Paragon Convent School

Sector 24b Chandigarh

Class 8 (History)

Lesson 6 (Colonialism, Urbanistaion And De-urbanisation)

B. SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS.

1. Write a short note on urbanisation in mediaeval India.

*With the coming of the Delhi Sultans and Mughals, there was
urbanisation in the medieval ages. New trading and manufacturing
centres emerged, some emerged as centres of learning due to the
patronage of the rulers. Capital Cities became important
administrative and economic centres.

2. Discuss the importance of the port cities during the British period.

* Port cities were the most important centres of British trading

activities. Raw materials were sent to Britain from Calcutta, Bombay
and Madras. Goods entered India through these ports. They also
helped in the further distribution of British goods to different parts of
India.
3. Write a note on administrative setup of urban areas during the
colonial era.

* Lord Cornwallis introduced the Cornwallis Code. The District

Collector was the most important official. The Municipality was in
charge of public health, sanitation, lighting, sewage, parks and roads
in cities. The main source of revenue was baazar and road tax and tax
on ferries.

4. List three differences in the city design of New Delhi and

Shahjahanabad.

* Shahjahanabad consisted of 14 entry points,a palace complex and

Asia's largest mosque. It had gardens, idgahs, chowks and cul-de-sacs.
There were havelies with high walls and messive gateways. The main
buildings in New Delhi were the Viceroy's Palace, Council Chamber
the North Block and the South Block, India Gate and Connaught Place.
These buildings had domes, loggias and chhajjas and chhatris and
jaalis.

5. What were (a)white town (b)black town areas?

* Some cities like Madras were divided into two parts-white town in
which the British lived and black town where the locals lived. The
black and white towns were separated by a wall.
C. LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS

1. What does de-urbanisation mean? Explain with reference to the

late 18th century period in India.

* In the late 18th century along with the rise of the Presidencies,
several other cities in India experienced large-scale de-urbanisation.
Handloom and handicraft industry declined as the English turned India
into a ready market for their cheap machine-made goods. So, centers
specialising in hand-made indigenous goods like Dacca and
Murshidabad, declined. With the shifting of political and economic
activities to newly established administrative centres, old ports and
trading centres were de-urbanised.

2. Write a note on the administration of the new urban centres.

* * Lord Cornwallis introduced the Cornwallis Code. The District

Collector was the most important official. The Municipality was in
charge of public health, sanitation, lighting, sewage, parks and roads
in cities. The main source of revenue was baazar and road tax and tax
on ferries.

The Indian Penal Code was framed and with the Indian Police Act of
1861, final changes were conducted. To reach the nook and corner of
the country, Lord Dalhousie started a network of railway tracks and
established the post and telegraph system.
3. Differentiate between old (before British) and new (after British)
urban centres.

* In pre-British India, towns and cities flourished around royal courts,

craft centres, cross roads of trade routes and places of pilgrimage.
With the coming of the Delhi Sultans and Mughals, there was revival
of the urbanisation process. They developed new trading and
manufacturing centres while some emerged as centres of learning
under the patronage of the rulers. Capital cities of medieval rulers
emerged as important administrative and economic centres.

The new urban centres were quite big with broad roads and big open
spaces in the forms of towns, playgrounds and parks. Public buildings
were large and well- constructed. British residential buildings, called
bungalows were huge single storeyed houses with gardens and
varandas.

4. Discuss the changes that Delhi has experienced after partition.

* After the partition there was large-scale migration of refugees to

Delhi. This changed the social setting of Delhi. New colonies like
Lajpat Nagar and Tilak Nagar came up. Shops, businesses, schools and
colleges came up in order to meet the demands of the migrant
population. In recent times too, some old British period buildings
have been demolished, enlarged or renovated. New commercial and
residential buildings were being constructed.