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The Resident, in a princely state allied with the Company, was officially supposed to advise the ruler. James Mill, the philosopher, observed that the Resident was 'really king of the country'. What does this reveal about the subsidiary alliance system?
AIndian princes were unaffected by Residents
BBehind the formal sovereignty of the Indian ruler, real political power had been transferred to the British Resident — a covert form of imperial control
CResidents were entirely powerless
DIndian rulers paid Residents to leave them alone
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. Behind the formal sovereignty of the Indian ruler, real political power had been transferred to the British Resident — a covert form of imperial control
The subsidiary alliance preserved the appearance of Indian sovereignty while quietly transferring real power to British 'Residents' attached to each princely court. Indian rulers retained the throne but lost the ability to make foreign policy or wage war, and increasingly lost domestic autonomy too. Mill's quote captures this neatly: the formal monarch remained, but the British Resident effectively decided things behind the scenes.
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