Question

Why did the second Anglo-Mysore war take place?
A) British attacked Hyder Ali province
B) British did not help Hyder Ali against marathas
C) Marathas were in a strong position
D) None of these

Answer 1

Hint:The Treaty of Madras signed between Hyder Ali and British was an important one. But the British cheated on the treaty and paid heed to their interests.

Complete answer:
Marathas were the common point of contention between the Britishers and Haider Ali. Hence to fight against a common enemy they signed the Treaty of Madras but in 1771 when Marathas invaded Mysore, the Brtishers did not help Hyder and also captured the French port of Mahe which was of great strategic importance to Hyder Ali.Now let's take a look on the options:-

British attacked Hyder Ali province -British did attack the territory of Hyder Ali but it was not the immediate cause for the war.Therefore this is an incorrect option.
British did not help Haider Ali against Marathas - After the British betrayed Hyder Ali in lieu of the 1771 Treaty of Madras , he attacked the Britishers hence this is the correct option.
Marathas were in a strong position-Marathas were in a strong position but it was not a significant reason for the second Anglo-Mysore war therefore this is an incorrect option.
None of these - as option B) is the correct option therefore this is an incorrect option.

Therefore, the correct answer is option B) British did not help Haider Ali against marathas.

Note:After facing tough resistance from the South, British ultimately ended their control over most of South India and ignored to fiddle in the internal conflicts and waited for the right opportunity to attack . They were successful in defeating Tipu Sultan in the subsequent battles.