Here we are providing Class 12 History Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 10 Colonialism and the Countryside: Exploring Official Archives. Class 12 History Important Questions are the best resource for students which helps in class 12 board exams.

Class 12 History Chapter 10 Important Extra Questions Colonialism and the Countryside: Exploring Official Archives

Colonialism and the Countryside Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
When and who started the permanent settlement of land?
Answer:
It was started by Lojrji Cornwallis in 1793 A.D.

Question 2.
How much of the Zamindaries changed lands after the introduction of permanent
settlement of land?
Answer:
Around 75% of the total Zamindaries.

Question 3.
Why did Zamindars default on payments?
Answer:
Because of high revenue demand and accumulation of unpaid balance.

Question 4.
What was sunset law?
Answer:
If payment was not paid before the sunset of the fixed date, the land will be confiscated.

Question 5.
Who was the most powerful in North Bengal?
Answer:
The Jotedars were the most powerful in North Bengal.

Question 6.
When was the fifth report submitted to the British Parliament?
Answer:
In 1813 A.D.

Question 7.
Where did Francis Buchanan travel?
Answer:
Buchanan traveled through the Rajmahal hills.

Question 8.
What work did Paharias do?
Answer:
They were hunters, shifting cultivators, food gatherers, charcoal producers, silkworm rearers etc.

Question 9.
Why did the British encouraged clearing of forests?
Answer:
Because they wanted to bring more land under cultivation to get more taxes.

Question 10.
What was Damien-i-Koh?
Answer:
This was a land demarcated for Santhals in 1832.

Question 11.
Who was called Dikus?
Answer:
Moneylenders were called Dikus.

Question 12.
Who was David Ricardo?
Answer:
He was an Economist who gave certain ideas to the British government about land rent.

Question 13.
When was Cotton Supply Association founded?
Answer:
In 1857 A.D.

Question 14.
What was the objective of the Cotton Supply Association?
Answer:
To encourage cotton production in every part of the world.

Question 15.
Why were the estates of the Zamindars auctioned in the colonial Bengal?
Or
Why were many Zamindars .auctioned after the permanent settlement in Bengal? Give two reasons. (C.B.S.E. 2017 (D))
Answer:

  1. Sometimes the big Zamindars were unable to pay the revenue. The amount of unpaid revenue went on accumulating year after year.
  2. So the government often auctioned the estates of those Zamindars who failed to pay the due revenue

Question 16.
When was the Fifth Report submitted to the British Parliament? What was its objective?
Answer:
The Fifth Report was submitted to the British Parliament in 1813. It was about the administration and activities of the East India Company in India and proved helpful in regulating and controlling their rule.

Question 17.
What was the Sunset Law of revenue?
Answer:
According to Permanent Settlement of Land, it was necessary for the Zamindars to pay the revenue punctually. But according to Sunset Law, if any Zamindar was unable to pay the revenue by sunset of the specified date, then the Zamindari was bound to be auctioned by the government to recover the dues.

Question 18.
Why the Jotedars were more powerful in villages than that of the Zamindars? Give two reasons.
Answer:

  1. The Zamindars lived in urban areas and Jotedars were located in villages with poor villagers. They had direct control over a large section of villagers.
  2. Jordans were often amongst the purchasers in the case of auction of the Zamindaris.

Question 19.
Why ryots (peasants) remained loyal to the former zamindar instead of the new Zamindars? Give two reasons.
Answer:

  1. The ryots considered themselves bound to the former Zamindar through a sense of loyalty and saw the former Zamindar as a figure of authority.
  2. The sale of Zamindari disturbed their pride and their sense of identity.

Question 20.
Which two factors helped the Zamindars to consolidate their power at the beginning of the 19th century?
Answer:

  1. At the beginning of the 19th century, the depression in prices remained no more and the prices of agriculture produce became high.
  2. The government made rules of revenue payments flexible which helped the Zamindars to consolidate their power.

Question 21.
When Cotton Supply Association and the Manchester Cotton Company were founded in Britain? What was their objective?
Answer:
Cotton Supply Association in Britain, was founded in 1857 and Manchester Cotton Company was formed in 1859. Their objective was to encourage the production of cotton in every part of the world so that their Company could grow.

Question 22.
Tell any two drawbacks of the RyotWari system of revenue introduced in the Bombay Deccan in 1920.
Answer:

  1. At many places, the amount of revenue was very high. Therefore, many peasants deserted their villages and migrated to new regions.
  2. Many areas had poor soil and fluctuating rainfall. When the rains failed, the peasants had a bad crop due to which they found it impossible to pay the revenue.

Question 23.
India was seen as a country that could supply cotton to Lancashire if the American supply dried up. Why was it so?
Answer:
The land of India was suitable for the cultivation of cotton.

Question 24.
Examine the impact of the limitation law passed by the British in 1859? (CBSE 2018)
Answer:
This law was meant to check the accumulation of interest one time and three years validity of the bonds sighed between money lenders and reports. Consequently, the money lenders manipulated and forced the people to sign the deeds after 3 years.

Colonialism and the Countryside Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
When was the Permanent Settlement introduced in Bengal? Who enforced it? What ideas worked behind its imposition?
Or
With what major objectives did he British colonial power introduce permanent settlement in Bengal during the 19th century? (C.B.S.E. 2013 (D))
Answer:
The British introduced a new system of revenue collection in Bengal. It was called the Permanent Settlement.

What was the system? It was introduced by Lord Charles Cornwallis in 1793. Under this system, the East India Company had fixed the revenue that each Zamindar had to pay. If any Zamindar failed to make the payment of the revenue in time, his estates were auctioned to recover the due revenue.

The ideas behind the system: By introducing the Permanent Settlement, the British officials wanted to resolve the problems that they faced. They were aware that the rural economy of Bengal was in crisis because of the following factors:

  • There was the recurrence of many famines.
  • There was a considerable decline in agricultural production.

