Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about Impact Of British from Class 7 Social_Science. Let us begin our journey into Chapter 6. Between 1600 to 1757 C.E., the British East India Company was just a trading company. In the beginning, the British appealed to various political powers in India only to promote their trade interests. Slowly, they replaced their policy of appeasement with a policy of conquests, and hence became politically strong. India, thus acquired through conquests, was brought under their subjugation through their farsighted policies. To achieve their dreams, they used administrative reforms as a tool. They implemented various legislation in political, economic, and social spheres. The rules which were brought into effect were called Reforms. Initially, Indians believed them accordingly, and it is only incidental that their enactment had any positive impact on us. In this chapter, we will analyze reforms related to four fields: Revenue, English Education, Economic impact, and constitutional development. Our learning objectives include identifying the merits and demerits of the Permanent Zamindari, Mahalwari, and Ryotwari systems, collecting information about the English Education System, listing economic influences, and understanding constitutional developments.
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Now let us move on to the Land Revenue Policy. The British implemented reformation in the land tax system to ensure the flow of regular income to the East India Company treasury. They also needed an enormous amount of money for the salary expenses of thousands of British staff and other purposes. Hence, the East India Company started collecting higher land tax from the farmers. Governor General Warren Hastings introduced a bidding system for tax collecting works during his period. Though the Zamindars competed to bid for higher rates, they often failed to collect tax accordingly, resulting in variations in tax remittance. As a solution, the British introduced three other types of Revenue systems along with the existing practice. Governor General Cornwallis decided to fix the land tax on a permanent basis in Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha in 1793 C.E. The agreement he entered with the zamindars for tax collection is called the Permanent Land Revenue System. Under this system, the Zamindars worked as government agents. The company's permanent income was fixed, and the expenditure incurred for revenue collection was reduced. Powerful Zamindars supported the government in many difficult situations, and the British created many such loyal classes to defend them.
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Let us look at the impact on the peasants. The Zamindars exploited the farmers by collecting excess land tax. The land owners never gave attention to improve agricultural output. Tenant farmers were forced to pay their share even though crops had failed. As a result, agricultural output collapsed due to the permanent Zamindar system. The company made farmers further poor by forcing them to grow commercial crops needed for their industries, which resulted in the growth of bonded labour. Next, we will learn about the Ryotwari System of 1801 C.E. The system where farmers could directly remit the land tax to the treasury without any intermediaries is the Ryotwari System. The direct relationship between the government and the farmer is its most important feature. This system was brought into effect in South and West India. Under this method, the measurement, fertility, and irrigation facility of the land were observed, and land tax was fixed. Half of the produce was fixed as the land tax. The tax was fixed periodically and was very high. Even if the farmer lost his crop due to floods or drought, the tax payment was mandatory. This system was brought into effect by Sir Thomas Munroe in Madras province in 1801.
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Moving forward, we have the Mahalwari System of 1833 C.E. Mahal means village or estate. The land tax was fixed for the Mahal, and the local Zamindar was responsible for the tax collection of all the farmers in that Mahal. This system, introduced in the 19th century, was implemented in Uttar Pradesh, parts of Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab. Let us understand the total impact of the land revenue system. The British converted land into a selling commodity. Instances of land auction and sales increased. As land tax was to be paid in cash form, the value of money gained prominence. To increase income, Zamindars insisted on cultivating crops like cotton, jute, peanut, tobacco, and sugar cane instead of food crops. It was profitable for the British as commercial crops could be exported, but this resulted in food shortages. Within the Zamindari system, new classes of farmers arose. Now, let us shift our focus to English Education. Education is a tool that ensures individual freedom, and knowledge gained through it leads to a better life. The universalization of English education by the British profited the Indians, as all classes of society could have access to it.
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Under the Charter Act of 1813, one lakh rupees was kept aside for the education of Indians, but the government had not spent anything from it till 1823. Indian thinkers and foreign Christian missionaries campaigned to provide modern education to Indians. In this regard, the company had a different calculation. It needed English educated Indians to work at the lower cadre of its offices for less salary in its administration, so it aimed at creating an educated class that was loyal to it. Lord Macaulay and Charles Wood should be credited for implementing the New education policy. Regarding the medium of instruction, some English scholars argued that Indian subjects should be taught through Indian languages only, while others argued that western science and literature should be taught through English only. Finally, the issue was resolved in 1835. Governor General William Bentick announced an educational policy in favour of western science and English as a medium of instruction. Some European Scholars introduced the richness of Ancient Indian culture to the world. In 1784, Sir William Jones established the Asiatic society of Bengal and propagated the greatness of Sanskrit. Sir Charles Wilkins translated the Bhagavadgita into English in 1785, and Max Muller translated the Rig Veda and other works.
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Bentick's declaration of Education policy was based on a note by Macaulay, who was a member of his executive committee. Macaulay was an ardent Anglicist. He argued that Indian knowledge was inferior, condemned Sanskrit grammar severely, and his ultimate goal was to distance Indians from their cultural roots. His words show his prejudice that the entire store house of knowledge of the East is no match for one row of books on one shelf of a good European Library. The British formulated a New Education Policy in 1854, based on the report by Charles Wood. In a very short period, universities were established at Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras in 1857. The establishment of primary schools, high schools, colleges, and universities were done stage by stage. Education departments were formed in provinces to monitor and supervise education. English became the official administrative language in 1844. Let us look at the impact of western Education. The traditional system of education slowly declined. The new education system enabled Indians from different languages to interact in English among themselves. This gave impetus to the growth of Nationalism. The European intellectual thoughts gradually entered the Indian Society and developed far-reaching consequences.
