance
The subsidiary alliance system was used by Lord Wellesley, who was governor-general from 1798-1805. Under the system, the allying Indian state’s ruler was compelled to accept the permanent stationing of a British force within his territory and to pay a subsidy for its maintenance. Also, the Indian ruler had to agree to the posting of a British resident in his court. Under the system, the Indian ruler could not employ any European in his service without the prior approval of the British. Nor could he negotiate with any other Indian ruler without consulting the governor-general. In return for all this, the British would defend the ruler from his enemies and adopt a policy of non- interference in the internal matters of the allied state. During the seven-year rule of Wellesley alone, over 100 small and big states of India signed the subsidiary treaty.

Doctrine of Lapse
In simple terms, the doctrine stated that the adopted son could be the heir to his foster father’s private property, but not the state; it was for the paramount power (the British) to decide whether to bestow the state on the adopted son or to annex it. Though this policy is attributed to Lord Dalhousie (1848-56), he was not its originator. It was a matter of chance that during Lord Dalhousie’s term many rulers of states died without a male issue and seven states were annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse. The most important of these were Satara (1848), Jhansi and Nagpur (1854). The other small states included Jaitpur (Bundelkhand), Sambhalpur (Orissa), and Baghat (Madhya Pradesh).

Annexation on grounds on Misgovernance
Lord Dalhousie annexed Awadh in 1856 after deposing Nawab Wajid Ali Shah on grounds of misgovernment.In the hundred years after Plassey, the East India Company, with an army of 260,000 men at the start of the nineteenth century and the backing of the British government and Parliament (many of whose members were shareholders in the enterprise), extended its control over most of India. The Company conquered and absorbed a number of hitherto independent or autonomous states, imposed executive authority through a series of high- born Governors General appointed from London, regulated the country’s trade, collected taxes and imposed its fiat on all aspects of Indian life.