Impact of British Rule on India

I. Fill in the blanks:

1. The British domination of India brought many changes in

the cultural, educational and social life of India.
2. The Indian villages were self sufficient village communities before the coming of
the British.
3. The British charged revenue in cash instead of kind.
4. The three kinds of land settlements made by the British were Permanent
settlement (b) Ryotwari settlement and (c) Mahalwari settlement
5. A new class of landholders called Zamindars came into existence during this
time.
6. Lord Macaulay, is known as the founder of British system of education in India.

II. Match the contents of Column A and Column B:

Column A Column B
Answer:

III. State whether the following statements are True or False:

1. The British rule resulted in the destruction of Indian industry, trade and
handicrafts.
True.
2. The important centres for Indian goods were Dhaka, Benaras, Lucknow, Multan,
Ahmadabad, etc.
True.
3. The British greatly developed Indian agriculture.
False.
4. Lord Cornwallis intoduced the Permanent Land Settlement in India.
True.
 5. The first railway line was built during Lord Dalhousie’s time.
True.
6. The British took interest in building up transport and communication system to
help them in trade and military affairs.
True.
7. The English took great interest in Indian culture and promoted it
False.
8. The English took interest in education of Indians only because they needed low
paid, English speaking clerks.
True.
9. The new education policy benefitted only the upper and th middle class.
True.
10. The Company promoted education of girls and technical education.
False.

IV. Answer the following questions:

Question 1.
Mention the social evils prevalent in India during British rule.
Answer:
Inhuman practice of Sati was prevalent in many parts of the country. Female infanticide
prevailed in some parts of the country. The practice of sacrificing little children to please
gods and goddesses was another major evil. Widows were not allowed to remarry.
Child marriage and polygamy were other social evils prevalent in society.

Question 2.
Why did India’s foreign trade decline during the British rule?
Answer:
India traded in wool, silk, textiles, metal craft like vessels and ornaments, objects in
gold, silver, copper, steel and iron. British trade policies led to the drain of wealth from
India. Indian trade, industries and handicrafts declined. Indian artisans lost support of
kings and nobles. The British wanted India to become a supplier of raw materials and
an importer of finished goods.

Question 3.
During the British rule, “India was a loser both ways – as a buyer and also a seller.”
Explain.
Answer:
The British exploited India’s resources, bought raw materials from India at nominal rates
to be exported to England, and dumped their machine made goods in the Indian
markets. Thus, India was a loser both ways as a buyer and also as a seller.

Question 4.
Why did the English East India Company feel the need for educational; reforms?
Answer:
The first objective of education in India was to form a class of interpreters between the
British rulers and the millions of Indians they governed. The second objective was to
create a class of persons, Indian in blood and colour but British in taste, opinion, morals
and intellect. The third objective was to obtain a cheap supply of clerks for holding
subordinate posts in administration and British business concerns. ‘

Question 5.
Who was Lord Macaulay? Why did he recommend the system of British education in
India?
Answer:
Lord Macaualy is considered the founder of the British system of education in India. He
was the law member of the council of Lord William Bentinck, the Governor General of
India.Macaulay recommended

1. English shoud be the medium of instruction in schools

2. Indians should be taught sciences and western literature. He had a very poor
opinion of traditional Indian learning which he thought was inferior to European
learning.

According to him, “single shelf of a good European library was worth native literature of
India and Arabia.”

Question 6.
What were the main objectives of British education in India? Mention the steps
recommended to implement the policy.
Answer:
There were three main objectives of education in India according to Lord Macaulay. The
first objective was to form a class of interpreters between the British rulers and the
millions of Indians they governed.

The second objective was to create a class of persons, Indian in blood and colour but
British in taste, opinion, morals and intellect.
The third objective was to obtain a cheap supply of clerks for holding subordinate posts
in administration and British business concerns.

