HISTORY(VIII)-LESSON-3 RULING THE COUNTRYSIDE (LESSON NOTES)

HISTORY(VIII)-LESSON-3

RULING THE COUNTRYSIDE

(LESSON NOTES)

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v INTRODUCTION

Ø East India Company controls the rulers of India by defeating them in the wars and by different policies, as we have read in the previous lesson. When they control over them they started to control over the rural areas to get more revenues or taxes. This lesson focuses on this issue.

v COMPANY BECOMES DIWAN

Ø In the Buxar war(1764) East India company defeated not only Bengal Nawab but also the Mugahl emperor so On 12 August 1765 Mughal Emperor Almgir Shah appointed East India Company as Diwan of Bengal.

Ø So the Company became the chief financial administrator of the territory (Bengal, Bihar and Odisha) under its control.

Ø So they started to think about the administrating of land and organizing the revenue resources.

v REVENUE FOR THE COMPANY

Ø As the company becomes Diwan, it wanted large revenue collection but they were unwilling to set up new system of collection.

Ø So they increase the revenue as much as and also started to purchase large quantity of the fine cotton and silk on very cheap rate.

Ø By this revenue they could finance to purchase of goods for export, earlier it was done by giving gold and silver.

Ø But due to these Bengal economy faces crisis as-

§  Artisanal production declined.

§  Agricultural production collapsed.

§  Peasants were unable to pay the dues.

§  Then in 1770 a terrible famine killed ten million people in Bengal.

v NEW REVENUE SYSTEMS

Ø As the Agricultural production collapsed, the revenue of company also declined so they started to think about how the agriculture production to be improves. So they introduced new revenue systems-

v PERMANENT SETTLEMENT

Ø The new revenue system which was introduced by Charles Cornwallis in 1793 was known as permanent settlement.

Ø Now the rajas and taluqdars were recognized as zamindars. They have to collect rent from the peasants and pay to the Company.

Ø The amount to be paid was fixed permanently, that is, it was not to be increased ever in future.

Ø By this company get regular revenue and it also encourage the zamindars to invest in improving the land to get more profit.

Ø PROBLEMS IN THE PERMANENT SETTLEMENT

§  Initially the revenue that had been fixed was so high that the zamindars found it difficult to pay so they lost their zaminadaries.

§  When the income of the zamindars increased due to rise in prices Company did not get benefit as it could not increase a revenue demand that had been fixed permanently,

§  Zamindars did not have an interest in improving the land and investment.

§  Peasants were completely depending on the Zaminadars. They pay high rent and also their rights on the land were insecure.

v MAHLWARI SYSTEM

Ø It was introduced by Holt Mackenzie 1822 in north province(UP).

Ø According to the terms collector will measure the land and calculate the revenue of Group of village (Mahal).

Ø Village headman will collect the revenue and pay it to the Company

Ø The revenue was revised periodically, not permanently fixed.

v RYOTWARI SYSTEM OR MUNRO SYSTEM

Ø It was introduced by Captain Read in a small area but developed by Thoms Munro in south India.

Ø This settlement was directly done with ryots,

Ø Their filed were carefully surveyed and revenue was assessed.

Ø PROBLEMS-

§  Revenue officials fixed too high a revenue demand.

§  Peasants were unable to pay.

§  Ryots fled the countryside, and villages became deserted in many regions.

v CROPS FOR EUROPE

Ø By 18^th century britishers thought that the countryside is not only to collect the revenue but it can be used to grow those crops which required for Europe.

Ø So they tried to increase the production of these crops in different parts of India as-

§  Opium and Indigo in Bihar and Rajasthan

§  Jute in Bengal

§  Cotton in Maharashtra and Gujarat

§  Wheat in Punjab and UP

§  Tea in Assam

§  Sugarcane in UP

§  Rice in Madras

v INDIGO CULTIVATION

Ø A plant which produced rich blue colour and grown mainly in tropical countries are called as Indigo. In India Indigo was used by cloth manufacturer from 13^th century.

Ø In Europe the Woad plant was used for Violet and blue but it’s colour was pale and dull.

Ø As the demand of Indian Indigo increased, woad manufacturer pressurised their governments to ban the import of indigo.

