QUESTION 2
GS1
10 marks
Why did the armies of the British East India Company – mostly comprising of Indian soldiers – win consistently against the more numerous and better equipped armies of the then Indian rulers? Give reasons.
WRITE IN
7 min
150 words
What the examiner wants
Explain why Company armies of mostly Indian sepoys repeatedly beat larger Indian armies, focusing on organisation, discipline, finance and politics rather than just 'better weapons'.
Give reasonsAnswer exactly what the question asks.
Demand-wise check
- 1Military reasons: drill and discipline, regular pay, infantry tactics, artillery use, officer cadre≈35 words
- 2Financial and political reasons: revenue from Bengal, credit, diplomacy, subsidiary alliances, divisions among Indian rulers≈35 words
- 3Use battle examples (Plassey 1757, Buxar 1764, Anglo-Mysore and Anglo-Maratha wars)≈35 words
Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.
Answer plan
Paradox in one lineMilitary organisationMoney and logisticsPolitical disunity and diplomacyExamplesConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Saying 'superior weapons' when the question says Indian armies were better equipped
- Ignoring the role of steady pay and Bengal revenue in keeping sepoys loyal
Draw this
- Flow chart: Bengal revenue → regular pay → disciplined sepoy army → victories → more revenue
Value addition
- Battle evidenceAt Buxar (1764) the Company defeated the combined forces of Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daula and Shah Alam II, leading to the Diwani of Bengal in 1765.Treaty of Allahabad, 1765
- Key conceptWellesley's Subsidiary Alliance made Indian states pay for Company troops stationed in their territory, financing the army that later subdued them.Subsidiary Alliance system, 1798 onwards
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Monika Srivastava · AIR 16 · Page 5 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Akansh Dhull · AIR 3 · Page 21 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 5 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Akansh Dhull · AIR 3 · Page 5 ↗Same syllabus reference
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