CSS Pakistan Affairs Optional History Decline of Muslim Power and British Ascendancy (1707-1857) Flashcards

24 sample cards from the Decline of Muslim Power and British Ascendancy (1707-1857) deck

Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.

1. What was the 'Permanent Settlement' of 1793, and who introduced it?

   A land-revenue system introduced by Lord Cornwallis in Bengal fixing zamindars as landowners with a permanently fixed revenue obligation to the Company.

2. What administrative reform did Lord Cornwallis introduce regarding the civil service?

   He reorganized and 'Europeanized' the civil service, excluding Indians from higher posts and separating revenue and judicial functions to curb corruption.

3. Which 1813 and 1833 measures opened India to Christian missionaries and increased British control over the Company?

   The Charter Acts of 1813 (allowed missionaries, ended trade monopoly except tea/China) and 1833 (centralized administration under a Governor-General of India).

4. What was the impact of Macaulay's 1835 Education Minute on Indian administration?

   It made English the medium of higher education and official business, promoting Western learning and sidelining traditional Persian and Arabic education, harming the Muslim elite.

5. Who founded the Jihad (Mujahideen) movement of the early 19th century in north-west India?

   Syed Ahmad Barelvi (Syed Ahmad Shaheed of Rae Bareli), 1786-1831.

6. Who was Shah Ismail Shaheed in relation to Syed Ahmad Barelvi's movement?

   A grandson of Shah Waliullah and the chief lieutenant and ideologue of Syed Ahmad Barelvi; author of Taqwiyat-ul-Iman.

7. Against whom was the jihad of Syed Ahmad Barelvi primarily directed, and in which region?

   Primarily against Sikh rule under Ranjit Singh in the North-West Frontier and Punjab region, to establish an Islamic state.

8. In which 1831 battle were Syed Ahmad Barelvi and Shah Ismail killed?

   The Battle of Balakot, where Sikh forces defeated the Mujahideen.

9. Who founded the Faraizi Movement and where?

   Haji Shariatullah, in Bengal (East Bengal), in the early 19th century.

10. What does the term 'Faraizi' mean and what was the movement's core aim?

    Derived from 'faraid' (obligatory duties); it called Muslims to perform their obligatory religious duties and abandon un-Islamic practices and Hindu customs.

11. Who led the Faraizi Movement after Haji Shariatullah and gave it a political-organizational structure?

    His son Muhsin-ud-Din Ahmad, known as Dudu Miyan, who organized peasants against oppressive Hindu zamindars and British indigo planters.

12. How did the Faraizi Movement combine religious reform with social-economic struggle?

    It mobilized Muslim peasants against the exploitation of Hindu landlords and European planters, linking religious revival to defense of peasant rights.

13. By what name is the 1857 uprising known in nationalist and British terminologies respectively?

    The 'War of Independence' (or First War of Independence) in nationalist terms, and the 'Sepoy Mutiny' or 'Indian Mutiny' in British terms.

14. Name three categories of causes generally given for the 1857 uprising.

    Political (annexations, Doctrine of Lapse), economic (heavy revenue, decline of artisans), and religious/social (fear of conversion, interference in customs); plus the military grievances of the sepoys.

15. What immediate incident is said to have sparked the 1857 uprising among sepoys?

    The introduction of the Enfield rifle cartridges greased with cow and pig fat, offensive to both Hindu and Muslim soldiers, who had to bite them open.

16. Where and with whom did the military revolt of 1857 begin?

    At Meerut in May 1857, when sepoys mutinied and then marched to Delhi.

17. Who was proclaimed the symbolic leader of the 1857 uprising at Delhi?

    Bahadur Shah Zafar (Bahadur Shah II), the last Mughal emperor, declared 'Emperor of Hindustan' by the rebels.

18. Name three major centres of the 1857 uprising besides Delhi.

    Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, and Jhansi (others include Meerut, Bareilly, and Arrah).

19. Name two prominent leaders of the 1857 uprising other than Bahadur Shah Zafar.

    Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, Nana Sahib and Tantia Tope of Kanpur, and Begum Hazrat Mahal of Lucknow (any two).

20. State two main reasons for the failure of the 1857 uprising.

    Lack of unified leadership, central organization, and common aim; limited geographic spread; superior British resources, communications (telegraph, railways), and loyalty of some princes and regions.

21. What major constitutional change followed the suppression of the 1857 uprising?

    The East India Company's rule was abolished and India came under direct British Crown rule by the Government of India Act 1858 (the British Raj).

22. What did Queen Victoria's Proclamation of 1858 promise the Indian people?

    An end to further annexations and territorial expansion, respect for the rights of Indian princes, religious non-interference, and equal treatment of Indians in government service.

23. Why did the Muslim community suffer most in the aftermath of 1857?

    The British held Muslims chiefly responsible (Bahadur Shah Zafar being figurehead), so they faced reprisals, exclusion from services, economic ruin, and educational backwardness.

24. What long-term political response among Muslims emerged from the post-1857 repression?

    A movement of self-strengthening through modern education and political reconciliation, exemplified by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan's Aligarh Movement to rehabilitate Muslims.

What this deck covers

Decline of Muslim Power and British Ascendancy (1707-1857) flashcards FAQ