Ø By 17^th century seventeenth century, European cloth producers persuaded their governments to relax the ban on indigo import.

Ø So the European countries started to grow Indigo in their colonies as

§  The French in St Dominguez in the Caribbean islands,

§  the Portuguese in Brazil,

§  the English in Jamaica,

§  Spanish in Venezuela.

Ø But between 1783 and 1789 the production of indigo in the world fell by half due to various reasons. So they find the alternatives.

v INDIAN INDIGO

Ø As the demand for Indigo grew in Europe, East India Company turned to India for its supply by extending the cultivated area under it.

Ø By 1810 nearly 90 % Indigo imported to Britain was from India.

Ø Due to high profit many Scotsmen and Englishmen came to India and became planters.

v TWO SYSTEM OF INDIGO CULTIVATION: 

There were two popular systems in practice—Nij and Ryoti

Ø  NIJ SYSTEM

§  In this system cultivators grew Indigo on the lands, that he directly controlled, either bought or taken on rent. But it have so many problem as-

·       The expansion of Indigo cultivation area was not possible due to scattered small plots.

·       Growing season of Indigo clashed with that of rice cultivation season.

·       It required ploughs and bullocks on large scale which was not possible for planters.

Ø RYOTI SYSTEM

§  Under this system, planters force the ryots to sign a contract (satta).

§  They extended loans and pressurized peasants or headmen to produce Indigo at least 25 % of their land.

§  The planters provided seeds and drill. These contracts never came to an end and the vicious cycle continued.

§  It also creates the problems as Indigo, had deep roots and it exhausted the soil rapidly. After an indigo harvest the land could not be sown with rice.

v THE BLUE REBELLION: 

Ø The revolt started by Indigo cultivators against indigo planters and their Indian agents in 1859 was known as blue rebellion. It was supported by zamindars and headmen.

Ø REASONS

§  The indigo cultivators faced so many problems due to indigo crops.

§  They did not get good price of Indigo in the market.

§  It also exhausted the fertility of land.

§  They also realized that contracts never came to an end and the vicious cycle continued. So they led a rebellion.

Ø PROCESS OF REBELLION

§  In 1859 ryots refused to pay rents to the planters.

§  They attacked on indigo factories and stored swords and spears, bows and arrows fight with pots, pans and kitchen implements.

§  Those who worked for the planters were socially boycotted.

§  Zamindars and village head men were also supported this rebellion.

Ø EFFECT OF REBELLION/ INDIGO PRODUCTION COLLAPSED

§  The rebellion left the British government worried. It set up the Indigo Commission to inquire into the system of Indigo production.

§  The Commission held the planters guilty and criticised them for their coercive methods.

§  It declared that indigo production was not profitable for ryots. Hence, they were not needed to produce indigo in future.

§  Magistrate Ashley Eden stated that Queen Victoria had declared that indigo need not be sown.

§  Ultimately indigo production collapsed in Bengal. The planters then shifted their operation to Bihar.

v CHAMPARAN MOVEMENT

§  When Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa, a peasant from Bihar persuaded him visit Champaran and see the plight of the indigo cultivators there.

§  Mahatma Gandhi’s visit in 1917 marked the beginning of the Champaran movement against the indigo planters. It was the first movement of Mahatma Gandhi in India.

v TERMS-

Ø Countryside: Rural areas.

Ø Permanent Settlement: Under this settlement it was decided that the rates of revenues once fixed would not be changed.

Ø Mahal: In British revenue records Mahal is a revenue estate which may be a village or a group of villages.

Ø Mahalwari Settlement: Under this system, the rates of revenues were to be revised periodically, not permanently fixed.

Ø Ryoti: Cultivator.

Ø Indigo: A plant that produces a rich blue colour.

Ø Plantations: A large farm operated by a planter employing various forms of forced labour. Plantations are associated with the production of coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, tea and cotton.

Ø Woad: A plant that produces violet and blue dyes.

Ø Slave: A person who is owned by someone else, i.e., the slave owner. A slave enjoys no freedom and is compelled to work for the master.

Ø Bigha: A unit of measurement of land.