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Our Past Iii Part I Chapter 3 Ruling The Countryside

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    NCERT Solution For Class 8 Social Science Our Past Iii Part I

    Ruling The Countryside Here is the CBSE Social Science Chapter 3 for Class 8 students. Summary and detailed explanation of the lesson, including the definitions of difficult words. All of the exercises and questions and answers from the lesson's back end have been completed. NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science Ruling The Countryside Chapter 3 NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science Ruling The Countryside Chapter 3 The following is a summary in Hindi and English for the academic year 2021-2022. You can save these solutions to your computer or use the Class 8 Social Science.

    Question 1
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    Match the following options:

    A. ryot (i) village
    B. mahal (ii) peasant
    C. nij (iii) cultivation on ryot’s lands
    D. ryoti (iv) cultivation on planter’s own land

    Solution

    A.

    ryot

    (i)

    peasant

    B.

    mahal

    (ii)

    village

    C.

    nij

    (iii)

    cultivation on planter’s own land

    D.

    ryoti

    (iv)

    cultivation on ryot’s lands
    Question 5
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    The Champaran movement was against ............... .
    Solution

    indigo planters

    Question 6
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    Describe the main features of the Permanent Settlement.
    Solution

    The main features of the permanent settlements are described below:

    (i)The amount of revenue was fixed permanently, that is, it was not to be increased ever in future.

    (ii) It was felt that this would ensure a regular flow of revenue into the Company’s coffers and at the same time encourage the zamindars to invest in improving the land.

    (iii) Since the revenue demand of the state would not be increased, the zamindar would benefit from increased production from the land.

    (iv) Under this system revenue had been fixed so high that the zamindars found it difficult to pay. Anyone who failed to pay the revenue lost his zamindari. Numerous zamindaris were sold off at auctions organised by the Company.

    (v) Even when the income of zamindars increased with the expansion of cultivation, the company had no chance of gain because it could not increase a revenue demand that had been fixed permanently.

    .
    Question 7
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    How was the mahalwari system different from the Permanent Settlement?
    Solution
    The difference are mentioned below:

    (i) Under the Permanent Settlement the rates of revenue was fixed permanently, that is, it was not to be increased ever in future. But in mahalwari system it was decided that the rate of revenue would be revised periodically, not permanently fixed.

    (ii)Under the Permanent Settlement, the zamindars were given the charge of collecting revenue from the peasants and paying it to the Company. But in the mahalwari system this charge was given to the village headmen.
    Question 8
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    Give two problems which arose with the new Munro system of fixing revenue.
    Solution
    Two problems which arose with the new Munro system was:

    (i) Revenue officials fixed a very high revenue demand and peasants were unable to pay it.

    (ii) Ryots fled the countryside and villages became deserted in many regions.
    Question 9
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    Why were ryots reluctant to grow indigo?
    Solution
    The ryots were reluctant to grow indigo for the following resons:

    (i)Under the ryoti system, the planters forced the ryots to sign a contract, an agreement (satta). At times they pressurised the village headmen to sign the contract on behalf of the ryots.

    (ii)Those who signed the contract got cash advances from the planters at low rates of interest to produce indigo. But the loan committed the ryot to cultivating indigo on at least 25 per cent of the area under his holding.

    (iii)The planter provided the seed and the drill, while the cultivators prepared the soil, sowed the seed and looked after the crop When the crop was delivered to the planter after the harvest, a new loan was given to the ryot, and the cycle started all over again.

    (iv)Peasants who were initially tempted by the loans soon realised how harsh the system was. The price they got for the indigo they produced was very low and the cycle of loans never ended.

    (v)The planters usually insisted that indigo be cultivated on the best soils in which peasants preferred to cultivate rice. Indigo, moreover, had deep roots and it exhausted the soil rapidly. After an indigo harvest the land could not be sown with rice.
    Question 10
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    What were the circumstances which led to the eventual collapse of indigo production in Bengal?
    Solution
    The ryots in Bengal were fed up with the coercive methods which the planters employed and had refused to grow indigo.

