The following questions may be considered for an understanding of the problem: Are peasants

politically inert, unconscious and indifferent? Does peasant politics connote much more than the
'periodic eruption of the peasantry'? Peasants are, in general, fatalist and subsistence-oriented. Their
wants are limited and expectations from society are not that high. They despise all 'non-peasant
outsiders' as their exploiters, but go to the same 'outsiders' for help, guidance and leadership. Peasants
are also suspicious of 'outsiders'. Their religiosity, fatalism, superstitions, and belief in magic -
characteristics of all powerless and dependent communities - have also been important in influencing
their politics. Consequently religious leaders have also succeeded in mobilising peasant support in
political movements in the name of religion. Although peasants in general are 'fatalist' and politically
'inert', nevertheless they are not 'rural idiots'. Peasants often behave rationally and are prepared to take
risks or gamble for a better future, as they are not always satisfied with bare subsistence. This is more so
with the rich and middle peasants.

Various examples from peasants participation in political movements throughout the period reveal that
the top leaders and ideologies of movements have always been non-peasant in character. Ideologies like
Inqilab Zindabad (Long Live the Revolution) under communist leadership and Pakistan Zindabad (Long
Live Pakistan) under muslim league leadership were 'alien' and non-peasant in character. The peasants
have often been mobilised by non-peasant outsiders on the basis of communal or other non-peasant
ideologies in the name of liberation, freedom and even God and religion.

Elite-Peasant Nexus The advent of British Raj in the second half of the 18th century brought misery to
the average Bengali, especially the Muslim masses, middle classes and aristocracy. the battle of palashi
and the subsequent quick administrative, economic, cultural and political changes brought a new class
of landed and professional elite (mostly Hindu) into being, and both the Muslim masses and aristocrats
became impoverished, insignificant and without government patronage. Both the pre and post-
Permanent Settlement land systems adversely affected the Muslim landed classes. The bulk of the
Muslims in Bengal simply could not cope with the changes and failed to compete with the Hindu
professionals (babus and bhadralok) and zamindar-mahajan classes. The rampant corruption and the
unbridled competition for making huge fortunes among the bania and mutsuddi classes (mostly Hindu
Bengalis) further impoverished the Bengali Muslim and peasant-weaver classes not long after the onset
of Company Raj. Consequently as these changes brought a huge number of frustrated and downtrodden
people to the surface, the abrupt changes in the fortune of hitherto dominant classes, peasants, artisans
and weavers also gave birth to numerous peasant and mass rebellions not long after a few years of the
battle of Palashi. Most of these rebellions were disorganised, sporadic and millennial in nature - their
targets being the immediate exploiters and their aim the redress of the immediate grievances of the
rebels.