The regular flow of Revenue: The need for Hour.
The British officials realised the need to enhance revenue resources. This could be done by encouraging investments in agriculture and trade. Therefore they permanently fixed the rates of revenue to ensure a regular flow of revenue.

Question 2.
Explain the Permanent Settlement of land.
Answer:
The Permanent Settlement was made between the rajas and taluqdars of Bengal. These taluqdars were classified as the Zamindars. They paid the revenue fixed in perpetuity. The main features of the Permanent Settlement were as follows:

  1. The Zamindars were not the owners of land in the village.
  2. The Zamindars were the collectors of revenue of the State.
  3. The Zamindars had many villages under them. Sometimes they had as many as 400 villages under their control.
  4. The villages coming under one Zamindar formed one revenue estate.
  5. The Zamindars collected rent from the villages under their control and paid this revenue to the officials of the East India Company.
  6. The Zamindars were responsible for the regular payment of revenue to the East India Company. If ever they failed to do so their estate was auctioned.

Question 3.
What steps were taken by the ‘East India Company to control and regulate the Zamindars and to restrict I their autonomy?
Or
Explain how the East India Company subdued the authority of the Zamindar in Bengal during the 18th century. (C.B.S.E 2015 (D))
Or
The East India Company had recognised the Zamindars important but wanted to control and regulate them. Explain the steps taken by them to subdue their authority in the 18th century. (CBSE 2016 (D))
Answer:
No doubt, the East India Company considered the Zamindars very important. Yet it wanted to control and regulate them. It wanted to restrict their autonomy and that they should submit to the control of the Company. So it took the following steps to tame them:

  1. The troops of Zamindars were disbanded.
  2. The customs duties were abolished.
  3. The courts (cutcheries) of the Zamindars were brought under the supervision of a Collector who was appointed by the East India Company.
  4. The power of Zamindars to provide local justice and local police was snatched.
  5. The emergence of the collectorate as, an alternative centre of authority restricted the jurisdiction of Zamindars. When a raja failed to pay the revenue, an official of the East India Company rushed to his Zamindari. He had clear instructions to take charge of the District and destroy all the influence and authority of the raja and his officers.

Question 4.
How did the Zamindars collect revenue from the ryots? Why was the collection of revenue a problem for them?
Answer:
For the purpose of revenue collection, a Zamindar had several villages under his control. He used to visit these villages with his ‘amlah’. However, it was a great problem to collect the revenue because of the following reasons:

  1. Sometimes the production of the crop was low.
  2. Sometimes the crops had to be sold at low prices. It made payment of dues difficult for the ryots.
  3. Sometimes the ryots deliberately delayed the payment. They created problems for the Zamindars.
  4. The Zamindars were unable to assert their power over ryots. No doubt they were empowered to prosecute the defaulters but it took a very long time in the judicial process. There were more than thirty thousand pending suits in Burdwan alone, all concerned with the arrears of rent payments

Question 5.
Why did the British introduce new systems of revenue in place of Permanent Settlement in areas outside Bengal?
Or
Explain David Ricardo’s ideas of rent of land. (C.B.S.E. 2009)
Or
Examine how Ricardo’s idea of land ownership was introduced in the Bombay Deccan. (C.B.S.E. 2013 (O.D.))
Answer:
When the British Government expanded its rule outside Bengal, it introduced new systems of revenue. It discarded the system of Permanent Settlement and did not introduce it in any area. It was because of the following reasons:

No Share in Enhanced Income: There was an increase in agricultural price after 1810 C.E. It increased the income of the Zamindars in Bengal. Since the revenue was already fixed under the Permanent Settlement, the colonial state was unable to claim any share from the enhanced income of the farmers. As the government wanted to expand its financial resources, it introduced temporary revenue settlements in the newly annexed territories in the nineteenth century.

Impact of the Ideas of David Ricardo: The British Government introduced some of the ideas of David Ricardo, a famous economist, in the state of Maharashtra. Ricardo believed that a land-owner should claim only the average rent that prevailed at a given time. Many peasants in Bengal had leased out their land and were living on the rental income and such income had to be taxed. Thus, the British introduced the Ryotwari System of revenue settlement in the Bombay Deccan. Herein, the revenue was settled directly with the ryot. The revenue paying capacity of the ryot was assessed. The ryot paid his fixed share.

New Systems

Thus, we see that the British Government introduced many new revenue policies such as:

  • Temporary Revenue Settlements
  • Ryotwari Settlement.

Question 6.
Give any five features of the life of the Paharis.
Or
Describe the lifestyle of the Paharis in the late 19th century.
Answer:
Paharis lived around the hills of Rajmahal. Following were the main features of their life:

  1. They lived in huts under the tamarind groves and rested under the shadow of mango trees.
  2. They considered the whole of the region as their personal land.
  3. They hunted in the forests and practised shifting cultivation.
  4. They often resisted the entry of outsiders into their region.
  5. Their chiefs used to maintain unity in their respective groups and used to settle their mutual disputes. Chiefs also led their people in case of battles with other tribes and outsides.

Question 7.
Which policy was adopted by British officials towards Paharias in the decade of 1770? What changes came in it in the decade of 1780 and what was its result?
Or
Critically examine the policies adopted by the Britishers to control Paharis. (C.B.S.E. 2014 (D))
Or
Examine the policies adopted by the British towards the Paharias during the early 18th century in Bengal. (C.B.S.E. 2015 (O.D.))
Answer:
In the decade of 1770, the British adopted the brutal policy of extermination towards Paharias and began hunting them down and killing them.

Change in the Policy: In the decade of 1780, Collector of Bhagalpur, Augustus Cleveland, adopted the policy of pacification. This policy proposed to give annual allowance to Paharia Chiefs and they were made responsible for controlling their men. They were also expected to maintain order in their localities and keep discipline among their own people.

Result: A number of Paharia chiefs refused to take the annual allowance. Those who accepted the allowance lost the authority within their community. They came to be seen as stipendiary chiefs being in the pay of the colonial government.