    (i)They had turned rebellion. They refused to pay rents to the planters, and attacked indigo factories armed with swords and spears, bows and arrows. Women too turned up to fight with pots, pans and kitchen implements.

    (ii)Those who worked for the planters were socially boycotted, and the gomasthas – agents of planters – who came to collect rent were beaten up. Ryots swore they would no longer take advances to sow indigo nor be bullied by the planters’ lathiyals – the lathi-wielding strongmen maintained by the planters.

    (iii)In many villages, headmen who had been forced to sign indigo contracts, mobilised the indigo peasants and fought pitched battles with the lathiyals. In other places even the zamindars went around villages urging the ryots to resist the planters. These zamindars were unhappy with the increasing power of the planters and angry at being forced by the planters to give them land on long leases.

    (iv)Worried by the rebellion, the government brought in the military to protect the planters from assault, and set up the Indigo commission to enquire into the system of indigo production. 

    (v)The commission held the planters guilty and criticised them for the coercive method they used with indigo cultivators. It declared that indigo production was not profitable for ryots. The commission asked the ryots to fulfil their existing contracts but also told them that they could refuse to produce indigo in future.


    After this revolt, indigo production collapsed in Bengal.
    Question 12
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    The mahalwari system was devised by

    • charles Cornwallis

    • robert Clive

    • Holt Mackenzie

    • james Mill
    Solution

    C.

    Holt Mackenzie

    Question 13
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    The ryots were

    • cultivators

    • zamindars

    • traders

    • money lenders
    Solution

    A.

    cultivators

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    Question 21
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    Indigo could be cultivated only on fertile lands.
    Solution
    A. TRUE
    Question 22
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    Indigo was easily available in Europe.
    Solution
    A. FALSE
    Question 23
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    Thomas Munro was the Governor of Bengal during 1819–26.
    Solution
    A. FALSE
    Question 24
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    The Permanent Settlement created many problems.
    Solution
    A. TRUE
    Question 26
    CBSEENSS8006789
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    Match the following options:

    A. Jute (i) United Provinces (U.P.)
    B. Wheat (ii) Madras
    C. Rice (iii) Assam
    D. Sugarcane (iv) Maharashtra
    E. Tea (v) Bengal
    F. Cotton (vi) Punjab

    Solution

    A.

    Jute

    (i)

    Bengal

    B.

    Wheat

    (ii)

    Punjab

    C.

    Rice

    (iii)

    Madras

    D.

    Sugarcane

    (iv)

    United Provinces (U.P.)

    E.

    Tea

    (v)

    Assam

    F.

    Cotton

    (vi)

    Maharashtra

    Question 27
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    Why were Bengal artisans deserting villages?
    Solution

    Bengal artisans were deserting villages because they were being compelled to sell their goods to the Company at low prices.

    Question 28
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    Who was the Governor-General of India when the Permanent Settlement was introduced?
    Solution

    Charles Cornwallis.

    Question 29
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    What did the Permanent Settlement mean?
    Solution

    The amount of revenue the peasants were expected to pay was fixed permanently, that is, it was not to be increased ever in future.

    Question 30
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    What problems did zamindars face under the Permanent Settlement?
    Solution

    The revenue that had been fixed was so high that the zamindars found it difficult to pay. Anyone who failed to pay the revenue lost his zamindari. Numerous zamindaris were sold off at auctions organised by the Company.

    Question 31
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    Who was William Morris?
    Solution

    William Morris was a famous poet and artist of 19th century Britain. He had designed a floral cotton print known as Morris cotton print.

    Question 32
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    Who created Kalamkari print?
    Solution

    The weavers of Andhra Pradesh created Kalamkari print.

    Question 33
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    What is common in the two prints—a Kalamkari print and a Morris cotton print?
    Solution

    There is one commom in the two prints: both use a rich blue colour commonly known as indigo.

    Question 34
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    What is indigo?
    Solution

    It is a plant that produces rich blue colour used as a dye.

    Question 35
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    Why cloth dyers preferred indigo to woad?
    Solution

    Cloth dyers preferred indigo as a dye because it produced a rich blue colour, whereas the dye from woad was pale and dull.

