1. Match the following
2. Fill in the blanks.
(a) Growers of woad in Europe saw __________ as a crop which would provide competition to their earnings.
(b) The demand for indigo increased in late eighteenth-century Britain because of __________.
(c) The international demand for indigo was affected by the discovery of __________.
(d) The Champaran movement was against __________.
Ans.
(a) indigo
(b) expansion of cotton production.
(c) synthetic dyes.
(d) indigo planters.
3. Describe the main features of the Permanent Settlement.
Ans:
The Permanent Settlement System, introduced in 1793 by the East India Company, was a land revenue system where rajas and taluqdars were designated as zamindars to collect rent from peasants and pay a fixed revenue to the Company. The main features of this system were:
a. The revenue amount payable by the zamindars to the Company was fixed and would not change.
b. Rajas and taluqdars were given the status of zamindars.
c. Zamindars lost their rights to the land if they failed to pay the fixed revenue.
d. The high revenue demand often caused zamindars to default on payments.
4. How was the Mahalwari System different from the Permanent Settlement?
Ans:
Differences between Mahalwari System and Permanent Settlement are given below.
5.Give two problems which arose with the new Munro system of fixing revenue.
Ans:
The Munro system of fixing revenue faced two significant problems:
a. The revenue demand was excessively high, making it difficult for peasants to pay.
b. Many peasants were unable to meet the demands, leading to the abandonment of villages.
6. Why were ryots reluctant to grow indigo?
Ans:
The ryots were hesitant to cultivate indigo for the following reasons:
a. They were paid extremely low prices for the crop.
b. The indigo cultivation provided no financial benefits to the ryots.
c. Planters forced them to grow indigo on the most fertile parts of their land, which ryots were unwilling to do.
7. What were the circumstances which led to the eventual collapse of indigo production in Bengal?
Ans:
The indigo production in Bengal collapsed due to these reasons:
a. Ryots refused to grow indigo any longer.
b. Peasant protests, often supported by zamindars, became widespread.
c. The government formed the Indigo Commission, which acknowledged the planters’ wrongdoings and recommended stopping indigo cultivation.
d. Following these events, planters abandoned indigo production and left the region.