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GS History Modern India
Q.

Which among the following was/were the reasons for the decline of Mughal empire?

1. Wars of succession to throne

2. Weaknesses in Mughal military system

3. Recurrent peasant revolts

Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: The absence of law of primogeniture among the Mughals usually meant a war of succession among the sons of dying emperor in which the military leaders took sides. The princes of the royal dynasty receded to the background while the struggle was fought by leaders of rival factions using royal princes as nominal leaders.

Statement 2 is correct: There were inherent defects in the Mughal military system. The army was organised on feudal basis where the common soldier owed allegiance to the mansabdar rather than the Emperor. The soldier looked upon the mansabdar as his chief. The leaders of such armies changed sides constantly plotting to betray the Mughal kings.

Statement 3 is correct: Recurrent peasant revolts in the late seventeenth and the early eighteenth centuries are believed to have been a major cause of decline of the Mughal empire. An empire imposed from above and its gradually increasing economic pressures were never fully accepted by the rural society and the regional sentiments against a centralised power had also been there. As the weaknesses of the central power became apparent and the Mughal army faced successive debacles, and at the same time the oppression of the Mughal ruling class increased, resistance to imperial authority also became widespread and more resolute. In most cases, these rebellions were led by the disaffected local zamindars and backed fully by the oppressed peasantry. Eventually the combined pressure of the zamindars and peasants often proved to be too much for the Mughal authority to withstand.

Thus, Option D is Correct.

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