Eighteenth Century Political Formations

(Solutions)

Let’s Recall

1. Match the following:

Column A	Column B
Subadar	A revenue farmer
Faujdar	A high noble
Ijaradar	Provincial Governor
Misl	Maratha peasant warriors
Chauth	A Mughal military commander
Kunbis	A band of Sikh warriors
Umara	Tax levied by the Marathas

Answers:

Column A	Column B
Subadar	Provincial Governor
Faujdar	A Mughal military commander
Ijaradar	A revenue farmer
Misl	A bank of Sikh warriors
Chauth	Tex levied by Marathas
Kunbis	Maratha peasant worriors
Umara	A high noble

2. Fill in the blanks:

(a) Aurangzeb fought a protracted war in the ____________________.

Answer: Aurangzeb fought a protracted war in the Deccan
(b) Umara and jagirdars constituted powerful sections of the Mughal __________________.

Answer: Umara and jagirdars constituted powerful sections of the Mughal administration

(c) Asaf Jah was given charge of the Deccan subadari in _____________________.

Answer: Asaf Jah was given charge of the Deccan subadari in 1724
(d) The founder of the Awadh nawabi was ______________________.

Answer: The founder of the Awadh nawabi was Burhan-ul-mulk-Sa’adat Khan.

(e) Under Ranjit Dev Jammu was called ______

Answer: Under Ranjit Dev Jammu was called 'Abode of peace.
3. State whether true or false:
(a) Nadir Shah invaded Bengal.

Answer: False
(b) Sawai Raja Jai Singh was the ruler of Indore.

Answer: False
(c) Guru Gobind Singh was the tenth Guru of the Sikhs.

Answer: True
(d) Poona became the capital of the Marathas in the eighteenth century.

Answer: True
4. What were the offices held by Sa‘adat Khan?
Answer: Sa‘adat Khan held the combined offices of subadari, diwani and faujdari.

5. Write down the achievements of Ranjit Dev? 

Answer: Ranjit Dev (1733-1782) was a man of great ability and administrative talent. He established his supermacy over all the twenty two hill principalities between Ravi and Chenab. Rangit Dev established peace and prosperity in his kingdom. Under him Jammu came to be known as 'Abode of peace'.

6. Write down the achievements of King Nima Namgyal. 

Answer: King Nima Namgyal (1694-1720) occupies a special place among the Kings of Ladakh. His re-organisation of judiciary resulted into a sharp decline of crime, such as robbery and theft. In cultural field, the King encouraged printing and many printing blocks of some devotional works were carved during his period. He also erected many images of Buddha. 

Let’s discuss

7. Why did the Nawabs of Awadh and Bengal try to do away with the jagirdari system?
Answer: Nawabs of Awadh and Bengal try to do away with the jagirdari system in order to:

1. Decrease the influence of Mughal in their provinces.
2. Reduced the size of jagirs, and appointed own loyal servants to vacant positions. 
3. Prevent cheating and corruption.

8. How were the Sikhs organised in the eighteenth century?
Answer:

1. The Sikhs organized themselves into a number of bands called jathas, and later on misls under a number of able leaders.
2. The combined forces of Sikhs known as the grand army (dal khalsa) used to meet at Amritsar at the time of Baisakhi and Diwali to take collective decisions.
3. They offered protection to the cultivators on the payment of a tax of 20 per cent of the produce called rakhi.
4. Guru Gobind Singh had inspired the Khalsa with the belief that their destiny was to rule.

9. Why did the Marathas want to expand beyond the Deccan?
Answer: Marathas want to expand beyond the Deccan as expansion brought enormous resources. The domination made to pay tribute as a way of accepting Maratha sovereignty. Military campaigns also made other rulers hostile towards the Marathas. The Marathas developed an effective administrative system by endless military campaigns.

10. What were the policies adopted by Asaf Jah to strengthen his position?
Answer: Policies adopted by Asaf Jah to strengthen his position:

1. He already had full control over the political and financial administration of Deccan.
2. He gathered power in his hands by taking advantage of the turmoil in the Deccan and the competition amongst the court nobility.
3. He ruled quite independently without seeking any direction from Delhi or facing any interference.
4. Gradually, he became the actual ruler of that region.

11. Do you think merchants and bankers today have the kind of influence they had in the eighteenth century?
Answer: In today's world, merchants and bankers don't have the kind of influence they had in the eighteenth century. The idea of democracy changed the whole scenario. Everything from revenue share to the price in the market comes under a rule which is governed by the higher authorities chosen itself by people unlike in 18th century.

12. Did any of the kingdoms mentioned in this chapter develop in your state? If so, in what ways do you think life in the state would have been different in the eighteenth century from what it is in the twenty first century?

Answer: Yes, the Mughal kingdom during the reign of Akbar in 1586 annexed the Kashmir region. During Mughal rule Kashmir made much development in the arts and crafts. Mughals built many famous gardens here by virtue of which people got jobs. Overall Mughal rule gave boost to kashmiri arts, crafts, agriculture etc. The life of Kashmiri people have changed now quite a lot as it was during Mughal period. Now women enjoy equal rights as men. Educational status of Kashmiri people got also changed.