Ruling the Countryside

3 Ruling the Countryside

Description

Quick Overview

This section examines how the East India Company became the Diwan of Bengal and the implications of their revenue system on the local economy and population.

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The section discusses the establishment of the East India Company as the Diwan of Bengal, exploring the resulting revenue management and its impact on local peasants and artisans. It covers the introduction of the Permanent Settlement, the challenges it faced, and the eventual shift towards alternative revenue systems like the Mahalwari and Ryotwari settlements, culminating in the significant socio-economic repercussions including famine and rebellion.

Detailed

Overview

The East India Company's appointment as the Diwan of Bengal in 1765 marked a significant shift in governance and revenue management in the region. This section explores the mechanics of this transition and its profound implications for agricultural society.

Key Points

  • Diwani of Bengal: The East India Company assumed financial administrative authority, focusing on increasing revenue without a structured system for assessment and collection. The Company, initially a trader, sought to maximize profits, leading to direct exploitation of local resources.
  • Economic Crisis: A dire economic situation led many artisans and peasants to abandon their work, eventually resulting in famine in 1770, claiming millions of lives.
  • Permanent Settlement: Introduced in 1793, it recognized zamindars as the revenue collectors but did not address the fundamental exploitation faced by local cultivators, resulting in more debt and evictions.
  • Alternative Revenue Systems: As crises continued, the Company explored alternative systems—Mahalwari in Northern India and Ryotwari in Southern India—designed to assess revenue based on villages and directly with cultivators, respectively.
  • Indigo Production: The Company pushed for the cultivation of specific crops, notably indigo, altering traditional agricultural practices, leading to further economic strain and resistance from local farmers culminating in the Indigo Rebellion of 1859.

Significance

This section illustrates how colonial administrative practices began to reshape agrarian society in India, leading to significant economic and social upheaval.

Key Concepts

  • Diwani: The authority to collect revenue in a territory.

  • Indigo Cultivation: The production of indigo dye as a key cash crop during British rule.

  • Permanent Settlement: A system that fixed land revenue, profoundly impacting zamindars and ryots.

Memory Aids

🎵 Rhymes Time

  • When the Company took the land, they tightened the demand, leaving ryots in a bind, their troubles well-defined.

📖 Fascinating Stories

  • Imagine a farmer watching as his fields get taken by an outsider, who demands high rent in exchange for permission to work his land.

🧠 Other Memory Gems

  • Remember the acronym 'DREAM' for Diwan, Revenue, Exploitation, Agriculture, and Market.

🎯 Super Acronyms

INDIGO - Increase Need for Dye, Increased Grievances of Oppression

Examples

  • The establishment of the East India Company as Diwan led to increased revenue demands on already impoverished peasantry, which contributed to famine.

  • The Indigo Rebellion of 1859 serves as a clear example of agrarian unrest against exploitative colonial practices.

Glossary of Terms

  • Term: Diwan

    Definition:

    The chief financial administrator who managed revenue in the territory.

  • Term: Zamindar

    Definition:

    Local landlords responsible for collecting taxes and rents from peasants.

  • Term: Permanent Settlement

    Definition:

    A revenue system introduced in 1793 that fixed revenue demands from zamindars.

  • Term: Ryot

    Definition:

    Peasant or cultivator in India who worked the land.

  • Term: Indigo

    Definition:

    A plant used to produce a blue dye, which was a significant cash crop in colonial India.