    Question 36
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    Where did the French begin cultivating indigo?
    Solution

    The French began cultivating indigo in St Domingue in the Caribbean islands.

    Question 37
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    Where had the English cultivated indigo?
    Solution

    The English had cultivated indigo in Jamaica.

    Question 38
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    What did nij cultivation require?
    Solution

    Nij cultivation on a large scale also required many ploughs and bullocks.

    Question 39
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    What was big problem for the planters?
    Solution

    Investing on purchase and maintenance of ploughs was a big problem for the planters.

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    Question 40
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    What role did women play in the cultivation of indigo?
    Solution

    Women usually carried the indigo plant to vats.

    Question 41
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    What did indigo workers do in waist-deep water?
    Solution

    They beat the indigo solution.

    Question 42
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    Who were the gomasthas?
    Solution

    They were the agents of planters.

    Question 43
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    Who were the lathiyals?
    Solution

    They were the lathi-wielding strongmen maintained by the planters.

    Question 44
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    Why was the Bengal economy facing deep crisis?
    Solution

    The Company had become the Diwan, but it still saw itself primarily as a trader. It wanted a large revenue income but was unwilling to set up any regular system of assessment and collection. The effort was to increase the revenue as much as it could and buy fine cotton and silk cloth as cheaply as possible.

    Within five years the value of goods bought by the Company in Bengal doubled. Before 1865, the Company had purchased goods in India by importing gold and silver from Britain. Now the revenue collected in Bengal was financing the purchase of goods for export.

    Hence, the Bengal economy facing deep crisis.

    Question 45
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    What had happened after the deep crisis of Bengal economy?
    Solution
    The following things had happened after the deep crisis:

    (i) Artisans began to leave villages since they were being forced to sell their goods to the Company at low prices.

    (ii) Peasants were unable to pay the dues that were being demanded from them.

    (iii) Artisanal production was in decline and agricultural cultivation showed signs of collapse.

    (iv)In 1770 when a terrible famine hit Bengal killing ten million people.

    (v)About one-third of the population was wiped out.
    Question 46
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    Describe mahalwari system.
    Solution

    Mahalwari system:


    (i)The mahalwari system was devised by an Englishman called Holt Mackenzie which came into effect in 1822.

    (ii)He felt that the village was an important social institution in north Indian society that needed to be preserved.

    (iii)Under his directions collectors went from village to village inspecting the land, measuring the field and recording the customs and rights of different groups.

    (iv)The estimated revenue of each plot within a village was added up to calculate the revenue that each village, i.e., mahal had to pay. This demand was to be revised periodically, not fixed permanently.

    (v)The village headman was given the charge of collecting the revenue and paying it to the Company, rather than the zamindar.

    Question 47
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    What was the Munro system? Explain.
    Solution
    In the British territories in the south a new system was devised which came to be known as the ryotwari system.


    It was tried on a small-scale by Captain Alexander Read. Subsequently, Thomas Munro, the Governor of Madras, developed this system which was gradually extended all over south India. In the south there were no traditional zamindars. Hence the settlement was made directly with the cultivators or ryots who had tilled the land for generations. Their fields were separately surveyed before the revenue assessment was made.
    Question 48
    CBSEENSS8006811
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    'By the end of the 18th century, the demand for Indian indigo grew further'.

    Mention the  reasons.
    Solution

    The reasons are mentioned below:

    (i)Britain began to industrialise, and its cotton production expanded dramatically, creating an enormous new demand for cloth dyes.

    (ii)While the demand for indigo increased, its existing supplies from the West Indies and America collapsed for a variety of reasons.

    (iii)Between 1783 and 1789 the production of indigo in the world fell by half. Cloth dyers in Britain now desperately looked for new sources of indigo supply.

    Question 49
    CBSEENSS8006812
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    What had happened with the growth indigo trade?
    Solution

    As the indigo trade grew, commercial agents and officials of the Company began investing in indigo production.

    (i)Over the years many Company officials left their jobs to look after their indigo business.