Question 8.
What was Damin-i-Koh? How it came into being?
Or
What was Damin-i-Koh? (C.B.S.E. 2016 (D)
Answer:
Damin-i-Koh was the land of Santhals situated in the Rajmahal hills. The British persuaded the Santhals to live in the foothills of Rajmahal by giving land to them. By 1832, a large part of the land was demarcated as Damin-i-Koh and was declared as the land of Santhals. They had to live in this region, practise plough agriculture and had to become settled agriculturalists. There was a stipulation in the certificate of land grants that the minimum of 1/10 of the total area had to be cleared and had to be cultivated within the first 10 years. The whole of this region was surveyed and mapped. This region was enclosed by boundary pillars. In this way, this region was separated from the world of settled agriculturists of plains and Paharias of the hills.

Question 9.
What was the impact of the end of the American Civil War on Indian cotton market and money-lending trade?
Or
Assess the impact of the American Civil War on the cotton imports of the British. (C.B.S.E. 2013 (D))
Answer:
As a boom in cotton market lasted for long, Indian cotton merchants began to visualise the capturing of the world market in raw cotton by permanently displacing the U.S.A. But this condition changed in 1865. American Civil War came to an end and it again began producing cotton. As a result, Indian export of cotton to British declined steadily. Under these circumstances, moneylenders and export merchants of Maharashtra were no longer keen on providing long-term loans. They observed that the demand for Indian cotton is decreasing and prices of cotton are also coming down. That is why they stopped their business and refused to give advances to peasants. Now they began concentrating on the recovery of loans. In this way, a source of taking loans, for peasants, came to an end.

Question 10.
Write a brief note on the Deccan Riots Commission and its report.
Or
Critically examine the Deccan Riots Commission’s Report. (C.B.S.E. 2008 (D), (2019 (O.D.))
Answer:
When the revolt spread in Deccan, the Bombay Government did not take it seriously. But the Indian Government was worried by the memories of 1857 Revolt and therefore, it pressurised the Bombay Government to set up a commission to find out causes of the revolt. The commission investigated in riot-affected districts took statements of ryots, moneylenders and eyewitnesses. It also collected statistical data on revenue rates, prices and interest rates of different regions and even collected reports of District Collectors. On the basis of, the collected information, the commission prepared a report and produced it to the British Parliament, in 1878. This report is known as the Deccan Riots. The report which provides the basic material to historigg|$ who wanted to study the peasant riots.

Question 11.
Which revenue system was introduced in the Bombay Deccan? What were its features?
Answer:
The British introduced a new revenue system in Bombay Deccan. It was known as the Ryotwari Settlement. It had the following features:

  1. The revenue was settled directly with the ryot.
  2. Taking into consideration all types of soil, the average income of the harvest was estimated.
  3. It was assessed how much revenue a ryot could pay.
  4. The share of State was fixed in proportion to the income of the ryot.
  5. After every thirty years, the lands were re-surveyed and the rates of revenue were increased accordingly.
  6. The demand for revenue was not permanent but temporary.

Question 12.
How was the Ryotwari Settlement different from Permanent Settlement? Why was it introduced?
Answer:
In the Permanent Settlement, the taluqdars were the owners of the land. They paid a fixed rent to the Company and distributed their land among the peasants. They earned the desired interest from them. In other words, the Permanent Settlement benefitted the rich Zamindars. They had to pay the revenue that was fixed in perpetuity. The state was unable to claim its share in the enhanced income of the farmers. On the contrary, under the Ryotwari system, the government got tax from those who cultivated lands with their own hands.

Under the Ryotwari system, all the middlemen were removed. This system was better tan the Permanent Settlement of revenue. It increased’ the rights of the farmers. It also increased the income of the State. In fact, the Ryotwari Settlement was introduced to alleviate the drawbacks of the Permanent Settlement.

Question 13.
What were the reasons for the peasants of India being under debt?
Answer:
Dining the British rule, most of the peasants remained under debt because of the following reasons:

  1. The farmers had to pay a fixed revenue to the State. Sometimes they did not have a good crop. So they had to seek a loan to pay their revenue.
  2. The farmers often took a loan on the occasions of marriage, birth or death in the family.
  3. They had to pay a high rate of interest to the moneylenders. The income of the peasants was very low. If ever a farmer took the loan, he could* not return it except its interest.
  4. The farmers were unable to save any of their produce. Whenever there was any famine or flood, they had to take a loan from the moneylender. So during the British rule, more than 80% peasants were under debt.

Question 14.
When did Buchanan reach the Rajmahal hills? What did he see in the village that he visited?
Answer:
Buchanan reached the Rajmahal Hills in the early nineteenth century. He found these hills as impenetrable. They posed a great risk and danger to the travellers like him. Buchanan also found the hilly people as hostile, apprehensive and not willing to talk to any traveller. In fact, all the Paharis looked at him with suspicion and distrust.

Visit a Village: At the end of 1810, Buchanan crossed Ganjuria Pahair and reached a village. It was an old village which had a few tracts of land which were cleared for cultivation. He was surprised to see what change could be brought by the application of human labour. He was impressed with the beauty and richness of the area. He found the rocky soil of the village uncommonly fine. He found the tobacco and mustard of this village as finest in the world. He was happy to see that the Santhals had extended their area of cultivation.

Question 15.
What explains the anger of the Deccan ryots against the moneylenders?
Answer:
The ryots were enraged and infuriated when the moneylenders refused to grant them loans. They may be under debt but they were sad to find all the moneylenders insensitive to their plight. They were anguished to see that the moneylenders had violated the customary norms of the country-side.

Moneylending was quite widespread even before the colonial rule. The moneylenders have always been very powerful in society. There were a few customary norms between the moneylenders and ryots. First of all, the moneylenders charged a fair and reasonable rate of interest.

The interest could not be more than the principal amount. The ryots were sad that these basic norms were broken by the moneylenders under the colonial rule. When investigations were made, the Deccan Riots Commission came to know that a moneylender had charged over Rs 2000/- as interest on a loan of Rs 100/- There were several instances like this. So it was natural for the ryots to be sad at the injustice done to them and the violation of the basic custom of moneylending.

