The disintegration of the mughal empire, the gradual conquests of the East India Company and the desire of the Bristish to extract maximum land revenue in cash made the British to evolve a land system in India which would ensure payment of land revenue and also establish a collaborating class in rural India.
Permanent land settlement
It is an infamous land reform policy of Lord Cornwallis in 1793 for Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and later extended to parts of North madras , created a class of zamindars who became “ landlords in perpetuity”. The land revenue was fixed on permanent basis and the zamindars were intermediaries between the rulers and the peasantry. The amount fixed broke the back of the peasantry. While under this system the peasants suffered enormously the landlords and the British rulers benefited.
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Besides the Permanent settlement, the British evolved the Ryotwari in Madras presidency in 1820 by Sir Thomas Munro. In this system government and the cultivators would have direct relationship and land revenue will be settled directly between the two without any intermediary.
Major impact:
- Landlords became the system under these reforms.
- Moneylenders entered rural India, the tenants were unprotected and the majority of real cultivators becomes landless laborers.
- Commercialisation of agriculture began to take shape around 1860, it means agriculture become a market commodity.
To sum up, agrarian system and policies pursued by the British created stagnant agriculture, indebted peasantry, galloping landless labouring class, deaths though malnutrition, famines and epidemics. The basic land reform policy oriented to extract high land revenue whether peasantry could pay it or not makes the condition of agriculture and peasant both miserable.
The disintegration of the mughal empire, the gradual conquests of the East India Company and the desire of the Bristish to extract maximum land revenue in cash made the British to evolve a land system in India which would ensure payment of land revenue and also establish a collaborating class in rural India.
Permanent land settlement
It is an infamous land reform policy of Lord Cornwallis in 1793 for Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and later extended to parts of North madras , created a class of zamindars who became “ landlords in perpetuity”. The land revenue was fixed on permanent basis and the zamindars were intermediaries between the rulers and the peasantry. The amount fixed broke the back of the peasantry. While under this system the peasants suffered enormously the landlords and the British rulers benefited.
Ryotwari system
Besides the Permanent settlement, the British evolved the Ryotwari in Madras presidency in 1820 by Sir Thomas Munro. In this system government and the cultivators would have direct relationship and land revenue will be settled directly between the two without any intermediary.
Major impact:
- Landlords became the system under these reforms.
- Moneylenders entered rural India, the tenants were unprotected and the majority of real cultivators becomes landless laborers.
- Commercialisation of agriculture began to take shape around 1860, it means agriculture become a market commodity.
To sum up, agrarian system and policies pursued by the British created stagnant agriculture, indebted peasantry, galloping landless labouring class, deaths though malnutrition, famines and epidemics. The basic land reform policy oriented to extract high land revenue whether peasantry could pay it or not makes the condition of agriculture and peasant both miserable.
I'm an expert in South Asian history, particularly focused on the colonial period in India. My knowledge extends to the disintegration of the Mughal Empire and the subsequent developments during the East India Company's rule. The information you provided about the evolution of the British land system in India aligns with my expertise, and I can shed light on the historical context and repercussions of these policies.
The disintegration of the Mughal Empire marked a critical turning point in Indian history, leading to power vacuums and the rise of regional powers. The East India Company, initially involved in trade, gradually transformed into a territorial power, exploiting the weakened political landscape. The desire to maximize land revenue played a pivotal role in shaping British land policies in India during the colonial era.
Lord Cornwallis's Permanent Settlement of 1793, implemented in Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, and later extended to parts of North Madras, stands out as a landmark policy. It created a class of zamindars who were granted perpetual landlord status. The fixed land revenue, although providing stability for the zamindars, placed a heavy burden on the peasantry, leading to significant suffering.
Simultaneously, the Ryotwari system, introduced by Sir Thomas Munro in the Madras Presidency in 1820, represented a different approach. In this system, the government dealt directly with cultivators, eliminating intermediaries like zamindars. However, the impact was not without consequences. Landlords became the system under these reforms, leading to the entry of moneylenders into rural India. The tenants, lacking protection, often faced exploitation, and a significant portion of cultivators became landless laborers.
The consequences of these land reforms were profound. The commercialization of agriculture, starting around 1860, turned agriculture into a market commodity. This transformation, while benefiting landlords and British rulers, resulted in stagnant agriculture, an indebted peasantry, and a burgeoning class of landless laborers. The overall impact included widespread malnutrition, famines, and epidemics.
In summary, the agrarian system and British policies in India, particularly the Permanent Settlement and Ryotwari system, had far-reaching consequences. The relentless pursuit of high land revenue, regardless of the peasantry's ability to pay, created a dire situation for both agriculture and peasants, contributing to a cycle of misery and exploitation.
