2024
History of Modern India Notes
By Gaurav Kumar Singh
COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY: MASTERING MODERN INDIAN HISTORY WITH SPECTRUM, BIPIN CHANDRA,
LUCENT AND NCERT – YOUR ULTIMATE ONE-STOP REFERENCE
HISTORY OF MODERN INDIA:- This book covers all the facts which are present in NCERT, Bipin Chandra,
Spectrum and Lucent. After reading this there will be no need to refer any other book or notes of Indian Modern
History for UPSC, any State PSC or any other competitive exam.
, 2
Index
States in India in the 18th century 3
Socio-economic condition of the people 9
Arrival of Europeans in India 10
Expanding the company's business influence 12
British control over Bengal 13
Dual system of Bengal administration 14
Wars of Warren Hastings (1772-85) and Cornwallis (1786-93) 15
British expansion during the period of Lord Wellesley (1798- 1805) 15
Expansion during the period of Lord Hastings (1813-22) 17
Dalhousie's policy of acquisition (1848-56) 18
The British Empire in India: Economic Policies and Administrative Structure (1757- 1857) 19
Economic policies of the British in India: (1757 to 1857) 20
Administrative formation, social and cultural policy in British India 21
Social and cultural awakening in the first half of the 19th century 23
Revolt of 1857 25
Administrative changes after 1858 28
Economic impact of British rule 32
Nationalist Movement in India (1858-1905) 33
Religious and social reforms – after 1858 35
Nationalist Movement: Growth of Radical Nationalism (1905- 1918) 37
Partition of Bengal (Bang-Bhang) 38
Struggle for Swaraj 43
Struggle for Swaraj – Emergence of New Powers 46
Boycott of Simon Commission 48
National Movement during the Second World War 50
Major wars and treaties 54
, 3
States in India in the 18th century
→ The Mughal Empire started disintegrating in the 18th century.
→ Independent powers and semi-independent powers arose, such as Bengal, Awadh, Hyderabad and Mysore and
Maratha monarchy.
→ The British had to fight mainly with these forces to establish their dominance.
→ Awadh and Hyderabad can be called succession states.
→ There was no Mughal influence in the coastal areas of south-west, south-east and north-eastern India.
→ Political rights became decentralized in most of the states and due to this, chieftains, jagirdars and landlords
gained political and economic power.
→ Whatever disorder there was in administration and economy in the 18th century was the result of British
interference in the internal affairs of the states and the conquest campaigns conducted by them.
→ No state could successfully prevent the economic crisis that started in the 17th century.
→ These states did not allow internal trade to come to a standstill and also encouraged foreign trade, but did not
modernize the basic industrial and commercial infrastructure of their states.
Hyderabad and Karnataka:→
→ Nizam-ul-Mulk Asifjah established the Hyderabad state in 1724.
→ Nizam played an important role in removing the Sayyed brothers.
→ Nizam received the title of “Viceroy of Deccan”.
→ From 1720 to 1724 he was the minister of the empire.
→ After the death of the Nizam in 1748, Hyderabad became a victim of the same disruptive forces which were active
in Delhi.
→ Karnataka was a province of the Deccan Mughals and came under the control of the Nizam of Hyderabad.
→ The Naib Subedar of Karnataka, who was called the Nawab of Karnataka, freed himself from the control of the
Nawab of Deccan and made his position hereditary.
→ Nawab of Karnataka Saadat Ullah Khan made his nephew Dost Ali his successor without the approval of the
Nizam.
, 4
Bengal:→
→ Murshid Quli Khan was made the Subedar of Bengal in 1717, but he was actually the ruler there since 1700, when
he was made the Diwan of that place.
→ He quickly freed himself from central control and started ruling independently but regularly sent revenue to the
emperor.
→ A total of three rebellions took place during Murshid's rule —-
1. By Sitaram Rai, Uday Narayan and Ghulam Mohammad.
2. Shujaat Khan rebelled.
3. Revolt of Najat Khan.
→ After defeating all three, he gave their lands to his special Ramjeevan.
→ Murshid died in 1727.
→ After that his son-in-law Sujauddin ruled Bengal till 1739.
→ His son Sarfaraz Khan came in his place.
→ Ali Vardi Khan became Nawab by removing Sarfaraz in the same year.
→ Ali Vardi Khan did not allow the British and French to fortify his factories in Kolkata and Chandra Nagar.
→ The tendency of the British East India Company after 1707 was to use or threaten military power to get its
demands met.
→ The Nawab of Bengal could not anticipate the danger in time and did not pay any special attention to his army.
→ Fed up with the attacks of the Marathas, Ali Vardi Khan had to give them a large part of Orissa.
→ In 1756-57, the British East India Company waged a battle (Battle of Plassey) against Ali Vardi Khan's successor
Siraj-ud-Daula and defeated him.
Awadh:→
→ The founder of the autonomous state of Awadh was Saadat Khan Burhan-ul-Mulk. He was made the governor of
Awadh in 1727.
→ He had made the province his hereditary property.
→ He died in 1739.
→ He was replaced by his nephew Safdarjung.