The ryots found moneylenders as dubious and deceitful. They saw that many money-lenders manipulated laws and forged accounts.

Attempts to check the Moneylenders: The Colonial government passed a Limitation Law in 1852. It stated that the loan bonds signed between the moneylenders and ryots would be valid for only three years. It was done to check the accumulation of interest over time. But the moneylenders again flouted this law by signing a new bond every three years. In the new bond, they calculated the original loan and the accumulated interest. They added the amount and entered it as the principal amount in the new bond.

The Fraudulent means Adopted by the Moneylender. The moneylenders fleeced the ryots by adopting various unfair means such as:

  1. They refused to give receipts when the payment of loan was made.
  2. They entered fictitious figures in bonds.
  3. They bought the harvest of the peasants at very low prices.
  4.  They brought the property of the peasants under their control.
  5. They made the illiterate peasants sign and put thumb impressions on documents.
  6. They did not explain to the farmers what clauses they had inserted in the bonds.

Question 16.
Why did the British want to clear forests and expand settled cultivation? Enumerate any five reasons.
Answer:
Due to the following reasons, the British wanted to clear the forests and expand the settled cultivation of land:

  1. By adopting the settled cultivation of land, the colonial government wanted to enhance its revenue.
  2. It could grow cash crops for export.
  3. The British could establish an ordered and civilised society.
  4. They associated forests with wildness. They considered the forest people as savage, unruly and primitive. They found these people difficult to govern. So they exhorted the Santhals to clear the forests and encouraged settled agriculture.
  5. They wanted to tame, civilise and persuade the forest people to give up hunting and take up ploughing to cultivate the land.

Question 17. Why were the Paharlas, living in the Rajmahal hills, forced to withdraw deeper into the hills? How was their life affected? Explain. (C.B.S.E.2012(O.D.))
Answer:
Due to pacification campaigns of Britishers and continuation of these policies, the Paharis living in the Rajmahal hills were forced to withdraw deeper into the hills, insulating themselves from hostile forces and carrying on a war with outsiders. Buchanan travelled through the region in the winter of 1810-11. The Paharis at that time naturally viewed him with suspicion and distrust. Their moving into hills destroyed their way of life and means of survival. It also snatched away from their control over their forests and lands.

Question 18.
What was the other name of the Bombay Deccan revenue system of the 1820s? Mention any three features of it. (C.B.S.E. 2015 (O.D.))
Answer:
The revenue system introduced by the British Government in the Bombay Deccan was called as the Ryotwari Settlement. It had the following features:

  1. The revenue was directly settled with the peasant or the ryot.
  2. It estimated the average income from different types of soil.
  3. It also assessed the revenue-paying capacity of the ryot.
  4. It fixed a proportionate amount of the revenue as the share of the state.

Question 19.
Examine the circumstances that led to the passing of ‘Limitation Laws’ by the British in 1859. (C.B.S.E. 2017 (D.))
Answer:

  1. The Ryots came to see the moneylenders as devious and deceitful. They complained of money-lenders manipulating laws and forgoing accounts.
  2. Most of the times, the money-lenders had charged over? 2000 as interest on a loan of 100 Ryots complained of the injustice of such exactions and the violation of custom.
  3. One general norm was that the interest charged could not be more than the principal. But this norm was generally violated.

Consequently in 1859, the British passed a Limitation Law that stated that the loan bonds signed between moneylenders and ryots would have validity for only three years.

Colonialism and the Countryside Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1.
How did the Santhals settle in the Rajmahal hills? Discuss the role of the British in this regard.
Answer:
The Santhals settled in the Rajmahal hills at around 1800 C.E. They displaced the hill-folk who lived in this region. They cleared many forests. They cultivated the land. Earlier the Santhals had come into Bengal around the 1780s. Then they settled in the Jangal Mahals. In fact, they were ideal settlers due to which their settlements expanded rapidly. They had forty villages in 1838. But about 1473 Santhal villages had come up by 1851. In other words, the Santhals were merely 3000 in 1838 but grew up to 82,000 by 1851.

The Role of the British: The British wanted to establish an orderly, refined and settled society. They did not like the Paharias as they were savage, primitive and unruly. They associated forests with wildness as found the hill-folk difficult to govern. By 1770, they adopted a brutal policy of extermination towards the Paharis. They hunted them down and killed them. As the British had failed to tame the Paharis and transform them into settled agriculturists, they turned to the Santhals.

The Land for Santhals: The British favoured the Santhals by allotting them land in the foothills of Rajmahal. To facilitate their settlement, the British demarcated a large area of land as Damin-i-Koh. They declared it as the land for the Santhals. They wanted all the Santhals to live within it. The Santhals had continuous mobility and were in a tireless search for the place to settle. The British did them a great favour by allotting them the Damien-i-Koh.

Question 2.
The travels and surveys of Buchanan were the basis of development and progress for the British East India Company. Justify this statement by giving suitable examples.
Answer:
Francis Buchanan came to India in 1794. He was a physician and served in the Bengal Medical Service till 1815. He also served as a surgeon to Lord Wellesley, the Governor-General of India for a few years.

But on the request of the Bengal Government, he undertook detailed surveys of the areas under the control of East India Company. He had become an employee of the East India Company.

1. Buchanan was always inspired by the love of the landscape. He had a keen desire to discover the unknown. So he went everywhere accompanied by draughtsmen, surveyors, palanquin bearers and coolies. The expenses of his travel were met by the East India Company. On his part, Buchanan provided the Company with all the requisite information. He accomplished his work to the satisfaction of the Company. However, many people considered him as an agent of the government.

2. Buchanan was a keen observer of things. Wherever he went, he saw stones and rocks. He also observed the different strata and layers of soil. He searched for minerals and invaluable stones. He also recorded the sites where iron-ore, mica, granite and saltpetre were available. He carefully noted the local practices of salt-making and iron-ore mining.

