Question

Which of the following statement(s) regarding the British administration in India is/are correct?
1) The Policy of Ring Fence referred to the setting up of a ring buffer state.
2) The Subsidiary Alliance Policy was nothing but the diplomatic tactics of the British to extend the British supremacy in India.
A) Only 1
B) Only 2
C) Both 1 and 2
D) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer 1

Hint: Warren Hastings was the first governor-general of British India. He started the system of civil administration, which led to the foundation of Anglo-Indian security and prosperity. Hastings acquired a good education and attended Westminster. He initially worked as a clerk in the East India Company and reached Calcutta in October 1750.

Complete answer:
The Policy of Ring Fence was initiated against the Marathas and Mysore by Warren Hastings', with the purpose of creating buffer zones to guard the Company's frontiers. The main risk was from the Afghans and Maratha invaders. The policy of subsidiary alliance was applied following a policy of ring-fence, which bought and reduced states to a position that made them dependent on the British Government in India. Major Powers such as Awadh, Hyderabad, and the Marathas accepted a subsidiary alliance. This established the supremacy of the British in India. Warren Hastings adopted the policy of the Subsidiary Alliance to control the Indian rulers and to make the British the supreme power
So, the correct answer is Option C.

Note: The British East India Company started a war of a non-intervention policy to achieve political aspiration i.e. getting the Indian States under the orbit of British power. The Subsidiary Alliance System was a “Non-Intervention Policy” commenced by Lord Wellesley who was the Governor-General to set up the British Empire in India. According to this policy, rulers in India had to pay a subsidy for the maintenance of the British army.