Q4 Answer the following questions in 10 to 20 words.

(a)What are the three land revenue settlements introduced by the British?

Answer.

(1)Zamindari system: Lord Cornwallis introduced This system in Bengal in 1793. Under this system, the British government recognized the zamindars, or landlords, as the owners of the land. The zamindars were responsible for collecting land revenue from the peasants and paying it to the government.

(2)Ryotwari system: Thomas Munro introduced This system in Madras in 1820. Under this system, the government collected land revenue directly from the peasants. The peasants had the right to own and sell their land.

(3) Mahal Wari system: This system was introduced in 1833 by William Bentinck. Under this system, the government entered into a contract with the village community for the payment of land revenue. The village community was responsible for collecting the revenue from the individual cultivators.

(B) What were the two systems of indigo cultivation?

        Answer. The two systems of indigo cultivation in India were the nij system and the ryoti system.

1. Nij: In the nij system, the planter directly controlled the land and produced indigo. The planter either bought the land or rented it from other zamindars.
2. Ryoti: In the ryoti system, the planter forced the ryot, or peasant, to grow indigo on their land. The ryot was given a loan by the planter to grow indigo, and they were forced to sell the indigo to the planter at a fixed price.

(c)Name the two villagers who led the rebellion against the planters.

Answer. Digmbar Biswas and Bishnu Biswas were two villagers who led the rebellion against the planters.

(d) Why did the company stop importing gold and silver from Britain?

Answer. The company stopped importing gold and silver from Britain because it could collect revenue from India to finance its trade activities.

To elaborate, the East India Company (EIC) was able to stop importing gold and silver from Britain after it gained the right to collect revenue in Bengal in 1765. This revenue, which was collected in the form of taxes, was used to finance the purchase of goods for export to Britain. As a result, the EIC was able to become self-sufficient and reduce its dependence on imports from Britain.

(e) What does Commercialisation of Agriculture mean?

Answer. The production of crops and livestock for sale in the market rather than for self-consumption.

(f) Who were the proprietors of land under the permanent settlement?

Answer. Under the Permanent Settlement introduced in 1793 by Lord Cornwallis, the zamindars were declared as the proprietors of land. They were given ownership rights and were responsible for collecting land revenue from the peasants and paying a fixed amount to the British government annually. In return, they could keep the surplus as their profit. This arrangement gave zamindars considerable power over the peasants, who lost traditional rights over their land. While the British hoped this would create a class of loyal landlords, in practice, it burdened peasants with high rents and reduced them to mere tenants under zamindars’ authority.

(g) Which movement did the rebelling indigo farmers join after moving to Bihar?

Answer. The rebelling indigo farmers later joined the Non-Cooperation Movement of 1920–22, led by Mahatma Gandhi. Earlier, during the mid-19th century, many indigo cultivators in Bengal migrated to Bihar to escape oppressive indigo planters. However, the exploitation continued in Bihar as well. When Gandhi took up the cause of Champaran farmers in 1917, it became a historic moment in India’s freedom struggle. The Champaran Satyagraha exposed the severe oppression of indigo cultivators and laid the foundation for farmers’ active role in the national movement. Thus, the rebelling indigo farmers’ struggle became closely linked with India’s broader freedom movement.

Q5. Answer the questions in 100 words.

• Why did the British introduce the new land revenue settlements in India?

Answer. The British introduced new land revenue settlements in India to secure a steady and regular income for the colonial government. Since agriculture was the backbone of the Indian economy, controlling land revenue meant controlling the largest source of wealth. The Permanent Settlement, Mahalwari Settlement, and Ryotwari Settlement were designed to maximize revenue collection. Additionally, the British wanted to create loyal classes—zamindars, village headmen, and rich peasants—who would support colonial rule. These systems also reflected British expectations that Indian agriculture could be transformed into a more commercial, profit-making enterprise. However, instead of prosperity, these settlements often led to exploitation, indebtedness, and decline in peasants’ living conditions.

(b)What were the important features of the Permanent Settlement?

Answer. The Permanent Settlement, introduced in 1793 by Lord Cornwallis in Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa, had several key features. It fixed the land revenue permanently, meaning zamindars had to pay a fixed sum to the British every year, regardless of agricultural output. Zamindars were recognized as the landowners and given full rights over the land, while peasants became tenants. If zamindars failed to pay revenue on time, their estates could be auctioned. The settlement aimed to create a loyal class of landlords and ensure stable revenue for the East India Company. However, it overburdened peasants with high rents, neglected agricultural improvements, and widened social inequality, making it deeply unpopular among farmers.

(c)Describe the Mahalwari Settlement

Answer. The Mahalwari Settlement was introduced in the North-Western Provinces of India by Holt Mackenzie in 1822. Unlike the Permanent Settlement, which gave rights to zamindars, the Mahalwari system made the village community (mahal) jointly responsible for paying land revenue. Revenue was assessed on the entire mahal, and village headmen or local representatives collected it from farmers. This system recognized the traditional role of village communities in land management but imposed heavy and often unrealistic revenue demands. Since the settlement was revised periodically, peasants had little security. While the British hoped this would stabilize rural administration, it ended up creating pressure on villages, forcing many peasants into debt and exploitation by moneylenders.