3. Buchanan was a man of vision and always thought how the land could be made more productive. He thought of the crops which could be cultivated in a particular soil. He was a perfectionist who cared for which trees to cut down and which ones to be grown. His priorities were always different from the local inhabitants. He always served the commercial concerns of the East India Company and stood for progress and development. He did not like forest dwellers who were primitive and savage. He wanted that forests should be turned into agricultural lands.

Question 3.What was the impact of the expansion in settled agriculture on the life of the Paharis? What was the policy of the British Government and the Santhals in this regard?
Answer:
The expansion in settled agriculture had an adverse effect on the life of the Paharis. It can be seen from the following points:

  1. The Paharis did not cut forests.
  2. They did not like to touch the plough.
  3. They remained savage, turbulent, unruly and primitive.
  4. They were intimately connected to the forest. They became hunters, shifting cultivators, food- gatherers, charcoal producers and silkworm rearers.
  5. They lived in huts near the tamarind trees. They rested under the shade of mango trees.
  6. They considered the forest as their land and regarded it essential for their identity and survival.

The British Policy: The Paharias had their base in the hills but they regularly raided the plains where the settled agriculturists lived. They asserted their “ower over the settled communities. They negotiated political terms with the outsiders and got a regular tribute from them. They also got money from the traders to protect them, to allow them to use passes controlled by them and to ensure that their goods were not plundered by anyone.

1. The Policy of Extermination: The British encouraged forest clearance and asked the Zamindars and Jotedars to turn uncultivated lands into rice fields. They favoured settled agriculture so that they may enlarge the sources of land revenue and produce crops for export. They wanted to set up an orderly and refined society but associated forests with wildness.

They found the forest people as savage, unruly, turbulent, primitive and difficult to govern. So to make the foreign people tamed and civilised, the British persuaded them to give up hunting and take up the plough to cultivate the land. But most of the hill-folk raided settled villages and took away the cattle and foodgrains of the settled people. The colonial officials found it very difficult to control and subdue the Paharis. Consequently, in the 1770s, the British adopted a brutal policy of extermination. They hunted down the Paharis and killed them.

2. The Policy of Pacification: By the 1780s, Augustus Cleveland, the Collector of Bhagalpur, proposed a policy of pacification towards the Paharis. Under this policy, the Paharia chiefs were given an annual allowance. The duty of the Paharia chiefs was to ensure proper conduct of their men.

Making payment of the annual allowance, the British wanted all the Paharia chiefs to discipline their hill-folk and to maintain order in all the localities. This policy proved harmful to the Paharis. Many Paharia chiefs did not accept the allowances and those who accepted this amount lost their creditability and authority within their community. They were considered as subordinate employees or stipendiary chiefs of the Colonial government.

3. Prejudice for White Men: To save themselves from the hostile British forces, the Paharis went deep into the mountains. But they continued their war against the outsiders. They felt that the white men were representing a power which destroyed their way of life and means of survival. They realised that the British weakened their control over their forests and lands.

The Policy of Santhals: The Santhals were ideal settlers and cleared the forests and cut down the timber. They ploughed land and grew rice and cotton. They took over many lower hills and compelled the Paharias to recede deeper into the Rajmahals hills. They symbolised the power of plough against the use of hoe by the Paharis.

No doubt the Paharias resisted when the Santhals settled on the peripheries of the Rajmahal hills. But ultimately they were forced to move deeper into the hills. They were confined to more barren and rocky upper hills. It had an adverse effect on their lives. They became poor in the long run and found the fertile soils inaccessible.

Question 4.
Critically examine main aspects of the policy of Permanent Settlement introduced by Lord Cornwallis. What was its impact on the condition of peasants?
Or
What changes Lord Cornwallis brought in the revenue policy of Bengal?
Answer:
Lord Charles Cornwallis was the commander of the British forces during the American War of Independence. Later on, he became the Governor-General of Bengal. In 1793, he introduced the policy of Permanent Settlement. Under this arrangement, the revenue to be paid by a Zamindar was already fixed in perpetuity. It was a kind of contract to pay the fixed revenue to the State. In fact, the Zamindars did not own the land and collected revenue from the taluqdars and paid it to the State.

Good Results.
The Permanent Settlement yielded the following good results:

  1. It permanently fixed the rates of revenue.
  2. It ensured a regular flow of income to the State.
  3. It enabled entrepreneurs to earn a profit.
  4.  It led to the emergence of a new class of yeomen farmers and rich landowners.
  5. It brought an improvement in agriculture. By encouraging investment in agriculture, it developed, not only agriculture but also trade and revenue resources.
  6. Several villages were put under the control of the Zamindars who collected rent from these villages and paid this revenue to the East India Company.
  7. It ensured a sense of security in the Zamindars.

Evil Effects.
This policy adversely affected the condition of farmers. It is evident from the following points:

1. Sometimes the ryots found it difficult to pay their dues to the Zamindars.
2. The revenue was invariable.
3. The Sunset Law was not appreciated by the Zamindars. Under it, if a Zamindar did not make payment by sunset of the specified date, his land was auctioned.
4. It limited the power of the Zamindars to collect rent from the ryots.
5. Rent collection was a perennial problem especially when the harvest was low.
In brief, the purpose of Charles Cornwallis in introducing Permanent Settlement was to improve the condition of farmers. But. this policy did not yield good results. A few rich Zamindars benefitted from it but most of the peasants suffered losses and went under debt. The government also suffered losses in revenue.

Question 5.
What were the reasons for tension between relations of moneylenders and ryots after the decline of Maharashtra’s cotton export?
Or
“The ryots came to see the moneylenders as devious and deceitful.” Justify the statement in the context of the ryotwari system in India in the late 18th century. (CBSE 2016 (D))
Answer:
With the decline of cotton export, money-lenders and export merchants of Maharashtra were no longer keen on providing long-term loans. Ryot community became very angry as they were denied loans by the moneylenders. They were not infuriated because they came under great debt, but because moneylenders were insensitive to their miserable condition. Moneylenders were also disobeying the traditional customs and rules of rural areas.

