Samacheer Class 8 Social Science - Rural Life and Society

1. Mahalwari Settlement is the modified version of the Zamindari system - True. The Mahalwari system was introduced as an improvement over the Zamindari system, attempting to reduce exploitation by dealing directly with village communities rather than through intermediaries. 2. The Mahalwari system was a brainchild of Holt Mackenzie - True. Holt Mackenzie, a British administrator, designed and implemented the Mahalwari system in the North-West Provinces as an alternative land revenue collection method. 3. Indigo Revolt took place in Bengal - True. The Indigo Revolt, also known as the Nil Darban, occurred in Bengal where peasants protested against forced cultivation of indigo under exploitative conditions imposed by British planters. 4. Maplah Rebellion was held in Malabar - True. The Maplah Rebellion, a significant peasant uprising, took place in the Malabar region of Kerala where Muslim peasants revolted against landlord oppression and British colonial rule. 5. The Champaran Agrarian Act was passed in May 1918 - True. This act was passed following Mahatma Gandhi's intervention in the Champaran district of Bihar, providing some relief to peasants suffering under the indigo cultivation system.

1. Warren Hastings introduced quinquennial land settlement - True. Warren Hastings, the first Governor-General of India, introduced the quinquennial or five-yearly land settlement system, which involved reassessing land revenue every five years to adjust rates based on current conditions. 2. Ryotwari system was introduced by Thomas Munro - True. Thomas Munro, a British administrator in the Madras Presidency, designed and implemented the Ryotwari system, which established direct revenue relationships between the government and individual peasant farmers rather than through intermediaries. 3. Pabna revolt originated in the Yusufshahi pargana in Gujarat - False. The Pabna revolt actually originated in the Pabna district of Bengal, not in Gujarat. It was a significant peasant movement against zamindari oppression and exploitative practices in the Bengal region. 4. The Punjab Land Alienation Act was passed in 1918 - False. The Punjab Land Alienation Act was passed in 1900, not 1918. This act was designed to prevent the transfer of agricultural land from peasants to non-agricultural classes and moneylenders in Punjab.

Salient features of the Permanent settlement:
The Zamindars were recognized as the owners of the land as long as they paid the revenue to the East India Company regularly.
The Zamindars acted as the agent of the Government for the collection of revenue from the cultivators.

Revenue settlement was done directly with the ryots.
Measurement of field and an estimate of the product was calculated.
The government fixed the demand at 45% to 55% of the produce.

Effects of the Mahalwari settlement:
The Lambardar enjoyed privileges which were misused for their self – interest.
This system brought no benefit to the cultivators.
It was a modified version of the Zamindari system and benefited the upper class in villages.

The European indigo planters compelled the tenant farmers to grow indigo at terms highly disadvantageous to the farmers.
The tenant farmer was forced to sell it cheap to the planter and accepted advances from the planter that benefitted the latter.
There were also cases of kidnapping, looting, flogging, and burning.
Led by Digambar Biswas and Bishnu Charan Biswas, the ryots of the Nadia district gave up indigo cultivation in September 1859.
Factories were burnt down and the revolt spread.

The European planters of Champaran in Bihar resorted to illegal and inhuman methods of indigo cultivation at a cost which was wholly unjust.
The peasants were liable to unlawful extortion and oppression by the planters.
Mahatma Gandhi took up their cause. The Government appointed an enquiry commission of which Mahatma Gandhi was a member.
The grievances of the peasants were enquired and ultimately the Champaran Agrarian Act was passed in May 1918.

By the leadership of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, in protest against the government’s proposal to increase land revenue by 30%.
Women have participated in the campaign.
All the land return to farmers by Congress in 1937.

The three major land revenue systems introduced by the British in India were the Permanent Settlement, the Mahalwari Settlement, and the Ryotwari System. The Permanent Settlement was introduced by Lord Cornwallis in Bengal in 1793, establishing zamindars as permanent landowners with fixed revenue obligations. The Mahalwari Settlement was designed by Holt Mackenzie and implemented in the North-West Provinces, treating villages as revenue units with a Lambardar acting as intermediary. The Ryotwari System was introduced by Thomas Munro in the Madras Presidency, establishing direct relationships between the government and individual peasant cultivators. The salient features of the Mahalwari settlement included the Lambardar who acted as intermediaries between the Government and the villagers, facilitating revenue collection and administration. It was a village-wise assessment where revenue was calculated for entire villages rather than individual holdings. One person could hold a number of villages, concentrating administrative authority. The village community was recognized as the owner of the village common land, preserving traditional communal property rights. The village land belonged to the village community collectively, maintaining some aspects of traditional land tenure systems while introducing British administrative structures.

