CITY PRIDE SCHOOL
History Notes (Class 8)
Chp. 3- Ruling the Countryside
Q1. What was the aim of the Company after getting the Diwani?
Ans. After Diwani the Company aimed at administering the land and organizing its
revenue resources in order to attain enough revenue for the Company.
Q2. What was Morris print?
Ans. Floral patterns on cotton produced by William Morris, a 19th century poet and artist
from England.
Q3. Who initiated and developed the Ryotwari system?
Ans. Captain Alexander Read initiated and Thomas Munro developed the Ryotwari
System.
Q4. Why were the ryots reluctant to indigo plantation?
Ans. The ryots were reluctant to grow indigo in their land due to the following reasons:
1. Indigo had deep roots and it exhausted the soil rapidly. After an indigo harvest,
the land could not be reused for rice cultivation.
2. The indigo cultivators got meagre price for the indigo they produced. Moreover,
the planters mercilessly pursued the cultivators to plant indigo instead of food crops.
Q5. Describe the main features of the Permanent Settlement.
Ans. The main features of the Permanent Settlement were:
i. The rajas and taluqdars were recognized as zamindars.
ii. They were asked to collect rent from the peasants and pay revenue to the
Company. The amount to be paid was fixed permanently.
iii. It encouraged the zamindars to invest in improving the land.
iv. Since the revenue demand of the state would not be increased the zamindar
would benefit from increased production from the land.
v. If any of them failed to fulfill these conditions, he was ousted from his land and
the government did not hesitate in putting his zamindari to auction.
Q6. Define the following terms:
a) Plantation – It is an Estate on which crops such as coffee, sugar, tobacco and
indigo were grown.
b) Bigha – A measuring unit of land area varying locally.
Q7. Describe the Mahalwari system.
Ans. • Holt Mackenzie derived the Mahalwari system in 1822.
• He felt that the village was a social institution and needed to be preserved.
• Under his directions, collectors went from village to village inspecting lands,
measuring fields and recording the customs and rights of different groups.
• The revenue of each plot within a village was added up to calculate the
revenue that each village had to pay and the revenue would be revised
periodically.
• The village head man was responsible for collecting the revenue and paying
it to the company.
Q8. Write a note on the Nij cultivating system.
Ans. 1. In this system, the planters produced indigo in lands that they directly
controlled.
2. The planters found it difficult to expand the area under Nij cultivation, due
to dense population.
3. Planters needed more land so they started to lease the land around the indigo
factory and evict the peasants from there, which always led to conflicts and
tensions.
4. It also needed a large labour force which was not easily available as the
indigo cultivation precisely matched with the rice cultivation.
5. It also required ploughs and bullocks on a large scale which meant that the
planters had to spend a lot of money on maintenance.
Q9. Explain the Ryoti system of indigo cultivation.
Ans. 1. In this system, the planters forced the ryots (farmers) to sign a contract.
2. Those who sign the contract got cash advance from the planters at a low rate
of interest.
3. According to the agreement, the ryot had to cultivate Indigo on at least 25%
of his land.
4. The planter provided with seed and drill and the ryot was expected to look
after the crop.
5. When the crop was given to the planter a new loan was given to the ryot.
6. Though the farmers were tempted by the loans, they soon realized how harsh
the system was.
Q10. What was the report of the Indigo Commission?
Ans. According to the Indigo Commission:
• Planters were considered guilty.
• The Commission criticized the planters for the forceful methods they used
with indigo cultivators.
• Indigo cultivation was declared to be non-profitable for ryots.
• The ryots were asked to complete their existing contracts but also told them
that they were free to turn down the demand to produce indigo in future.
Q11. What were the circumstances which led to the eventual collapse of indigo
production in Bengal?
Ans. i. In March 1859, thousands of ryots in Bengal refused to grow indigo. As the
rebellion spread, ryots refused to pay rents to the planter and attacked indigo
factories armed with swords and spears, bows and arrows.
ii. Ryots swore they would no longer take advances to sow indigo nor be bullied by
planter’s lathiyals.
iii. The government set-up the Indigo Commission to enquire into the system of
indigo production. The Commission held the planters guilty and criticized them for
the coercive methods they used with indigo cultivators.
iv. The Indigo Commission declared that indigo production was not profitable for
ryots. The Commission asked the ryots to fulfill their existing contracts but also told
them that they could refuse to produce indigo in future.