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Chapter 10 discusses the impact of colonial rule in Bengal, including the establishment of the Permanent Revenue Settlement and its effects on the village economy, leading to crises among zamindars and the rise of jotedars. It highlights the struggles of agricultural producers under fixed revenue demands and the conflicts that arose, including the Santhal revolt. The chapter also details the role of Buchanan in documenting local resources and practices during this period.

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6 views

selfstudys_com_file

Chapter 10 discusses the impact of colonial rule in Bengal, including the establishment of the Permanent Revenue Settlement and its effects on the village economy, leading to crises among zamindars and the rise of jotedars. It highlights the struggles of agricultural producers under fixed revenue demands and the conflicts that arose, including the Santhal revolt. The chapter also details the role of Buchanan in documenting local resources and practices during this period.

Uploaded by

mmalathy89
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Chapter-10

Colonialism and the Countryside


• Bengal - Establishment of colonial rule - New land revenue, Auction system under Warren
Hastings - 1793, Permanent Revenue settlement in Bengal by Lord Cornwallis.
• Crises in village economy, revenue demand of the state was fixed.
• The rise of the Jotedars, their land was cultivated through share croppers.
• Resistance of Zamindars, their land was auctioned frequently.
• The fifth report -report submitted to British parliament 1813
• The Hoe and the Ploug - Shifting agriculture, expensive of village economy.
• Paharias -hunters food gathers connected with forests, invaded settled farmers 1770.
• Santhals - Settled in bangal- practiced cultivation land demarcated to them known as
Daman-i-koh.
• Conflicts with unsettled paharias -1850 - they resisted the British - Santhal revolt.
• Revolt in the Bombey and Deccan - 1875
• Burning of account book of money lenders and shop keepers
• New revenue System - Ryotwari system in Bombey Deccan - Direct settlement, land
assessed for 30 yrs subject to periodic revision:

The problem of unpaid revenue.


• In introducing the permanent settlement, the British hoped to resolve the problems they
had been facing since the conquest of Bengal.
• The rural economy in Bengal was in crisis with recurrent famines and declining agriculture
output.
• The problem lay in identifying individuals who could both improve agriculture and contract
to pay the fixed revenue to the state.
• The permanent settlement was made with the rajas and taluqda rs of Bengal.
• They were classified as Zamindars and had to pay the revenue that was fixed.
• The Zamindar was not the landowner in the village, but a revenue Collector of the state.
• The zamindar collected rent from different villages, paid the revenue to the company, and
retained the differences as his income.
• He was expected to pay the Company regularly, failing which his estate could be auctioned.
Why zamindars defaulted on payments:
• The initial demand was very high: It was felt that if the demand was fixed for all time to
come the company would never be able to claim a share of increased income from land
when prices rose and cultivation expanded.
• The company increased the revenue and argued that the burden on the Zamindar would
decline as agriculture production expands and price rose.
II Imposition of high demand:
• The price of agriculture produce was depressed, the ryots could not pay their dues to the
zamindar.
• The zanindar could not collect the rent and was not able to pay the company.
III The revenue was invariable:

• The revenue was invariable, regardless of the harvest, and had to pay punctually.
• They followed sunset law.
IV The powers of the Zamindars limited:
• The permanent settlement limited the powers of the zamindars to collect the rent from the
ryot and manage his zamindari.
The rise of the jotedars
• A group of rich peasants consolidated their position in the villages.
• This class of rich peasant was known as jotedar.
• The jotedars had acquired vast areas of land.
• They controlled local trade as well as money lending, exercising immense power over the
poorer cultivators of the region.
• A large part of their land was cultivated through sharecrop
• When the estate of the zamindar was auctioned for failure to make revenue payment,
jotedars were often amongst the purchasers.
• The jotedars were the most powerful in North Bengal, in some places they were called
haoladars, gantidars or Mendal
The accounts of Buchanan
• He was an employee of the British East India Company
• He marched everywhere with a large army of people – draughtsman, surveyors, palanquin
bearers, coolies.
• The cost of the travels was borne by the East India Company.
• He was perceived as an agent of the sarkar.
• He observed the stones and rocks and different strata and layers of soil.
• He searched for minerals and stones that were commercially valuable, he recorded all signs
of irons ore and mica, granite and saltpeter.
• He carefully observed the local practices of salt –making and iron ore mining.

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