History of Modern India Notes
By Gaurav Kumar Singh
COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY: MASTERING MODERN INDIAN HISTORY WITH SPECTRUM, BIPIN CHANDRA,
LUCENT AND NCERT – YOUR ULTIMATE ONE-STOP REFERENCE
HISTORY OF MODERN INDIA:- This book covers all the facts which are present in NCERT, Bipin Chandra,
Spectrum and Lucent. After reading this there will be no need to refer any other book or notes of Indian Modern
History for UPSC, any State PSC or any other competitive exam.
, 2
Index
States in India in the 18th century 3
Socio-economic condition of the people 9
Arrival of Europeans in India 10
Expanding the company's business influence 12
British control over Bengal 13
Dual system of Bengal administration 14
Wars of Warren Hastings (1772-85) and Cornwallis (1786-93) 15
British expansion during the period of Lord Wellesley (1798- 1805) 15
Expansion during the period of Lord Hastings (1813-22) 17
Dalhousie's policy of acquisition (1848-56) 18
The British Empire in India: Economic Policies and Administrative Structure (1757- 1857) 19
Economic policies of the British in India: (1757 to 1857) 20
Administrative formation, social and cultural policy in British India 21
Social and cultural awakening in the first half of the 19th century 23
Revolt of 1857 25
Administrative changes after 1858 28
Economic impact of British rule 32
Nationalist Movement in India (1858-1905) 33
Religious and social reforms – after 1858 35
Nationalist Movement: Growth of Radical Nationalism (1905- 1918) 37
Partition of Bengal (Bang-Bhang) 38
Struggle for Swaraj 43
Struggle for Swaraj – Emergence of New Powers 46
Boycott of Simon Commission 48
National Movement during the Second World War 50
Major wars and treaties 54
, 3
States in India in the 18th century
→ The Mughal Empire started disintegrating in the 18th century.
→ Independent powers and semi-independent powers arose, such as Bengal, Awadh, Hyderabad and Mysore and
Maratha monarchy.
→ The British had to fight mainly with these forces to establish their dominance.
→ Awadh and Hyderabad can be called succession states.
→ There was no Mughal influence in the coastal areas of south-west, south-east and north-eastern India.
→ Political rights became decentralized in most of the states and due to this, chieftains, jagirdars and landlords
gained political and economic power.
→ Whatever disorder there was in administration and economy in the 18th century was the result of British
interference in the internal affairs of the states and the conquest campaigns conducted by them.
→ No state could successfully prevent the economic crisis that started in the 17th century.
→ These states did not allow internal trade to come to a standstill and also encouraged foreign trade, but did not
modernize the basic industrial and commercial infrastructure of their states.
Hyderabad and Karnataka:→
→ Nizam-ul-Mulk Asifjah established the Hyderabad state in 1724.
→ Nizam played an important role in removing the Sayyed brothers.
→ Nizam received the title of “Viceroy of Deccan”.
→ From 1720 to 1724 he was the minister of the empire.
→ After the death of the Nizam in 1748, Hyderabad became a victim of the same disruptive forces which were active
in Delhi.
→ Karnataka was a province of the Deccan Mughals and came under the control of the Nizam of Hyderabad.
→ The Naib Subedar of Karnataka, who was called the Nawab of Karnataka, freed himself from the control of the
Nawab of Deccan and made his position hereditary.
→ Nawab of Karnataka Saadat Ullah Khan made his nephew Dost Ali his successor without the approval of the
Nizam.
, 4
Bengal:→
→ Murshid Quli Khan was made the Subedar of Bengal in 1717, but he was actually the ruler there since 1700, when
he was made the Diwan of that place.
→ He quickly freed himself from central control and started ruling independently but regularly sent revenue to the
emperor.
→ A total of three rebellions took place during Murshid's rule —-
1. By Sitaram Rai, Uday Narayan and Ghulam Mohammad.
2. Shujaat Khan rebelled.
3. Revolt of Najat Khan.
→ After defeating all three, he gave their lands to his special Ramjeevan.
→ Murshid died in 1727.
→ After that his son-in-law Sujauddin ruled Bengal till 1739.
→ His son Sarfaraz Khan came in his place.
→ Ali Vardi Khan became Nawab by removing Sarfaraz in the same year.
→ Ali Vardi Khan did not allow the British and French to fortify his factories in Kolkata and Chandra Nagar.
→ The tendency of the British East India Company after 1707 was to use or threaten military power to get its
demands met.
→ The Nawab of Bengal could not anticipate the danger in time and did not pay any special attention to his army.
→ Fed up with the attacks of the Marathas, Ali Vardi Khan had to give them a large part of Orissa.
→ In 1756-57, the British East India Company waged a battle (Battle of Plassey) against Ali Vardi Khan's successor
Siraj-ud-Daula and defeated him.
Awadh:→
→ The founder of the autonomous state of Awadh was Saadat Khan Burhan-ul-Mulk. He was made the governor of
Awadh in 1727.
→ He had made the province his hereditary property.
→ He died in 1739.
→ He was replaced by his nephew Safdarjung.
