Chapter-3
ANSWERS THE PEASANTS AND THE RAJ
MAIN COURSEBOOK
A. 1. dual, revenue     • It did not lead to any improvement in
2. Bengal, Bihar, Orissa   3. ryotwari,51
4. United Provinces, Punjab
5. opium, indigo   6. Famine
7. Java   8. Ryot
9. Digambar, Bishambhar, Nadia
10. Mahatma Gandhi
B. 1. True  2. False  3. False
4. True   5. True
C. 1. d.  2. c.  3. b.  4. e.  5. a.
D. 1. The British introduced the Land
Revenue Settlements with the intention
of timely collection of revenue in
predictable manner.
2. The opium and the indigo trade were
beneficial for the British both these
commodities helped the company make
huge profits.
E. 1. Under the Permanent Settlement System,
  • the landowners or the zamindars
emerged as a class of loyal allies to
the British
  • The zamindars got hereditary rights
over land
  • The farmers became tenants and lost
the right to the use of the pastures,  
forest lands, irrigation canals and
fishing ponds
  • The farmers were left at the mercy of
the zamindars who extracted exorbitant  
rates from them
  • Even if the crops, the peasants had to
pay the revenue even if it meant
borrowing money from the
moneylender at high rates of interest
  • In case of nonpayment, the land was
mortgaged and the hereditary rights
over land were taken away
the quality of the soil as no one took
interest in improving the fertility of
soil and most of the new landlords
were absentee landlords who lived in
the cities
Under Ryotwari Settlement,
  • land revenue was not collected by the
zamindar but was taken from the ryots
or cultivators directly
  • the cultivators became the landowners
and there was no intermediary for
collecting the revenue
  • the revenue was very high and
collected rigidly and the cultivator had
to pay even if the crops failed
  • the land revenue was revised and
increased after every 20 or 30 years
2. The indigo cultivators in India lived a
very harsh life under the British-
  • The cultivation of indigo ruined the
quality of the soil making it infertile
and unfit to grow rice thus it led the
creation of an artificial crisis where
people had money but had not food
grains in the market for people to buy.
• Peasants growing indigo on their fields
got a very low price for it as a result
they could not pay back their loans to
the moneylenders.
• After growing indigo, the same land
could not be used to grow rice
because the land would have
exhausted its fertility.
  • In order to rope in the farmers, the
indigo planters advanced a certain
some of money and forced them to
 enter into contracts which when   • After growing indigo, the same land
violated led to the armed goons or could not be used to grow rice
‘lathiyals’ suppressing and spreading because the land would have
violence in the countryside. exhausted its fertility.
3.   • In order to rope in the farmers, the
Nij cultivation Ryot cultivation indigo planters advanced a certain
a. In the ‘nij’ system of a. Under the ‘ryot’ method some of money and forced them to
cultivation, the planters a contract was signed enter into contracts which when
produced indigo on land between the ‘ryot’ or the violated led to the armed goons or
that they directly village headmen and the
controlled. planters.
‘lathiyals’ suppressing and spreading
b. Large areas of fertile b. The ‘ryots’ were given
violence in the countryside.
lands for indigo loans and forced to HOTS
cultivation were not grow only indigo on at
available because the least 25 per cent of the
1. After the indigo revolt in Bengal the site
lands were already area under their of indigo cultivation shifted to Bihar
densely populated and holdings. however similar conditions developed in
eviction of the tenants c. Later the planters Bihar as well thus shifting the site of
led to conflicts. informed the peasants indigo plantation did not bring about
c. The tenants could not that loans could be
hire labour to work on repaid only by supplying
change in the situation because another
indigo plantations as the indigo to them at fixed indigo revolt broke out in Bihar as well.
peasants were busy on prices. 2. The primary motive behind the British rule
their fields with rice d. The system led to many
cultivation. It was
was to make maximum profit in shortest
problems because the
difficult to arrange for peasants got very low
possible time. Therefore, the British wanted
ploughs and bullocks as price for their product, to be very strict in their revenue collection
the peasants required the same land could not because that would mean quick
these to work on their be sown again with as
fields. Thus the planters
accumulation of profit and resultant
the deep roots of indigo
failed to bring large had already exhausted
economic growth.
areas of land under the fertility of the soil
indigo cultivation which and when the peasants WORKSHEET
paved the way for ‘ryot’ could not pay the loans
method of cultivation. advanced to them, they 1. b. Villages   2. c. Saleable
were beaten up by the
goons or ‘lathiyals’. 3. a. Cotton  
4. The indigo cultivation under the ‘ryot’ 4. b. Land Revenue system
method was ridden with the following 5. a. Bombay and Madras
problems- 6. b. Opium, tea
  • Peasants growing indigo on their fields 7. c. Bengal
got a very low price for it as a result
8. b. Land has lost its fertility
they could not pay back their loans to
the moneylenders.