(d)How was the ryoti system disadvantageous for the cultivators?

Answer. The Ryotwari system, introduced in Madras and Bombay Presidencies, directly assessed revenue from the individual cultivator (ryot) without intermediaries like zamindars. While this gave ryots formal ownership of their land, it had serious disadvantages. The land revenue was fixed very high and had to be paid in cash, regardless of harvest quality. In years of drought, flood, or crop failure, peasants could not pay and were forced into debt or lost their land. The system also encouraged cash-crop cultivation to ensure revenue, making peasants vulnerable to price fluctuations. Thus, while the British portrayed Ryotwari as farmer-friendly, in reality it created insecurity, exploitation, and widespread poverty among cultivators.

(e) Discuss the nature of the indigo revolt.

Answer.  The Indigo Revolt of 1859–60 in Bengal was one of the earliest organized peasant uprisings against colonial exploitation. Indigo planters forced peasants to grow indigo instead of food crops, using advance loans and coercion. The cultivators were paid very little, and refusal often invited violence. Peasants resisted by refusing to sow indigo, attacking factories, and appealing to courts and the press. The revolt spread widely, gaining sympathy from Indian intellectuals and even some British officials. Eventually, the government appointed the Indigo Commission, which acknowledged the injustice. The revolt highlighted rural discontent, became a symbol of resistance, and inspired later movements like the Champaran Satyagraha under Gandhi.

(f) How did the British conquest of India transform the traditional Indian economy?

Answer. The British conquest deeply disrupted India’s traditional economy. Before colonial rule, India had a prosperous handicraft industry and a self-sufficient agrarian economy. With the British, traditional industries like textiles declined due to competition from cheap machine-made goods from Britain. Agriculture was reshaped to serve British interests, focusing on cash crops such as indigo, opium, and cotton for export. New land revenue systems overburdened peasants and destroyed rural stability. The drain of wealth policy led to the outflow of resources to Britain, weakening India’s economy. Overall, the colonial economy transformed India into a supplier of raw materials and a market for British goods, reducing it from a vibrant economy to one marked by poverty and dependency.

Q6. Give reasons.

(a) The British officials had hoped that the new revenue systems would enable the peasants to become rich, enterprising farmers.

Answer. The British believed that by giving peasants or zamindars ownership rights, they would have an incentive to improve land productivity. For example, under the Permanent Settlement, zamindars could keep surplus profits, while in the Ryotwari system, peasants were made direct landowners. Officials assumed that secure property rights would encourage investment in agriculture, adoption of better farming techniques, and commercial crop cultivation. They hoped peasants would become rich and the countryside prosperous. However, these expectations failed because revenue demands were too high, often unrelated to crop output. Instead of prosperity, farmers faced poverty, debt, and insecurity, proving the British assumptions unrealistic.

(b) Many company officials gave up their jobs and turned to the indigo business.

Answer. Indigo had great demand in Europe as a dye for textiles, making it highly profitable. Many East India Company officials, familiar with India’s land and resources, realized the potential for private profit and resigned from their jobs to become indigo planters. They forced peasants into unfair contracts, providing loans  and compelling them to grow indigo instead of food crops. The high returns from exporting indigo to Europe motivated officials to abandon their salaries for business. However, this exploitation led to widespread suffering for peasants and eventually triggered the Indigo Revolt. Thus, the shift of officials to indigo cultivation was driven mainly by economic greed.

(c) The local zamindars were unhappy with the indigo planters.

Answer. Zamindars were unhappy with indigo planters because the planters directly dealt with cultivators, bypassing the zamindars’ authority. Traditionally, zamindars collected rent and maintained control over peasants, but indigo planters established their own influence through coercive contracts and private armies. This weakened zamindars’ dominance in rural society. Additionally, since peasants were forced to grow indigo instead of food crops, zamindars often faced difficulty in collecting rent, reducing their income. The aggressive behavior of planters further disrupted the rural balance of power. Thus, zamindars saw indigo planters not only as exploiters of peasants but also as rivals challenging their authority and profits.

Q7. Do you think the commercialisation of agriculture is essential for any nation to generate maximum revenue? Give a reason.

Answer. Commercialisation of agriculture can be useful for economic growth, but it is not always the best way to generate maximum revenue. In India under British rule, commercialisation mainly served colonial interests. Farmers were forced to grow cash crops like indigo, cotton, and opium for export, which brought revenue to the British but created food shortages and poverty among peasants. For a nation’s prosperity, agriculture must first ensure food security for its population and then support cash-crop production in a balanced way. True revenue generation comes from sustainable and fair agricultural policies that empower farmers, encourage technological progress, and ensure that profits stay within the country. Thus, commercialisation should be farmer-centric and not exploitative, unlike under colonial rule.