The growth of the Scindia and Holkar dynasties was a clear sign of “regional militarization.” To manage vast conquered lands, the Peshwas granted these families the right to raise private armies and collect local taxes. This created powerful, self-sustaining regional military states within the empire, each with its own foreign policy, European military advisors and distinct territorial interests. ANSWER: (B) Encouraged regional militarization
The rise of powerful Maratha houses like Scindia and Holkar indicates that the confederacy— (A) Strengthened imperial unity (B) Encouraged regional militarization (C) Prevented British expansion (D) Reduced revenue extraction
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The Maratha Confederacy functioned as a system of decentralized military power. As families like the Scindias and Holkars gained “Saranjams” (land grants), they invested heavily in their own military infrastructure. They hired French and British mercenaries to train elite infantry and established independent weapons foundries. This regional militarization made the empire territorially massive but politically fragile. While it allowed for rapid expansion, it shifted the focus of power from the central authority in Pune to the individual military camps of the sardars, leading to internal competition for resources.