NCERT 8th Class (CBSE) Social Science: Life In The Rural Areas

Question: How did the Bengal economy fall into a deep crisis?

Answer: After the Company became the Diwan of Bengal it began its efforts 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 1765, the Company had purchased goods in India by importing gold and silver from Britain. Now the revenue collected in Bengal could finance the purchase of goods for export. This caused huge loss of revenue for Bengal which paralyzed its economy.

Question: What were the consequences of the economic crisis that gripped Bengal?

Answer: The consequences of the economic crisis that gripped Bengal were as given below:

1. Artisans began to leave villages since they were being forced to sell their goods to the Company at low prices.
2. Peasants were unable to pay the dues that were being demanded from them.
3. Artisanal production was in decline and agricultural cultivation showed signs of collapse.
4. The most terrible consequence came to be seen in 1770 when a terrible famine hit Bengal killing ten million people. About one- third of the population was wiped out.

Question: Give a brief description of the Mahalwari System.

Answer: The Mahalwari System was devised by an Englishman called Holt Mackenzie which came into effect in 1822. He felt that the village was an important social institution in north Indian society that needed to be preserved. Under his directions collectors went from village to village inspecting the land, measuring the field and recording the customs and rights of different groups. 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. The village headman was given the charge of collecting the revenue and paying it to the Company.

Question: What was the Munro system? or what was Ryotwari system?

Answer: In the British territories in the south a new system was devised that came to be known as the Ryotwari system. It was tried on a small-scale by Captain Alexander Read. Afterwards, Thomas Munro, who was the Governor of Madras, developed this system which 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.