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History Optional PYQ Master Pack · Model answer

Underline the major considerations of the British imperial power that led to the annexation of Punjab.

  • UPSC 2017
  • British Expansion in India

Punjab's annexation on 2 April 1849, following Lord Dalhousie's victory in the Second Anglo-Sikh War, ended Sikh sovereignty roughly a decade after Maharaja Ranjit Singh's death — the product of several converging British considerations rather than any single motive.

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What the full answer covers

  • Strategic and Security Considerations
  • Prestige and the Legacy of Afghanistan
  • Commercial Considerations
  • The Immediate Pretext
  • Dalhousie's Personal Imperialism

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