Question

A well- organised state machinery was introduced for the first time by___________.
A) The Vedic Aryans
B) Alexander
C) The Guptas
D) The Mauryas

Answer 1

Hint: State machinery refers to a system of political, economic, legal and military administration under an empire/government. This includes a council of ministers, armed forces, government agencies, intelligence agencies and other enforcement agencies.

Complete answer:
Let us analyze the given options:
A) Incorrect answer - The Vedic Aryans belonged to nomadic tribes, they were mainly small units with few families. The head of every family was a political representative of that family. Thus, they did not have any well-established state machinery and therefore, this is not the correct answer.

B) Incorrect answer - The state machinery during the time of Alexander consisted of a large well-trained army but there were conflicting groups within the ranks of his administration. This led to his defeat by his own army. Therefore, this option is incorrect.

C) Incorrect answer - The state machinery under the Guptas was comparatively evolved from earlier dynasties. It had civil laws, criminal laws, local provincial administration, village administration, fiscal administration, etc. But, invasion of Huns and a series of weak rulers disintegrated the kingdom into regional kingdoms. These regional kingdoms practised hereditary rule. Thus, this option is incorrect.

D) Correct answer - The Mauryan empire exercised its control over a vast region. It was the first empire to consolidate various territories into one ‘ Bharatvarsh’. The period of their rule witnessed encouragement in the setup of trade and industries, a pan India setup of tax administration, cultural unity, efficiency in overall (political, military, legal and administrative) management, increase in projects of infrastructure development and practice of diverse economic activities. Mauryans not only empowered the economic system but also successfully annexed new territories and expanded their kingdom. This was chiefly due to their organised state machinery. Therefore, this is the correct answer.

Thus the correct answer is option (D) The Mauryas.

Note: The society under the Mauryas was well organized. International trade ties developed with Europe during this period and many scholars visited India during the reign of Mauryas. Chandragupta Maurya and his grandson Ashoka were the most reformative rulers of the Mauryan dynasty. The book ‘Arthashastra’ by Kautilya gives a detailed glimpse into the well-organized state machinery of the Mauryas.