Colonialism and the Countryside

About this unit

This unit examines how colonial rule changed the Indian countryside in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It follows three regions: Bengal, where the Permanent Settlement reshaped the power of zamindars; the Rajmahal hills, where Paharias and Santhals clashed as settled agriculture expanded; and the Bombay Deccan, where peasants rose against moneylenders in 1875. Throughout, the chapter asks how historians can use official records such as revenue reports, surveys and commission reports, which were written from the point of view of the rulers.

Key ideas

• The Permanent Settlement (1793) fixed revenue permanently and made zamindars responsible for payment.
• Jotedars, rich peasants, gained power in rural Bengal while many zamindars lost estates at auctions.
• The Paharias practised shifting cultivation and forest collection; the Santhals were settled plough cultivators.
• In the Deccan, the ryotwari system and the cotton boom led to debt and the riots of 1875.
• Official reports like the Fifth Report and the Deccan Riots Commission report must be read critically.

How to prepare

Learn key dates (1793, 1813, 1855–56, 1861, 1875) and terms (sunset law, jotedar, ryot, Damin-i-Koh, ryotwari). Questions frequently ask why zamindars failed to pay revenue or how a particular report should be interpreted.