Chapter-3

ANSWERS THE PEASANTS AND THE RAJ

MAIN COURSEBOOK mortgaged and the hereditary rights
over land were taken away
A. 1. dual, revenue     • It did not lead to any improvement in
2. Bengal, Bihar, Orissa   3. ryotwari,51 the quality of the soil as no one took
4. United Provinces, Punjab interest in improving the fertility of
5. opium, indigo   6. Famine soil and most of the new landlords
7. Java   8. Ryot were absentee landlords who lived in
the cities
9. Digambar, Bishambhar, Nadia
Under Ryotwari Settlement,
10. Mahatma Gandhi
  • land revenue was not collected by the
B. 1. True  2. False  3. False
zamindar but was taken from the ryots
4. True   5. True or cultivators directly
C. 1. d.  2. c.  3. b.  4. e.  5. a.   • the cultivators became the landowners
D. 1. The British introduced the Land and there was no intermediary for
Revenue Settlements with the intention collecting the revenue
of timely collection of revenue in   • the revenue was very high and
predictable manner. collected rigidly and the cultivator had
2. The opium and the indigo trade were to pay even if the crops failed
beneficial for the British both these   • the land revenue was revised and
commodities helped the company make increased after every 20 or 30 years
huge profits.
2. The indigo cultivators in India lived a
E. 1. Under the Permanent Settlement System, very harsh life under the British-
  • the landowners or the zamindars   • The cultivation of indigo ruined the
emerged as a class of loyal allies to quality of the soil making it infertile
the British and unfit to grow rice thus it led the
  • The zamindars got hereditary rights creation of an artificial crisis where
over land people had money but had not food
  • The farmers became tenants and lost grains in the market for people to buy.
the right to the use of the pastures,   • Peasants growing indigo on their fields
forest lands, irrigation canals and got a very low price for it as a result
fishing ponds they could not pay back their loans to
  • The farmers were left at the mercy of the moneylenders.
the zamindars who extracted exorbitant   • After growing indigo, the same land
rates from them could not be used to grow rice
  • Even if the crops, the peasants had to because the land would have
pay the revenue even if it meant exhausted its fertility.
borrowing money from the   • In order to rope in the farmers, the
moneylender at high rates of interest indigo planters advanced a certain
  • In case of nonpayment, the land was some of money and forced them to
 enter into contracts which when   • After growing indigo, the same land
violated led to the armed goons or could not be used to grow rice
‘lathiyals’ suppressing and spreading because the land would have
violence in the countryside. exhausted its fertility.
3.   • In order to rope in the farmers, the
Nij cultivation Ryot cultivation indigo planters advanced a certain
a. In the ‘nij’ system of a. Under the ‘ryot’ method some of money and forced them to
cultivation, the planters a contract was signed enter into contracts which when
produced indigo on land between the ‘ryot’ or the violated led to the armed goons or
that they directly village headmen and the
controlled. planters.
‘lathiyals’ suppressing and spreading
b. Large areas of fertile b. The ‘ryots’ were given
violence in the countryside.
lands for indigo loans and forced to HOTS
cultivation were not grow only indigo on at
available because the least 25 per cent of the
1. After the indigo revolt in Bengal the site
lands were already area under their of indigo cultivation shifted to Bihar
densely populated and holdings. however similar conditions developed in
eviction of the tenants c. Later the planters Bihar as well thus shifting the site of
led to conflicts. informed the peasants indigo plantation did not bring about
c. The tenants could not that loans could be
hire labour to work on repaid only by supplying
change in the situation because another
indigo plantations as the indigo to them at fixed indigo revolt broke out in Bihar as well.
peasants were busy on prices. 2. The primary motive behind the British rule
their fields with rice d. The system led to many
cultivation. It was
was to make maximum profit in shortest
problems because the
difficult to arrange for peasants got very low
possible time. Therefore, the British wanted
ploughs and bullocks as price for their product, to be very strict in their revenue collection
the peasants required the same land could not because that would mean quick
these to work on their be sown again with as
fields. Thus the planters
accumulation of profit and resultant
the deep roots of indigo
failed to bring large had already exhausted
economic growth.
areas of land under the fertility of the soil
indigo cultivation which and when the peasants WORKSHEET
paved the way for ‘ryot’ could not pay the loans
method of cultivation. advanced to them, they 1. b. Villages   2. c. Saleable
were beaten up by the
goons or ‘lathiyals’. 3. a. Cotton  
4. The indigo cultivation under the ‘ryot’ 4. b. Land Revenue system
method was ridden with the following 5. a. Bombay and Madras
problems- 6. b. Opium, tea
  • Peasants growing indigo on their fields 7. c. Bengal
got a very low price for it as a result
8. b. Land has lost its fertility
they could not pay back their loans to
the moneylenders.