British Raj & British Expansion in India

1) Expansion: a clear structural map (not just events)

British expansion is best understood through four mechanisms:

1. Battlefield victory (military conquest)
2. Treaty-based subordination (indirect control)
3. Revenue capture (turning territory into taxable base)
4. Institution-building (courts, police, bureaucracy, army)

This is exactly how CUET statement questions are framed: “Which measures strengthened British control?”

2) The Company’s transformation: trader → sovereign

A trading company becomes a sovereign because:

• it acquires the right to:
  • collect revenue
  • maintain armies
  • administer justice
• it increasingly behaves like a state:
  • diplomacy, war-making, taxation.

3) Key expansion policies (most asked content)

Subsidiary Alliance (indirect rule)

Core features:

• Indian ruler accepts British troops
• pays subsidy or cedes territory
• foreign policy restricted
• Resident posted