The deviousness of Moneylenders: The process of moneylending was definitely widespread even before the colonial rule. Moneylenders were generally very powerful individuals. A number of customary norms were there between the relations of moneylenders and ryots and these norms even regulated their relations. One of the general norms was that the interest charged must not be more than the principal amount. This norm was made to limit the exactions of moneylenders and to define the term ‘fair interest’. But this norm was generally violated by the moneylenders during colonial rule. In one of the case investigated by the Deccan Riots Commission, moneylender charged more than Rs 2000 of interest on the principal of Rs 100. Ryots gave a number of petitions or complaints about injustice of such exactions and the violation of this traditional custom.

Peasants came to see the moneylenders as deceitful as devious. They complained that moneylenders were manipulating the laws and were forging the accounts. The British passed a Limitation Law in 1859 which stated that the bond of loan signed between moneylender and ryots would be valid only for three years. The main objective of this law was to stop the accumulation of loan for a long time.

But moneylenders turned the law around in their own favour. They forced the ryots to sign a new bond after every three years. The new bond included the original loan and accumulated interest and a new set of interest was charged on some of them both. In the petitions submitted by ryots to Deccan Riots Commission described that law of this process worked and how different methods were used by moneylenders and these were:

  1. Ryots were not given any receipt in case of payment of loans.
  2. Moneylenders entered fictitious figures in the bonds.
  3. Moneylenders used to buy peasant harvest at low prices and finally took over their property.

Colonialism and the Countryside Important Extra Questions HOTS

Question 1.
Discuss the difficulties faced by the Zamindars in collecting revenue from the peasants (ryots). Give any two points.
Answer:
Sometimes it was very difficult for the ryots to pay their dues to the Zamindars. It can be seen from the following points:

  1. The farmers (ryots) failed to pay the revenue when their crops were damaged or when they got less price for their harvest.
  2. Sometimes the payments were deliberately delayed by the farmers. It led to the accumulation of unpaid balances.

Question 2.
What was the relation between ryots and under-ryots?
Answer:
Ryot is a term used to describe the peasants. It was spelt as Raiyat in the British records. They did not cultivate the land directly and leased it out to under-ryots.

Question 3.
Why did the British decide to clear the forests and to remove the Paharis? Give any two reasons.
Answer:

  1. The British wanted to extend the settled agriculture so that the sources of land revenue may be enlarged.
  2. They associated forests with the wilderness. They considered the forest people as savage, unruly and primitive. They found these people difficult to govern. Therefore, they cleared the forests to tame the forest people and make them orderly and civilised.

Question 4.
Why did the Zamindars default on the payment of revenues under the British government? Give two reasons.
Or
Explain two reasons for the failure of the permanent settlement of the land revenues introduced by the British in Bengal. (C.B.S.E. 2009 (D))
Or
Discuss the impact of Permanent Settlement on the Zamindars and their position.
Or
Why did the Zamindars fail to pay the revenue demand in the early decades after the permanent setlement? Explain any two reasons briefly.
Or
Explain any three reasons for the default of payments by the Zamindars. (C.B.S.E. 2013 (D))
Or
After introducing the permanent settlement in Bengal the Zamindars regularly failed to pay the land revenue demand. Examine the causes of it. (C.B.S.E. 2017 (O.D))
Answer:
The British introduced the system of Permanent Settlement in Bengal. They thought that the fixed revenue would imbibe a sense of security among the Zamindars. But contrary to this perception, the Zamindars regularly failed to pay the revenue. This resulted in the accumulation of unpaid balances.

Important Reasons: The Zamindars failed to make regular payments of revenue due to the following reasons:

1. The initial rate of revenue was very high. It was fixed for all time to come. The East India Company had thought that it would never be able to claim a share in the increased income from the land if at any stage, the prices rose and the cultivation expanded. The Company also argued that the burden on the Zamindars would slowly come down with the increase in agricultural production and the prices of agricultural products.

2. The amount of revenue was fixed during the period of economic depression. The ryots found it difficult to pay their dues to the Zamindars. As such the Zamindars were unable to pay the revenue to the East India Company.

3. The revenue was invariable. It had to be paid punctually even if the harvest was not good. There was the enforcement of Sun-Set law. If any Zamindar did not make the payment before the sun-set on a specific day, his estate was auctioned.

4. The Permanent Settlement had reduced the power of the Zamindars to collect rent from the ryot.

Question 5.
What was the policy of Paharias towards plains people and why?
Or
Why did the Paharias invade plains where settled agriculturists lived and how was peace purchased by the Zamindars? Explain. (C.B.S.E. 2009 (O.D.))
Or
Why did Paharias regularly raid the plains where settled agriculturist and Tracy lived? Explain. (C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Answer:

  1. They often attacked the plains where settled agriculturists lived.
  2. These attacks were a way of asserting power over settled groups.
  3. Zaminddrs, lived in plains, regularly paid tribute to Paharia Chiefs to keep themselves safe and secure.
  4. Traders also gave a small amount of money to Paharias for getting permission for using the passes controlled by them. After getting the toll, these traders were protected by Paharia chiefs and were ensured that no one could plunder their goods.

Question 6.
Explain the impact of refusal of moneylenders to extend loans to Ryots around 1865, under the colonial rule in India. (C.B.S.E. 2011 (O.D.))
Answer:
As a boom in cotton market lasted for long, India cotton merchants began to visualise the capturing of the world market in raw cotton by permanently displacing the United States of America (U.S.A.). But this condition changed in 1865. American Civil War came to an end and America again began to produce cotton. As a result, Indian export of cotton to British steadily declined.

Under these circumstances, moneylenders and export merchants of Maharashtra were no longer keen on providing long-term loans. The refusal of moneylenders to extend loans enraged the ryots. What infuriated them was not that they had got deeper and deeper into debt, or that were utterly dependent on the moneylender for survival, but that moneylenders were not sensitive to their plight. The moneylenders were violating the customary norms of the countryside.

