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Ch 09 - T9: COLONIALISM AND THE COUNTRYSIDE: Exploring Official Archives12th Themes in Indian History
Acquisition of Diwani (1765)
In what year did the East India Company acquire the Diwani of Bengal, and why is this event historically significant?
In what year did the East India Company acquire the Diwani of Bengal, and why is this event historically significant?
FACT
The Acquisition of the Diwani
- Year: 1765
- Event: The East India Company acquired the Diwani, which granted them the legal right to collect revenues directly from the Bengal province.
- Significance: This critical milestone marked the beginning of official British fiscal and administrative rule in the Indian countryside, transitioning the Company from a purely trading entity to a territorial power.
Prism Memory Hook
Diwani Arrived in 65
The Permanent Settlement (1793)
Who introduced the Permanent Settlement in Bengal, and what was its primary economic objective?
Who introduced the Permanent Settlement in Bengal, and what was its primary economic objective?
CONCEPT
The Permanent Settlement (1793)
- Introduced by: Charles Cornwallis, the Governor-General of Bengal.
- Core Mechanism: The East India Company fixed the land revenue demand that each Zamindar had to pay in perpetuity (permanently).
- Primary Objective: To ensure a stable, regular flow of revenue to the state and to encourage Zamindars to invest in improving their agricultural land by guaranteeing they would keep any surplus profits beyond the fixed tax.
Prism Memory Hook
Cornwallis Cemented the Cost
Terminology: Mandal
In the context of 18th-century rural Bengal, who was referred to as a 'Mandal' and what role did they play?
In the context of 18th-century rural Bengal, who was referred to as a 'Mandal' and what role did they play?
DEFINITION
The Mandal
- Definition: The title given to the Village Headman.
- Role & Power: They were dominant and influential figures within the rural countryside, often closely allied with or synonymous with the wealthy Jotedar class.
- Influence: Mandals held enough local authority that they could successfully instigate and organize ordinary peasants (ryots) to withhold their revenue payments from the Zamindar.
Prism Memory Hook
Mandal is the Man in the Middle
Also in this chapter
70 more cards to study in Prism
- 4Terminology: Amla
- 5Terminology: Cutcherry
- 6Terminology: Lathyal
- 7Terminology: Benami Transactions
- 8Systemic Failure: Reasons for Zamindari Default
- 9The Sunset Law mechanism
- 10Resistance Strategy: Property Transfers to Women
- 11Francis Buchanan
- 12Resistance Strategy: The Fictitious Auction Loop
- 13Case Study: The 1797 Burdwan Auction
- 14Data: The Scale of Benami Resistance
- 15Resistance Strategy: Exploiting the Judiciary
- 16Damin-i-Koh
- 17Class Profile: The Jotedars
- 18The Santhal Revolt (1855-56)
- 19The Sharecropping System: Adhiyars
- 20Power Dynamics: Zamindar vs. Jotedar
- 21Timeline: The Collapse of Zamindari Power
- 22Official Archives: The Fifth Report (1813)
- 23Historiography: Bias in the Fifth Report
- 24Key Figure: Francis Buchanan (Buchanan-Hamilton)
- 25Observation Lens: Buchanan's Scientific Focus
- 26Ideology: Buchanan's Vision of Progress
- 27State Policy: The Colonial Perception of Forests
- 28Ricardian Rent Theory in India
- 29Visual History: The 'Picturesque' Tradition
- 30Visual Source: Aquatint Technique
- 31Visual Source: George Chinnery
- 32Symbolic Conflict: The Hoe and the Plough
- 33Francis Buchanan's Official Roles
- 34Ecological Baseline: Livelihood of the Paharias
- 35Paharia Political Strategy: Tributes and Tolls
- 36Early Settlement: Jangal Mahals
- 37Cultural Context: Santhal Myths and Mobility
- 38Demarcation: The Damin-i-Koh
- 39Demographic Shift: Santhal Population Explosion
- 40Symbol of Santhal Rebellion
- 41Colonial Approval: Ganjuria Pahar
- 42Exploitation: The Santhals and the Dikus
- 43The Breaking Point: Causes of Santhal Disillusionment
- 44The Santhal Hul (1855-56)
- 45Administrative Outcome: The Santhal Pargana
- 46Bombay Deccan: First Revenue Settlement
- 47Ricardian Rent Theory & 1820s Settlement
- 48Economic Structure: The Ryotwari System
- 49Comparative Revenue Flexibility: Bengal vs. Bombay
- 50Terminology: Rentier Class
- 51Ideology: Ricardian Rent Theory
- 52The Logic of Revenue Revision
- 53Paharia Tolls
- 54Geopolitics: Pre-War Cotton Strategy
- 55Corporate Push: Manchester Cotton Company
- 56Media Perspective: The Cotton Boom Optimism
- 57Catalyst: The American Civil War (1861)
- 58Data: Cotton Acreage Explosion
- 59Visual Evidence: The Evolution of Cotton Transport
- 60Terminology: Sahukar
- 61Dispossession Mechanism: The Deed of Hire
- 62Case Study: The Petition from Mirajgaon
- 63Buchanan's Later Name
- 64Cultural Erosion: The Fair Interest Norm (Damdupat)
- 65Weaponizing the Law: Limitation Law (1859)
- 66The Outbreak: Deccan Riots (1875)
- 67Data: The Scale of the Deccan Riots
- 68Legislative Outcome: DARA (1879)
- 69Official Archives: Deccan Riots Commission Report (1878)
- 70Historiography: Bias in the Deccan Riots Report
- 71Alternative Sources: 'Native Opinion'
- 72Boundary Pillars of Damin-i-Koh
- 73Paharia Political Strategy: Purchasing Peace
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12th Themes in Indian History
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