O-Level History and Culture of Pakistan Paper 1 The British Arrival and Expansion

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Introduction: Some of the British Merchant’s sought permission from the Queen Elizabeth 1 to trade with India and started their trade in 1612. Their first post had been established at Surat in 1908.

Slowly the influence grew. In 1664, trading post established in Bombay. 1690 post in Calcutta. By end of the 17th Century, EIC was thinking how to lay a permanent British Hold over India.

Expansionism: The rule of 3.

British used Divide and rule policy to rule and capture India. They used further 3 methods to capture over India:

1. Direct Wars: fought with Hyder Ali and Tipu Sulatn of Mysore notably. Also with Nawab Siraj and Mir Qasim.

2. Subsidiary Alliances: These were the alliances made with local princes. According to the terms, the real matters of the land were given in hand of British in return of British protection and money. Furthermore the ruler could stay on throne though only as a British puppet. In this British was able to reinforce its control over India.

3. Doctrine of Lapse: The law stating that all rulers under the terms of subsidiary alliances if do not have any natural male heir then after their death the land will belong to British. One of the affected was Rani of Jhansi who later played an important role in the War of Independence 1857.

Battle of Plessey:

The French encouraged the Nawab of Bengal to attack the EIC base at Calcutta. Further more the Fortification of British post on Calcutta was also against agreement with the Nawab of Bengal and so Siraj-ud-Daulah marched over Calcutta and seized Fort William and locked the British residents in a small room. 23 out of 65 people died and so Battle of Plessey began. Robert Clive succeeded in defeating Siraj by bribing one of his key men Mir Jaffer. Jafar was made the new Nawab of Bengal and Bengal came under EIC’s rule.

Assault on Afghanistan:

The British were threatened about Russia seeking to expand its terrirory. In 1939, Briitsh invaded Afghanistan and installed its own puppet ruler, however the British army could not face the difficult terrain of Afghanistan as well as the locals and soon within Two years the Afghan’s rebelled and massacred the British force. Out of 4000 soldiers, only one doctor from Kabul survived and reported the incident.

The Annexation of Sindh:

In 1843 The British pride was hurt by the invasion in Afghanistan and decided to attack on Sindh under Sir Charles Napier to restore their Pride among Muslims and to capture the important Route through Bolan pass. Even in Britain many people condemned Napier’s action for they had broken a friendship treaty with the Amirs of Sindh.

The Capture of Punjab:

The British now turned to Punjab threatened by the increasing power of Ranjit Singh and now to capture the trade route over Indus River and Khyber Pass. The Sikhs were worried also and so they attacked on British controlled India in 1845, First Sikh War. Their main army was destroyed. Finally in 1848-9 Second Sikh War, the Sikh army was destroyed and so the British took over Punjab. The NWFP also came under British rule with Capture of Punjab.