    (ii)Attracted by the prospect of high profits, numerous Scotsmen and Englishmen came to India and became planters.

    (iii)Those who had no money to produce indigo could get loans from the Company and the banks that were coming up at the time.

    Question 50
    CBSEENSS8006813
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    How were indigo cultivated under the ryoti system?
    Solution

    Under the ryoti system:

    (i)The planters forced the ryots (cultivators) to sign a contract or an agreement also known as satta. At times they pressurised the village headmen to sign the contract on behalf of the ryots.

    (ii)Those who sign the contract got cash advances from the planters at low rates of interest to produce indigo.

    (iii)But the loan committed the ryot to cultivating indigo on at least 25% of the area under his holding.

    (iv)The planter provided the seed and the drill, while the cultivators prepared the soil, sowed the seed and looked after the crop.

    (v)When the crop was delivered to the planter after the harvest, a new loan was given to the ryot and the cycle started all over again.

    Question 51
    CBSEENSS8006814
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    How did the indigo cultivators show their rebellion?
    Solution

    They showed their rebellion in the following ways:

    (i)They refused to pay rents to the planters, and attacked indigo factories armed with swords and spears, bows and arrows.

    (ii)Women turned up to fight with pots, pans and kitchen equipments.

    (iii)The Gomasthas, agents of planters, were beaten up, when they came collect rent.
    Question 52
    CBSEENSS8006815
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    Why was the Indigo Commission set up by the government? What were its outcomes?
    Solution
    The government set up the Indigo Commission to enquire into the  misery of the ryots, the tyranny of the planters, and the horrors of the indigo system

    The Commission held the planters guilty and criticised them for the coercive methods they used with indigo cultivators. It declared that indigo production was not profitable for ryots. The Commission asked the ryots to fulfil their existing contracts but also told them that they could refuse to grow indigo in future.
    Question 53
    CBSEENSS8006816
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    Who were recognised as zamindars in Permanent Settlement?
    Solution

    In the Permanent Settlement, the rajas and taluqdars were recognized as zamindars. 

    Question 54
    CBSEENSS8006817
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    What was nij cultivation? What were the problems with nij cultivation?

     
    Solution
    Under nij cultivation, the planter produced indigo in lands that he directly controlled.

    The problems with Nij cultivation are explained below:

    (i) The planters found it difficult to expand the area under nij cultivation. Indigo could be cultivated only on fertile lands and these were already densely populated. Hence the planters attempted to lease in the land around the indigo factory and evict the peasants from the area. But this always led to conflicts and tension.

    (ii) Labour force was not easily available. A large plantation required a vast number of hands to operate. And labour was needed precisely at a time when peasants were usually busy with their rice cultivation.

    (iii) Nij cultivation on a large scale also required many ploughs and bullocks. Investing on purchase and maintenance of ploughs was a big problem. Nor could supplies be early got from the peasants since their ploughs and bullocks were busy on their rice fields, again exactly at the time that the indigo planters needed them.
     
    Question 55
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    How was indigo produced? Describe the differnt stages.
    Solution
    Production of indigo:

    (i)After the harvest, the indigo plant was taken to the vats in the indigo factory. Three or four vats were needed to manufacture the dye. Each vat had a separate function.

    (ii)The leaves stripped off the indigo plant were first soaked in warm water in a vat, also known as fermenting or steeper vat, for several hours.


    (iii)When the plants fermented, the liquid began to boil and bubble. Now the rotten leaves were taken out and the liquid drained into another vat that was placed just below the first vat.

    (iv)In the second vat, also known as the beater vat, the solution was continuously stirred and beaten with paddles. When the liquid gradually turned green and then blue, lime water was added to the vat. Gradually the indigo separated out in flakes, a muddy sediment settled at the bottom of the vat and a clear liquid rose to the surface.

    (v)This liquid was drained off and the sediment, i.e. indigo pulp transferred to another vat, also known as the settling vat, and then pressed and dried for sale.
    Question 56
    CBSEENSS8006819
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    Name the crops which the company tried to expand.
    Solution

    The Company was trying to expand the cultivation of opium and indigo.

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