Question

Was the India Act of 1784 the main reason why the British were able expand beyond Bengal between 1784 and 1850? Explain your answer.​

Answer 1

Answer:

India Act of 1784

• This made the position of Governor General a royal appointment. Lord

Cornwallis was appointed to this position in 1786.

• A Board of Control replaced the East India Company’s Board of

Directors, changing it from a trading concern to a sovereign body in

which the Crown had direct control of Bengal.

• A police system was developed to help in the administering of justice

and maintaining law and order.

Other reasons

• Lord Cornwallis introduced the Permanent Settlement in 1793 making zamindars of Bengal landowners, subject to their payment of a fixed sum to the British. In 1793 this amounted to some 10% of the total sum collected by the zamindars. The Permanent Settlement secured the financial interest of the East India Company and helped Bengal to become the wealthiest province in India, allowing the British to extend

their control.

• Local rulers were persuaded to sign subsidiary alliances by Lord Wellesley who became Governor General in 1798. The local ruler

continued to run their affairs while British soldiers offered protection. In

return for this protection the ruler paid towards the cost of the soldiers

and accepted a British resident adviser. This consolidated Britain’s

power in India at little cost and extended British control.

• The annexation of land. Hyderabad and Oudh accepted British

protection with a subsidiary alliance. Mysore, Oudh, Delhi and the

Marathas came under British control by the early nineteenth century,

followed shortly afterwards by Sindh and the Punjab.