Question 75

The Subsidiary Alliance system was a key policy instrument used by Lord Wellesley (Governor-General of India from 1798-1805) to extend British influence and control over Indian princely states without direct annexation. The primary objectives of this system were:

• To maintain a large standing army at other's expense (A): Indian rulers who entered the alliance had to maintain a British contingent at their own cost, relieving the Company of the financial burden.
• To keep India safe from Napoleonic danger (B): A major strategic aim was to counter the perceived threat of Napoleon's influence in the East by securing British control over Indian states and preventing their alignment with any rival European power.
• To establish British paramountcy over the Indian States (D): The system effectively stripped Indian rulers of their independent foreign policy, disarmed their own armies, and placed them under British military protection, thereby establishing British dominance.

The option C) To secure a fixed income for the Company does not primarily apply to the Subsidiary Alliance system as its direct objective. While the Company derived financial benefits from the payments for the subsidiary force, and defaulted payments often led to annexation (which then generated revenue), the direct purpose of the alliance was strategic control and military security, not securing a 'fixed income' in the sense of a general revenue stream from the states themselves through this agreement. The payments were for services rendered (maintenance of troops), not a tribute or direct tax in the sense of a fixed income from the territory.