Question 7.
Who were the hill folk? Why were they so apprehensive of I Buchanans visit to Rajmahal hills in the 19th century? Explain. (C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Answer:
The Paharis were known as the hill folk. The lived in the vicinity of the Rajmahal hills. They earned their livelihood from the forest produce and also practised shifting cultivation. Buchanan reached the Rajmahal Hills in the early 19th century. He found these hills as impenetrable.

They posed a great risk and danger to the travellers like him. Buchanan also found the hilly people as hostile, apprehensive and not willing to talk to any traveller. In fact, all the Paharis looked at him with suspicion and distrust. When he arrived at a village with his army of people, he was immediately perceived as an agent of the Sarkar, i.e., the British Govt.

Question 8.
What was the Fifth Report? What was its objective? On what grounds has it been criticised?
Or
Describe the fifth report produced by the select committee on English East India Company in 1813 in the British Parliament. (C.B.S.E. 2008 (D))
Or
Why did the Fifth Report become the basis of intense debate in England? Explain. (C.B.S.E. 2013)
Or
“The arguments and evidence offered by the Fifth-Report cannot be accepted uncritically.”
(C.B.S.E. 2015 (D))
Or
Examine the main aspects of the fifth report which was submitted to the British Parliament in 1813 (C.B.S.E. 2017 (O.D.))
Or
Critically examine ‘The Fifth Report of the late Eighteenth Century. (C.B.S.E. 2017 (D))
Answer:
The Fifth Report was submitted to the British Parliament in 1813. It was called the Fifth Report as it was the fifth in a series of reports about the working of the East India Company. The core issue of the Fifth Report was the administration and activities of the East India Company. This report had 1002 pages out of which 800 pages were in the form of appendices which included the petitions of Zamindars and ryots, reports of Collectors, statistical tables on revenue returns and the official notes on the revenue and judicial administration of Bengal and Madras.

Objectives of the Report: Many groups of people in Britain were not happy with the working of East India Company in India. They opposed the monopoly enjoyed by the East India Company over trade with India and China. Many of the British traders wanted a share in Company’s trade in India. They emphasised that the Indian market should be opened for British manufacturers. Many political groups even argued that the conquest of Bengal benefitted only the East India Company and not the British nation as a whole.

They highlighted the misrule and maladministration by East India Company. As a result, the British Parliament passed several Acts in the late 18th century to regulate and control the rule of East India Company in India. It even asked the Company to submit regular reports on its administrative activities in India. The Fifth Report was such a report. It was produced by a select committee. It was concerned with the nature of the Company’s rule in India. It contained invaluable evidence against the rule of East India Company in India. It brings out the pitiable condition in rural Bengal in the late 18th century.

Basis of Criticism: The Fifth Report has been carefully examined by the critics. They find the following limitations in it:

  1. It has many unconvincing arguments and evidence.
  2. Its purpose was only to criticise the maladministration of the East India Company.
  3. It exaggerated the collapse of traditional Zamindari power.
  4. It stated in hyperbolic words that the Zamindars were losing their land. The land of most of the farmers was auctioned.
  5. The Company did not collect revenue with punctuality.

Colonialism and the Countryside Important Extra Questions Source-Based

Read the following passages and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
A Ryot Petitions

This is an example of a petition from a ryot of the village of Mirajgaon, Taluka Karjat, to the Collector, Ahmednagar, Deccan Riots Commission:

The sowkars (chukars) have to late begin to oppress us. As we cannot earn enough to defray our household expense, we are actually forced to beg to them to provide us with money, clothes and grain, which we obtain from them not without great difficulty, nor without their compelling us to enter into hard conditions in the bond. Moreover, the necessary clothes and grain are not sold to us at cash rates. The prices asked from us are generally twenty-five or fifty per cent more than demand from customers making ready money payments The produce of our fields is also taken by the sowars who at the time of removing it assures us that it will be credited to our account, but they do not actually make any mention of it in the accounts. They also refuse to pass us any receipts for the produce so removed by them.
(i) What are the four grievances of the peasants?
Answer:
(i) The farmers had the following complaints:
(a) The moneylenders were torturing them. To run their homes whatever they got from the moneylenders, they had to write bonds specifying strict conditions.
(b) They had to pay 25% to 50% more price as compared to the price on cash payment.
(c) The production of their fields was also taken by the moneylenders and their money was not deposited in their account.
(d) The moneylenders got their crops without issuing any receipts.

(ii) State one norm that regulated the relationship between the moneylender and the ryot?
Answer:
The loan determined the relation between ryot and the moneylenders.

(iii) What was the ‘Limitation Law’? How was it manipulated by the moneylender?
Answer:
The Limitation Law was passed in 1859. According to it, the signed loan papers between ryot and the moneylenders were valid for only three years so that the interest may not accumulate. But moneylenders got a new loan paper from ryot after every three years. In it, the interest was included in the principal amount. Interest was again charged on this amount.

Question 2.
From the Fifth Report

Referring to the condition of zamindars and the auction of lands, the Fifth Report stated:

The revenue was not realised with punctuality, and lands to a considerable extent were periodically exposed to sale by auction. In the native year 1203, corresponding with 1796-97, the land advertised for sale comprehended a Jumma or assessment of sicca rupees 28,70,061 the extent of land actually sold bore a Jumma or assessment of 14,18,756, and the amount of purchase money sicca rupees 17,90,416. In 1204, corresponding with 1797-98, the land advertised was for sicca rupees 26,66,191, the quantity sold was for sicca rupees 22,74,076, and the purchase money sicca rupees 21,47,580. Among the defaulters were some of the oldest families of the country.