Merits:
Under this system, many of the wastelands and forests became cultivable lands.
The Zamindars became the owner of the land.
The Zamindars were made free from the responsibility of providing justice.
The Zamindars remained faithful to the British Government.
This system secured a fixed and stable income for the British Government.
Demerits:
The British Government had no direct contact with the cultivators.
The rights of the cultivators were ignored and they were left at the mercy of the Zamindars.
The peasants were almost treated as serfs.
This system was made the Zamindars lethargic and luxurious.
Many conflicts between the zamindars and the peasants arose in rural Bengal.
2. What were the impacts of the British Land Revenue system on the cultivators?
Impact of the British land revenue system on the cultivators:
A common feature of all the settlements was the assessment and the maximize income from land. It resulted in increasing land sales and dispossession.
The peasants were overburdened with taxation and the peasants to seek moneylenders who became rich and acquired lands from the peasants.
The money lenders, the Zamindars, and lawyers exploited the poor peasants.
The stability and continuity of the Indian villages were shaken.
Cottage industries disappeared.
The British policy proved advantageous only to the government of a privileged section of the society at the cost of cultivators who were the rightful owners of their lands and claimants of the larger share of the produce.
3. Write a paragraph about the Moplah Rebellion?
Moplah Rebellion (1921):
1. The Muslim Moplah (or Moplah) peasants of Malabar (Kerala) were suppressed and exploited by the Hindu zamindars (Jenis) and the British government.
2. This was the main cause of this revolt.
3. The Moplah peasants got momentum from the Malabar District Conference, held in April 1920.
4. This conference supported the tenant’s cause and demanded legislation for regulating landlord-tenant relations.
5. In August 1921, the Moplah tenants rebelled against the oppressive zamindars. In the initial phase of the rebellion, the Moplah peasants attacked the police stations, public offices, communications and houses of oppressive landlords and moneylenders.
6. By December 1921, the government ruthlessly suppressed the Moplah rebellion.
7. According to an official estimate, as a result of government intervention, 2337 Moplah rebels were killed, 1650 wounded and more than 45,000 captured as prisoners.

When Robert Clive obtained the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa in 1765, there used to be an annual settlement (of land revenue).
Warren Hastings changed it from annual to quinquennial (five-yearly) and back to annual again.
During the time of Cornwallis, a ten years’ (decennial) settlement was introduced in 1793 and it was known as Permanent Settlement.
The permanent settlement was made in Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Varanasi division of U.P., and Northern Karnataka, which roughly covered 19 percent of the total area of British India.
It was known by different names like Zamindari, Jagirdari, Malguzari, and Biswedari.
2. Give an account of the Santhal Rebellion.
1. The first revolt which can be regarded as a peasants’ revolt was the Santhal Rebellion in 1855 – 56.
2. The land near the hills of Rajmahal in Bihar was cultivated by the Santhals.
3. The landlords and money-lenders from the cities took advantage of their ignorance and began grabbing their lands. This created bitter resentment among them leading to their armed uprising in 1855.
4. Consequently, under the belief of divine order, around 10,000 Santals gathered under two Santhal brothers, Siddhu and Kanhu, to free their country of the foreign oppressors and set up a government of their own.
5. The rebellion assumed a formidable shape within a month. The houses of the European planters, British officers, railway engineers, zamindars, and moneylenders were attacked.
6. The rebellion continued till February 1856, when the rebel leaders were captured and the movement was put down with a heavy hand.
7. The government declared the Parganas inhabited by them as Santhal Parganas so that their lands and identity could be safeguarded from external encroachments.

Apart from exploiting peasants through heavy taxes, the British further exploited the land and farmers through the policy of commercialization of agriculture, which represented a major setback for Indian farmers and rural economy. Under this policy, peasants were forced to grow cash crops such as opium, jute, indigo, and cotton instead of food crops, which deteriorated soil fertility and made the land less productive for future generations. These cash crops were grown primarily for export to Britain and other markets, enriching British traders and industrialists while impoverishing Indian farmers. Agricultural prices shot up by 31% due to increased demand and colonial policies, making it difficult for common people to afford basic food items. Peasants were threatened and coerced if they failed to grow the mandated cash crops, removing their freedom to decide what to cultivate on their own land. This commercialization policy disrupted traditional agricultural practices, created food shortages in India, and made peasants dependent on purchasing food at inflated prices while their own production was diverted to cash crops. The combination of heavy taxation and forced commercialization of agriculture created a cycle of poverty and debt among Indian peasants, leading to numerous peasant revolts and agrarian unrest throughout the colonial period.

1. The Muslim peasants were called Moplah - True. Moplah refers to Muslim peasants, particularly in the Malabar region of Kerala, who were involved in significant agrarian uprisings against landlord oppression and colonial rule. 2. Mahalwari settlement system brought benefit to the cultivators - False. Although the Mahalwari system was presented as an improvement over the Zamindari system, it did not significantly benefit cultivators as they still faced heavy revenue demands, exploitation by intermediaries like Lambardars, and limited control over their land. 3. Champaran has situated in the state of Bihar - True. Champaran is located in Bihar, and it became famous for the Champaran Satyagraha led by Mahatma Gandhi in 1917, which addressed the exploitation of peasants forced to grow indigo under oppressive conditions. 4. The first revolt which can be regarded as a peasants revolt was the Santhal Rebellion in 1855-1856 - True. The Santhal Rebellion, occurring in 1855-1856 in the Santhal Parganas region, is widely recognized as the first major peasant revolt against British colonial rule and the oppressive zamindari system in India. 5. In 1876, the peasants revolted in the district of Poona in the Deccan Riots - False. The Deccan Riots occurred in 1875, not 1876, in the Poona and surrounding districts of Maharashtra where peasants protested against moneylenders and revenue officials due to severe drought and economic hardship.