Chapter 2 of 25

Tamil Nadu (TNBSE)Class 8 Social Studies★ 5-8 marks in the TN Class 8 annual exam through book-back MCQs, fill-ups and short answers

From Trade to Territory

Samacheer Kalvi (TN State Board) Class 8 Social Science — History Chapter 2, From Trade to Territory. How the English East India Company turned from a trading body into a ruling power — the Battle of Plassey (1757) and Buxar (1764), Robert Clive and the Diwani of Bengal, and the policies of expansion (Subsidiary Alliance and Doctrine of Lapse). Notes with the actual book-back questions, common mistakes and quick revision.

⏱ 16 min readMedium difficulty✓ Free · NCERT-aligned

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By the end of this chapter you'll be able to…

1Describe the Battle of Plassey and its results
2Explain the Battle of Buxar and the grant of Diwani
3State the conditions of the Subsidiary Alliance
4Explain the Doctrine of Lapse with examples
5Recall key dates (1757, 1764, 1765, 1798)

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Why this chapter matters

From Trade to Territory explains the turning point when the East India Company became a ruling power. The Battles of Plassey and Buxar, the Diwani and the policies of Subsidiary Alliance and Doctrine of Lapse are directly tested book-back content in the TN Class 8 exam.

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A 5-minute refresher here will save you 30 minutes of confusion below.

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Chapter 1 — Advent of the Europeans

Coming of the Company.

From Trade to Territory — Class 8 Social Science (Samacheer Kalvi)

TN State Board (Samacheer Kalvi) Class 8 Social Science, History — Chapter 2. How a company of traders became the ruler of India.

1. About this lesson

This lesson traces how the English East India Company changed from a trading company into a territorial power through the Battles of Plassey and Buxar and the policies of annexation.

2. The Battle of Plassey (1757)

Fought on 23 June 1757 between the Company's army under Robert Clive and Siraj-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal.
The Nawab lost partly because his commander Mir Jafar betrayed him. Mir Jafar was then made Nawab.
The Company gained enormous wealth and the right to free trade in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, plus the zamindari of the 24 Parganas.

3. The Battle of Buxar (1764) and the Diwani

Mir Qasim, who became Nawab after Mir Jafar, revolted because the British misused the dastaks (free duty passes).
At Buxar (1764) the combined forces of Mir Qasim, the Nawab of Awadh and the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II were defeated.
By the Treaty of Allahabad (1765) the Company got the Diwani (the right to collect revenue) of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa — real power passed to the Company.

4. Policies of expansion

Subsidiary Alliance — introduced by Lord Wellesley (1798). An Indian ruler had to keep a British army in his state and pay for it; in return the British "protected" him. Failure to pay meant loss of territory.
Doctrine of Lapse — introduced by Lord Dalhousie. If a ruler died without a natural heir, his state was annexed (an adopted heir was not recognised). States like Jhansi, Satara and Nagpur were taken this way.

5. Worked examples

Example 1. Who led the English at the Battle of Plassey? Robert Clive.

Example 2. Who introduced the Subsidiary Alliance? Lord Wellesley.

Example 3. What did the Company gain after Buxar? The Diwani (revenue rights) of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.

6. Book-back questions (Samacheer Kalvi)

I. Choose the correct answer

The Battle of Plassey was fought in — (a) 1757 / (b) 1764. Ans: (a) 1757.
The English commander at Plassey was — (a) Robert Clive / (b) Wellesley. Ans: (a) Robert Clive.
The Subsidiary Alliance was introduced by — (a) Lord Wellesley / (b) Dalhousie. Ans: (a) Lord Wellesley.
The Doctrine of Lapse was introduced by — (a) Clive / (b) Lord Dalhousie. Ans: (b) Lord Dalhousie.
The Company got the Diwani of Bengal after the Battle of — (a) Plassey / (b) Buxar. Ans: (b) Buxar.

II. Fill in the blanks 6. The Nawab who was betrayed at Plassey was Siraj-ud-Daulah. 7. Mir Qasim revolted over the misuse of dastaks. 8. By the Treaty of Allahabad (1765) the Company received the Diwani.

III. Answer briefly 9. What were the conditions of the Subsidiary Alliance? 10. What was the Doctrine of Lapse?

7. Common mistakes

Mistake: Mixing up Plassey and Buxar. Fix: Plassey (1757) brought wealth and trade rights; Buxar (1764) brought the Diwani.
Mistake: Crediting Clive with the Doctrine of Lapse. Fix: The Doctrine of Lapse was introduced by Lord Dalhousie, not Clive.
Mistake: Thinking the Subsidiary Alliance protected Indian rulers. Fix: It made them dependent — they lost their army and revenue to the British.

8. Quick revision

History Ch 2 · trade to territory.
Plassey (1757): Clive defeats Siraj-ud-Daulah (Mir Jafar's betrayal) → wealth + free trade.
Buxar (1764): defeat of Mir Qasim + Shah Alam II → Diwani by Treaty of Allahabad (1765).
Subsidiary Alliance (Wellesley, 1798); Doctrine of Lapse (Dalhousie) → annexation of Jhansi, Satara, Nagpur.

Key formulas & results

Everything you need to memorise, in one card. Screenshot this for revision.

