1. Colonialism and the Countryside Exploring Official Ar icial Aricial Archives
Colonial rule reshaped rural society through policies that affected land rights and local power structures in India, particularly in Bengal and the Bombay Deccan. The rise of zamindars and jotedars illustrates complex relationships in agriculture, economic pressures from fixed revenue systems caused peasants to default, leading to social conflicts and revolts. The narratives of the Paharias and Santhals reveal the struggles against encroachment on their livelihoods, while the cotton boom and subsequent economic downturn demonstrate how global events influenced local agriculture and debt cycles.
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What we have learnt
- Colonial policies significantly altered land ownership and agricultural practices.
- Zamindars often retained power through manipulation of revenue systems despite legal changes.
- Peasant revolts were driven by economic distress, exacerbated by market fluctuations and oppressive debt cycles.
Key Concepts
- -- Zamindar
- Initially landowners who collected revenue for the state, their power dynamics shifted under colonial rule as they faced financial and administrative pressures.
- -- Jotedar
- Wealthy peasants who emerged as influential figures in rural Bengal, controlling land and exerting power over poorer cultivators.
- -- Ryotwari System
- A land revenue system where revenue was directly settled with the cultivators (ryots), leading to increased financial burdens and indebtedness.
- -- Santhals
- Indigenous people who settled in the Rajmahal hills, engaging in plough agriculture and resisting both British intervention and local economic exploitation.
- -- Permanent Settlement
- A revenue system established in Bengal that fixed land revenue, aimed at securing regular income for the colonial state but led to widespread defaulting by zamindars.
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