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Popular Resistance to Company Rule: Circumstances Leading to Popular Revolt

During the period of British imperial rule, India witnessed the number of uprisings and rebellions. The land revenue assessments created hardship for the cultivators and peasants. This chapter, therefore, discusses the major revolts.

Circumstances Leading to Popular Revolt

  • Economic exploitation of India brought consciousness among the nationalist. The new changes in the agrarian economy and social structure led to intensive exploitation. The major changes in the Indian economy were
    • A new set of property relations were introduced.
    • Private ownership of land was recognised, eventually, a number of intermediaries came into existence.
    • Commercial crops were encouraged in place of food crops.
    • Speculation and investment in land by merchants, bureaucrats and landlords led to the growth of absentee landlordism.
    • The growing burden of taxation made the cultivators indebted to revenue collectors merchants and money lenders.
    • Transfer of wealth from India to England became a common feature.
    • Local industries were suppressed and promoted British manufactured goods.
    • Tribals lost their traditional rights.
  • Colonial rulers were concerned with increasing revenue at high rates.
  • Zamindars forcefully collected revenue from the cultivators.
  • Peasants forced to sell their land to pay the money.
  • Bengal famine of 1770 represents the devastating effect of British policy.

Major Uprisings

Major uprising can be discussed under peasant uprising and tribal uprising.

Major Peasant Uprisings

Sanyasi Rebellion

  • Growing burden of taxation, eviction from land and Bengal famine led to the destitution of the peasantry. Many of these people joined the Sanyasis and Fakirs bands. They were religious mendicants. They used to loot the grain stocks of the rich and the treasuries of the Local Government.
  • The Sanyasis often distributed their wealth among the poor and established their own Government.
  • Bankim Chandra Chatterjee wrote a novel Anand Math to commemorate the Sanyasi Rebellion.

The Peasant Rebellion of Rangpur and Dinajpur in 1783

The peasants of Rangpur and Dinajpur were distressed by the oppression of the revenue contractors.

Illustration: The Peasant Rebellion of Rangpur and Dinajpur in 1783
  • One of the contractors, Debi Singh, tortured the peasants in order to collect taxes.
  • The peasant՚s unleased the attack on the store house of the contractors. The rebellion finally suppressed by the company officials.

South India

  • The disposed landlords and displaced cultivators started the revolt.
  • The poligars of Tamilnadu, Malabar and coastal Andhra revolted against the colonial rule.
  • The Mappilas of Malabar were cultivating tenants, landless labourers, petty traders and fishermen, who were the descendants of the Arab settlers and converted Hindus. The British conquest of Malabar and the introduction of the British land revenue administration in Malabar enraged the Mappilas. This led to the famous Mappila Rebellion. The rebellion was finally suppressed.

Northern India

  • The Jats revolted in Western UP and Haryana in 1824.
  • Gujarat witnessed the revolt of Kolis.

Tribal Uprisings

The establishment of British rule affected Tribals in many ways.

  • The expansion of imperial rule towards tribal areas led to the subjugation of masses.
  • The penetration of British administration, landlords, merchants and money lenders bought misery to these populations.

The Tribals, therefore, fought to restrict the entry of colonial administration into their land.

  • The revolt of Bhils of Khandesh and Kols of Singhbhum was to restore the authority of their tribal chiefs.
  • The Santhals lived in the borderland of Bengal, Bihar and Odisha. The British administration cleared the forest, started cultivation and these Tribals were forcefully evicted.

The intrusion of British law, moneylenders and merchants brought misery to these people:

  • The Santal revolt was led by two brothers, Sidhu and Kanu. They decide to hold their land and set up their own Government.
  • Locals like Gowalla has, Telis and Lothar՚s supported this revolt.
  • The British officials suppressed this revolt.