Battle of Plassey

1757 · Clive vs Siraj-ud-Daulah · Mir Jafar's betrayal

Wealth + free trade.

Battle of Buxar

1764 · Mir Qasim + Shah Alam II defeated

Diwani by Treaty of Allahabad (1765).

Subsidiary Alliance

Wellesley, 1798 · keep & pay for British army

Loss of territory if unpaid.

Doctrine of Lapse

Dalhousie · no natural heir → annexed

Jhansi, Satara, Nagpur.

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Common mistakes & fixes

These are the exact errors that cost students marks in board exams. Read them once, save yourself the trouble.

WATCH OUT

✗ Mixing up Plassey and Buxar

✓ Plassey (1757) brought wealth and trade rights; Buxar (1764) brought the Diwani.

WATCH OUT

✗ Crediting Clive with the Doctrine of Lapse

✓ The Doctrine of Lapse was introduced by Lord Dalhousie, not Clive.

WATCH OUT

✗ Thinking the Subsidiary Alliance protected Indian rulers

✓ It made them dependent — they lost their army and revenue to the British.

NCERT exercises (with solutions)

Every NCERT exercise from this chapter — what it covers and how many questions to expect.

Choose the correct answer

Book-back MCQs on Plassey, Clive, the alliances and the Diwani.

Questions

Fill in the blanks

Siraj-ud-Daulah, Mir Qasim and Allahabad.

Questions

Answer briefly

Subsidiary Alliance conditions, Doctrine of Lapse.

Questions

Practice problems

Try each one yourself before tapping "Show solution". Active recall > rereading.

Q1EASY· MCQ

The Battle of Plassey was fought in the year ____.

▶ Show solution

1757.

Q2EASY· MCQ

The Subsidiary Alliance was introduced by ____.

▶ Show solution

Lord Wellesley.

Q3EASY· MCQ

The Company got the Diwani of Bengal after the Battle of ____.

▶ Show solution

Buxar (1764).

Q4EASY· Fill in the blanks

The Doctrine of Lapse was introduced by ____.

▶ Show solution

Lord Dalhousie.

Q5MEDIUM· Answer briefly

What were the conditions of the Subsidiary Alliance?

▶ Show solution

The Indian ruler had to keep a British army in his state and pay for its upkeep, give up an independent foreign policy, and accept a British Resident. If he failed to pay, part of his territory was taken; in return the British 'protected' him — making him a dependent.

Q6MEDIUM· Answer briefly

What was the Doctrine of Lapse?

▶ Show solution

A policy of Lord Dalhousie under which a state whose ruler died without a natural heir was annexed by the British, as adopted heirs were not recognised — e.g. Jhansi, Satara and Nagpur.

5-minute revision

The whole chapter, distilled. Read this the night before the exam.

•History Chapter 2 of Samacheer Kalvi Class 8 Social Science.
•Plassey (1757): Clive defeats Siraj-ud-Daulah after Mir Jafar's betrayal → wealth and free trade.
•Buxar (1764): defeat of Mir Qasim and Shah Alam II → Diwani by Treaty of Allahabad (1765).
•Subsidiary Alliance (Wellesley, 1798): keep and pay for a British army.
•Doctrine of Lapse (Dalhousie): no natural heir → state annexed.
•States annexed by Lapse: Jhansi, Satara, Nagpur.

Tamil Nadu (TNBSE) marks blueprint

Where the marks come from in this chapter — so you can plan your prep.

Typical chapter weightage: 5-8 marks across book-back MCQ, fill-ups and short answers

Question type	Marks each	Typical count	What it tests
MCQ / Fill	1	3-5	Dates, battles, governors
Short Answer	2-3	1-2	Subsidiary Alliance, Doctrine of Lapse
Application	2	1	How trade became territory

Prep strategy

Separate the two battles and their results
Memorise dates 1757, 1764, 1765, 1798
Pair Wellesley with Subsidiary Alliance, Dalhousie with Lapse
List the states annexed by the Doctrine of Lapse

Where this shows up in the real world

This chapter isn't just an exam topic — it lives in the world around you.

Understanding empire

Shows how a trading firm became a colonial government.

Causes of 1857

These annexation policies fuelled the Great Revolt.

Civics link

Explains why revenue and the army matter to political power.

Exam strategy

Battle-tested tips from teachers and toppers for this chapter.

State the year and result of each battle
Quote the Treaty of Allahabad for the Diwani
Pair the policy with its governor-general
Name the states lost to the Doctrine of Lapse

Going beyond the textbook

For olympiad aspirants and curious learners — topics that build on this chapter.

Explain how the misuse of dastaks led to the Battle of Buxar.
Argue whether the Doctrine of Lapse was a cause of the 1857 Revolt.

Where else this chapter is tested

CBSE board isn't the only one — other exams test this chapter too.

TN Class 8 Annual ExamHigh

TNPSC Foundation / HistoryMedium

School unit testsHigh

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Questions students ask

The real ones — pulled from the Q&A community and tutor sessions.

Plassey gave the Company wealth and trade rights, but Buxar gave it the Diwani — the legal right to collect revenue from Bengal, Bihar and Orissa — which turned it into the real ruling power.

The Subsidiary Alliance made rulers militarily and financially dependent, and the Doctrine of Lapse let the British annex states without heirs — together they steadily absorbed Indian kingdoms without constant war.

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