NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 2- From Trade to Territory

1. Plassey
2. Mysore

3. Lapse

4. South-Western

1. False

2. False

3. True

4. False

There were many things that attracted the European countries to India, such as:

1. It was highly profitable to trade with India and the businesses in Europe flourished due to inflow of money.

2. The prices of goods purchased in India were very less whereas in Europe, they were sold at hefty prices.

3. The European market had a high demand of top-quality cotton and silk from India.

4. The Europeans were very fond of spices which were brought from India.

5. Some European powers also used the rights of revenue collection for their funding, which gave them a trade surplus.

The British had been granted several concessions from the Mughal rulers until the death of Aurangzeb. However, after Aurangzeb died, the independent rulers of Bengal took away the concessions. 

The new Nawabs put heavy import duties on British goods which took away their profits and this made the British hostile towards the Nawabs. The Nawabs also took away mining rights from the British which was a loss of business for the British.

The British started purchasing more villages, building more forts and this was not received well by the Nawabs. Thus, the conflicts between the British and the Nawabs increased.

 These were the ways in which the Diwani Rights benefited the company:

1. The company could use the revenue from Bengal for expanding the trade.

2. The British East India Company saw growth while other businesses collapsed. This created a monopoly in the market.

3. The revenues were not used for public purposes but were used for fortifying the British settlements and expanding them.

4. The company gained influence in political matters and abused this influence to benefit their trade.

Rani Lakshmi Bai was the wife of the deceased King of Jhansi who led in the First War of Independence of India from Jhansi and Gwalior. She led her forces from Jhansi and Gwalior and fought the British against their policies. She was killed in battle and has a memorial in Gwalior. She was born into a Maratha family and was married to the King of Gwalior Gangadhar Rao.

Poem: “Chamak uthi san sattavan mein, woh talwar purani thi, Bundele harbolon ke munh humne suni kahani thi, Khoob ladi mardani woh toh Jhansi wali rani thi”.

Subsidiary Alliance was one of the plans undertaken by the British East India company after the Battle of Buxar to consolidate its position in India. As per this alliance:

1. The English East India Company became the Guardian of the State.

2. The King’s activities were restricted and monitored by a British Resident in the Royal Court.

3. The Armed Forces of Indian Rulers were placed under British Rule.

4. No other European nation could be granted shelter or privileges other than the British by the Kings.

5. The Kings paid the British East India Company for protecting their territories.

6. The company could annex the territories of the King on failure of payment for the protection.

 The differences between the administration of the Company and Indian rulers were as follows:

1. The British territories were divided into Presidencies but Indian territories were divided into Districts, Parganas, Tehsils and Villages.

2. The British territories had a Governor whereas Indian territories were headed by Zamindars.

3. The British had the Governor-General as the supreme authority as compared to Kings in the Indian administration.

4. The Civil and Criminal Court was the same in India prior to the British. The British separated the Criminal and Civil Courts in India.

The British maintained their own army parallel to the armies of the rulers in India. Following were the features of the British army in India:

1. They were recruited from common people and trained thereafter.

2. They were disciplined as per European norms.

3. They were armed with muskets and matchlocks and moved on foot.

4. There were no caste and community feelings among the soldiers.

5. They were known as the Sepoy Army.

The city of Calcutta was the centre of British rule in India and was the capital city of the British. The Europeans lived in highly serviced areas and well-developed cities. The Indians lived in unplanned villages as before. The culture of Bungalows and Clubs was brought to Calcutta by the Europeans and they played sports such as Golf, Cricket and Racing. The Drama theatres also evolved during this period. The architecture of the newly built structures was influenced from European styles and several buildings had Roman and Gothic appearances.