Such were the rajahs of Nuddea, Rajeshaye, Bishenpore (all districts of Bengal), … and others, the dismemberment of whose estates at the end of each succeeding year, threatened them with poverty and ruin, and in some instances presented difficulties to the revenue officers, in their efforts to preserve undiminished the amount of public assessment.
(i) What was the Fifth Report?
Answer:
The Fifth Report was presented in the British Parliament in 1813. It was called so because it was a fifth in the series of reports submitted about the working and administration of East India Company in India.

(ii) What did it say about the auction of land?
Answer:
It stated that the revenue was not collected in time. So the lands were auctioned from time to time.

(iii) According to the Report, what was the condition of the Zamindars?
Answer:
(a) The condition of zamindars was deteriorating. Their lands were being auctioned.
(b) They faced poverty and collapse of the zamindari system.
(c) They were sometimes unable to pay the revenue.

(iv) Give one point in criticism of this Report.
Answer:
(a) It criticised the maladministration of the East India Company.
(b) It exaggerated the collapse of traditional zamindari system.

Question 3.
Deeds of Hire

When debts mounted the peasant was unable to pay back the loan to the moneylender. He had no option but to give over all his possessions -land, carts, and animals – to the moneylender. But without animals, he could not continue to cultivate. So he took to land on rent and animals on hire. He now had to pay for the animals which had originally belonged to him. He had to sign a deed of hire stating very clearly that these animals and carts did not belong to him. In cases of conflict, these deeds could be enforced through the court.

The following is the text of a deed that a peasant signed in November 1873, from the records of the Deccan Riots Commission:

I have sold to you, on account of the debt due to you, my two carriages having iron axles, with their appurtenances and four bullocks … I have taken from you on hire under (this) deed the very same two carriages and four bullocks. I shall pay every month the hire thereof at Rupees four a month, and obtain a receipt in your own handwriting. In the absence of a receipt, I shall not contend that the hire had been paid.
(i) Why was the farmer compelled to sell everything?
Answer:
The peasant had taken a lot of debts. When the debts mounted, he failed to pay the loan. So he sold all his land, carts and animals to a moneylender.

(ii) Why had he to hire land and animals? What was the irony in this regard?
Answer:
The farmer was unable to cultivate without animals. So he took to land on rent and animals on hire. The irony lies in the fact that he paid for the animals which were actually his own. He had signed a deed that the animals and carts did not belong to him.

(iii) Who had signed the given document? From where has it been taken?
Answer:
It has been taken from the records of the Deccan Riots Commission. It was signed by a peasant in November 1873.

(iv) What kind of relationship between the moneylender and farmer does this document indicate?
Answer:
It is an indication of the exploitation of peasants by the moneylenders.

Question 4.
On Clearance and Settled Cultivation

Passing through one village in the lower Rajmahal hills, Buchanan wrote: The view of the country is exceedingly fine, the cultivation, especially the narrow valleys of rice winding in all directions, the cleared lands with scattered trees, and the rocky hills are in perfection; all that is wanted is some appearance of progress in the area and a vastly extended and improved cultivation, of which the country is highly susceptible. Plantations of Asan and Palas, for Tessar (Tassar silkworms) and Lac, should occupy the place of woods to as great an extent as the demand will admit; the remainder might be all cleared, and the greater part cultivated, while what is not fit for the purpose, might rear Palmira (palmyra) and Mowa (mahua).
(i) The view of which country has been described by Buchanan?
Answer:
Here, Buchanan has described the landscape of a village in the lower Rajmahal hills.

(ii) Give any four features of the view of the country described by him.
Answer:
(a) The view of the village is very fine.
(b) It had the narrow valleys of rice winding in all directions.
(c) It had the cleared lands with scattered trees.
(d) It had rocky hills which seemed distinctive because of perfection.
(e) It had improved cultivation. It also depicted the progress.

(iii) In the gardens of this region, which things except the wood could be grown? Where could the Plamira and Mahua trees be grown?
Answer:
In place of woods, the gardens of tassar silkworms and lac can be developed.

(iv) When Buchanan wrote about the view of a country, which feature did it have?
Answer:
When Buchanan wrote about a landscape, he did not merely describe what he saw and what the landscape was like. He also described how their landscape could be made more productive for the cultivation of crops.

Question 5.
The Jotedars of Dinajpur

Buchanan described the ways in which the Jotedars of Dinajpur in North Bengal resisted being disciplined by the zamindar and undermined his power:

Landlords do not like this class of men, but it is evident that they are absolutely necessary, unless the landlords themselves would advance money to their necessitous tenantry …

The Jotedars who cultivate large portions of lands are very refractory and know that the zamindars have no power over them. They pay only a few rupees on account of their revenue and then fall in balance almost every kist (instalment), they hold more lands than they are entitled to by their potash (deeds of contract). Should the zamindar’s officers, in consequence, summon them to the cutcherry, and detain them for one or two hours with a view to reprimand them, they immediately go and complain at the Fouzdarry Thanna (police station) for imprisonment and at the pontiff s (a judicial officer at the lower court) cutcherry for being dishonoured and whilst the causes continue unsettled, they instigate the petty ryots not to pay their revenue consequently
(i) Who were the Jotedars?
Answer:
The Jotedars were the rich peasants of the north Bengal. They lent money to the needy peasants. They controlled vast areas of land. Sometimes they controlled even several thousand acres of land.

(ii) Describe the ways in which the tears resisted the authority of the zamindars.
Answer:
(a) They resisted all the efforts of
zamindars to increase the JAMA of the village.
(b) They prevented zamindari officials from executing their duties.
(c) They deliberately delayed payments of revenue to the zamindars.

(iii) Why were they more powerful than the zamindars?
Answer:
The tears were more powerful and effective than the zamindars on account of the following:
(a) They held more lands than they were entitled to by the deeds of contract.
(b) As they lived in the villages, they exercised direct control over a large number of poor villagers.
(c) They controlled local trade and also lent money to the needy.
(d) They often purchased the estates of the zamindars when they were auctioned for non-payment of revenue.

(iv) By which names were they called?
Answer:
They were called by the names of holders, ganders or manuals.