CH.
11 NEW POLITICAL FORMATIONS
Q1.Name any three regional powers which rose in the 18th century.
Ans. Bengal, Hyderabad and Awadh were three of the regional powers
which rose in the 18th century.
Q2 Give an account of the rise of Bengal in 18thcentury.
Ans. Murshid Quli Khan was the governor of Bengal from A.D. 1717 to
1727 .Later on, he became an independent ruler and shifted his capital
from Dhaka to Murshidabad. He was succeeded by Shuja -ud-daula
(1727-1739 A.D.) and then Ali Vardi Khan (1739-1756A.D.)
Q3.How did the Sikhs rise to power in the 18th century.
Ans. After the death of Guru Gobind Singh, the leadership of the Sikhs
passed into the hands of Banda Bahadur .Banda was captured and
executed by the Mughal ruler Farrukh Siyar in 1716 .Later on the Sikhs
organized themselves into 12 misls which were loyal to the various
leaders.
Towards the end of the eighteenth century Ranjeet Singh of the
Sukerchakiya Musl brought the area west of Sutlej under his control
and established a Sikh Kingdom on the eastern side of the Sutlej.
There were Sikh principalities of Patiala, Nabha and Kapurthala.
Q4. Give any three causes of the decline of the Rajput power after the
death of Aurangzeb
Ans. Rajput declined after the death of Aurangzeb due to the following
reasons-
A Rajputs were always involved in petty quarrels among themselves
and did not organize and unite themselves into a single Kingdom
B. The loss of Royal patronage of the Mughals during Aurangzeb’s reign
led to their decline.
C. The rise of Marathas and the Jats reduced the power of the Rajputs
leading to their decline.
Q.V Answer the following questions-
1. Why were the provincial kingdoms always engaged in wars?
Ans The governors of different provinces harbored ambitions of
becoming independent .They suppressed the local zamindars to expand
their territories. They also dismissed the old zamindars and appointed
new ones who were loyal to them .They always felt threatened by
neighboring kingdoms and looked for more territorial acquisition .They
felt that constant expansion would augment their power and prestige
Due to all these reasons these newly found independent kingdoms
were always engaged in wars.
2. Throw some light on the character and achievements of Tipu Sultan.
Ans. Tipu Sultan was a great ruler and enable administrator. He served
his people well and was loved by his subjects to give encouragement to
trade and industry which flourished. He also gave various facilities to
farmers. Foreign historians have attached to the prosperity of his
Kingdom with green fields and happy industrious people living in towns.
Tipu introduced a new series of weight and measures, a new calendar
and a new system of coinage. He was greatly inspired by the French
revolution and organized his army on French lines. He equipped his
army with modern guns. He never compromised with the British and
never sided with them against any native ruler. He was a far-sighted
ruler, a statesman who was tolerant towards all religions. Due to his
bravery he is referred to as The Tiger of Mysore. He was also well
versed in literature and learning of his age.
Answer the following questions-
1. Why did the Marathas fail to find a strong and stable political
power to replace the Mughals?
Ans. The Marathas could not replace the Mughal Empire because of
several weaknesses.
a. They were weakened by the mutual rivalries and quarrels and the
Maratha chiefs often fought against each other.
B They conquered a vast area from Attock to Cuttack but could not
consolidate their control over it.
c. Their policy of plundering the Hindu states of Northern India
alienated them from the Rajputs, Jats and Sikhs.
d. Their policy of forcible collection of chauth and sardeshmukhi
earned them many foes.
e. The Maratha army was not very well versed in fighting though
they were very efficient in Guerilla warfare.
F .Their army was not well organized and well equipped.
g. They did nothing to promote agriculture trade and industry. They
were not able administrators or efficient rulers and failed to win the
confidence and sympathy of the subjects.
h. They failed to transform the Maratha state into a modern vibrant
state,able to challenge the British.