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This Educational System had a profound impact on Indian literature and led to new literary movements. Many sections of the society were exposed to social awakening. Historians have debates on the awareness created by this academic perspective, and it was also a hindrance to the scientific identification of social and political conditions in India. Now, let us explore the Economic Impact. The Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries in England had a serious influence on Indian trade and commerce. Between 1600 to 1757, the company was only a trading company. After the battle of Plassey, to gain monopoly over trade and production in India, the company utilized its political power in Bengal. During the same time, it established its monopoly in raw cotton trade. As a result, the weavers had to buy the raw materials at higher rates. In short, the aim of the British trade policy was only to fulfil their own industrial requirements and nothing else. They wanted India to be an importer of their machine-made goods and exporter of raw materials. By introducing the open trade policy, the British pushed Indian cottage industries towards extinction. The main reason of India becoming a poor country during the British rule was the flow of enormous wealth from India to England.
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As Dadabhai Navroji said, it was a drain of wealth which was the main reason. The huge profits gained by the British citizens through investments in various areas was another source of loss of wealth. As a result of drain in wealth, India not only became a poor nation, but there was also a shortage of capital. This hampered Industrial development. Adam Smith, the Father of Economics, has described the British in India as Plunderers. Let us move to Constitutional Development. The Constitutional Reforms in India started during the British rule. The Regulating Act of 1773 C.E. is an important milestone in the history of the Indian Constitution. Governor General Warren Hastings implemented this act in 1773. This act became the base of British Administration in India and also gave a Constitution to the East India Company. Next is Pitt’s India Act of 1784 C.E. The Government of England was not happy with the administrative system of India and decided to pay more attention to it. Hence, Prime Minister William Pitt brought in an Act. It included the East India Company as a part of the government and considered it as a unit. Later, many acts were issued by the British.
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Now, let us discuss the Morley Minto Reforms of 1909 C.E. Lord Minto was the Viceroy of India, and during this period, Lord Morley was the Secretary of the State. Due to the dictatorial rule of Lord Curzon and violent protests from Indian Revolutionaries, the Minto-Morley reforms were introduced. According to this act, eligible Indians could be made part of the government programmes. It was decided to increase the number in the Central Legislative Assembly, and similarly, the provincial assemblies were also expanded. The Morley-Minto reforms did not bring in any revolutionary changes in the constitutional process of India, nor did it give any responsibility to people's representatives. Next are the Montagu Chelmsford Reforms of 1919 C.E. The Morley Minto reforms did not satisfy the Indians. In the year 1917, Montagu, the then secretary of state, issued a proclamation. He made it clear in his declaration that the policy of the British government is to give Indians a greater representation in the administration and to promote the growth of self-governing institutions. Lord Chelmsford, the Viceroy of India during that time, brought these acts into effect. The number of members in the Indian council under the secretary of state was increased, their term of office was fixed for 5 years, and a High Commissioner for India was appointed in London.
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Finally, we have the 1935 Act. The Morley Minto reforms did not satisfy the Indians. To pacify the people, the Government of India Act 1935 made a significant change. According to it, a federation of India was formed with a federation of states and provinces. Diarchy was introduced at the Central Government, and responsible governments were established at the provincial level. This act is considered a major milestone in Indian history. Now, let us carefully go through the exercises to prepare for your exams. I will answer each question completely. First, answer the following in a sentence each. Question one: Who introduced the Permanent Zamindari System? Governor General Cornwallis introduced the Permanent Zamindari System. Question two: What is the Ryotwari system? The Ryotwari system is the system where the farmers could directly remit the land tax to the treasury without any intermediaries. Question three: How much money was set aside for Indian education in the Charter Act of 1813? One lakh rupees was kept aside for the education of Indians under the Charter Act of 1813.
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Question four: Who implemented the Regulating Act and when? Governor General Warren Hastings implemented the Regulating Act in 1773. Question five: Which are the Indian universities established in 1857? The universities established in 1857 are Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras. Next, let us discuss and answer the following. Question six: How did the Permanent Zamindari System influence the farmers? The Zamindars exploited the farmers by collecting excess land tax, land owners never gave attention to improve agricultural output, tenant farmers were forced to pay their share even when crops failed, agricultural output collapsed, farmers were forced to grow commercial crops, and bonded labour grew. Question seven: Explain the impact of Western Education. The traditional system declined, Indians from different languages interacted in English, it gave impetus to nationalism, European intellectual thoughts entered society, it impacted literature and led to new movements, and many sections were exposed to social awakening, though it also hindered the scientific identification of social and political conditions. Question eight: Mention some of the important Constitutional reforms in India. The important constitutional reforms include the Regulating Act of 1773, Pitt India Act of 1784, Morley Minto Reforms of 1909, Montagu Chelmsford Reforms of 1919, and the Government of India Act of 1935.
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Now, let us match the following items. Warren Hastings matches with Collection of tax by auction. Cornwallis matches with Permanent Zamindari System. Thomas Munroe matches with Ryotwari System. William Bentinck matches with English Education. Dadabhai Navroji matches with Wealth drain theory. Finally, let us discuss the Revenue system of the British and the Present system of Revenue. The British revenue systems like Permanent Zamindari, Ryotwari, and Mahalwari focused heavily on extracting high cash taxes, converting land into a commodity, and forcing commercial crop cultivation, which led to peasant exploitation, food shortages, and bonded labour. In contrast, the present revenue system in India focuses on fair taxation, agricultural subsidies, crop insurance, direct benefit transfers, and welfare measures to protect farmers, ensure food security, and promote sustainable agricultural development rather than mere revenue extraction. Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]