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Do you think Indian princes were short-sighted in their approach to events of 1757?

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Indian rulers’ perspectives on the events of 1757 were limited. They seem to be short-sighted in the matter of their approach to current political events. They only considered the short-term advantages, while failing to perceive the ill intentions of the British rulers and comprehend the long-term consequences they would have to face in the future. As a result, the Britishers gradually rose to the position of virtual rulers by gaining the trust of local kings and assisting them in winning minor conflicts with rival kingdoms.

Indian Princes Short-sighted Approach to Events of 1757

The Indian Princes were short-sighted in their approach to the events of 1757 in the following manner:

  1. The Indian princes have fought against each other at regular intervals of time.
  2. Indian princes have taken the help of the British and East India Company for fighting against each other.
  3. The policy of Divide and Rule was used by the East India Company and Indian rulers have failed in realizing the same.
  4. The Indian princes haven’t realized the use of various techniques bu East India Company by the usage of various means as well as methods for achieving the goal of supremacy in India

In the nineteenth century, the British East India Company, a trading company came to India for business. The time when the company entered India was the time when the Mughal Empire was on its decline. due to a lack of centralization of powers and internal conflicts, the internal condition of the Mughal Empire was already bad. there were conflicts over power. which led to the increase of regional powers, it was a suitable condition for the British and led to facing less resistance, and they quickly managed to gain power in subcontinents.  

The other precondition was how powers were constituted. Instead of focusing on broader political and economic situations, the empire was solely concerned with gaining revenue from taxes collected by Jagir and didn’t care much about merchants or the Ocean. On the other hand, the company was attempting to gain power in order to control trade under their terms.

The other problem was that there was a lack of centralization of power and the empire was divided into small princely states. There were conflicts between these states and they were keen to defeat each other. Which made it easy for the company to use them for its benefits.

Subduing Indian Princes

The East India Company expanded its operations in India in order to promote its trade. At that time, the Indian princes were constantly at odds with one another. All they care about was defeating the rival state and taking control over it. They were so busy winning such small battles that they ignored the consequences they might have to face in the long run. They joined hands with the English merchants to fight their rivals, while the Britishers were already seeking a chance to expand their powers. Through this rivalry, the East India Company was able to gradually establish influence over the people and subdue the Indian princes one by one.

Divide and Rule Policy

The East India Company used the policy of Divide and rule. First, they expanded their support to the Indian kings by winning small battles and later took over their kingdoms. In the name of helping them, the company plotted one king against another. While the princes were busy battling with each other, the company was expanding its powers by subduing the small regional states.

So far it can only be said that it was the short-sightedness of Indian Princes, which led the British India Company to take benefit out of it. the British would have had difficulty capturing territory in India if the princely kingdoms had maintained their unity and cooperation. Because of this, the East India Company was able to simply either defeat them or force them to agree to their terms.

Related Links

  1. The merger of Princely States
  2. East India Company in India
  3. Governor Generals of British
  4. Policies of British Rulers which Led to Exploitation

FAQs on Indian Princes Short-sighted Approach to Events of 1757

Q1. Why were Indian princes called short-sighted?

Answer-

The Indian princes were referred to as short-sighted as they thought taking the help of the British would help them in defeating their fellow Indian rulers and this led to their cheating.

Q2. How did the East India Company subdue the Indian Princes?

Answer-

The East India Company tried to subdue the Indian Princes through the policy of “divide and rule”.

Q3. Who helped the English East India Company to defeat Indian princes?

Answer-

The English merchants helped the English merchants for fighting their counterparts.


Last Updated : 21 Jan, 2024
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