In 1835, Bentinck agreed to Macaulay’s view and made English the medium of
instruction. In 1844 the government declared their intention to employ only English
educated Indians. In 1854, Wood’s Despatch was accepted and implemented. New
Universities were set up in Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.

Question 7.
Describe the recommendations in Wood’s Despatch and their effects.
Answer:
(a)
It declared that the aim to Government’s educational policy was the teaching of Western
education “The education which we desire to see extended in India”, wrote Wood in the
Despatch, “is that which has for its object the diffusion of the improved arts, science,
philosophy and literature of Europe, in short of European knowledge.”

1. As to the medium of instruction, it declared that for higher education. English

language was the most perfect medium of education. It also emphasised the
importance of vernacular languages.
2. It proposed setting up of vernacular primary schools in villages Anglo-Vernacular
high schools and an affiliated college at district level.
3. It recommended a grants-in-aid to encourage private enterprise.
4. A department of public instruction under the charge of a Director in each of the
five provinces to review progress of education.
5. Universities on the model of London University were set up in Calcutta, Bombay
and Madras.
6. The Despatch emphasised the importance of vocational Instruction and need for
establishing technical schools and colleges.
7. Teachers Training institutions on the model then prevalent in England were
recommended.
8. The Despatch gave frank and cordial support for fostering the education of
women.

Question 8.
Discuss various aspects of the drain of wealth.
Answer:
The British exported to Britain part of India’s wealth and resources for which India got
no adequate economic or material return. This ‘Economic Drain’was peculiar to British
rule. Previously the rulers had spent the revenue they extracted from the people inside
the country. But the British spent part of the taxes and income they derived from the
Indian people not in India but in Britain, their home country.

The drain of wealth from Bengal began in 1757 when company’s servants began to
carry home immense fortunes extorted from Indian rulers, zamindars, merchants and
the common people. They sent home nearly £ 6 million between 1758 and 1765. This
was more than four times than total land revenue collection of the Nawab of Bengal in
1765.

In 1765 the company acquired the Diwani of Bengal and thus gained control over its
revenues. The company began to purchase Indian goods out of the revenue of Bengal
and to export them.

From 1765 to 1770 the company sent out nearly £4 million worth of goods or about 33
percent of the net revenue of the net revenue of Bengal. The drain took the form of an
excess of India’s exports over its imports for which India got no return. The drain went
on increasing after 1858.
V. Picture Study –

(A) Look at the picture.

1.Which important development does the picture depict?

Ans. In 1853 the first Railway line was opened between Bombay and Thane.

Write a short note on its development in India.

Ans. Railway lines were developed to transport raw’ material to factories and finished
goods from factories to markets. The Indians benefitted from railways. Travel and
transportation became quicker, easier and cheaper.

How did it prove to be a boon for the Indians?

Ans. The railways brought Indians of all castes and religions together. They later united
against the English and joined hands to fight against them.

(B) This is the picture of a Governor-General.

1.Identify him.
Ans. Lord William Bentinck.

2.What do you understand by ‘Sati’? Who put an end to this practice and why?
Ans. Sati was an inhuman practice of widow immolation at the funeral pyre of her
husband. It was prevalent in many parts of India specially in Bengal. Lord William
Bentinck abolished Sati in 1829.

3.Mention four social reforms introduced by the British.

Ans.

1. Abolition of Sati.
2. Abolition of female infanticide.
3. Abolition of sacrificing little children to please gods and goddesses.

A strong movement in support of widow remarriage. Lord Dalhousie passed a law which
allowed widows to remarry

Additional Questions

A. Fill in the blanks:

1. The Bengal famine of 1770 was one of the most terrible famines in human history.
2. A large share of revenue collected by the Company in India had to be paid to the
British government as home charges.
3. Under the Mahalwari system the revenue settlement was made with the village as
a whole.
4. To eliminate competition from India’s traditional industries the British transfonned
India into a supplier of raw material and a market for british products.
5. Before the advent of the British the Indian craftspeople operated at two levels—
the rural and the urbanlevels.
6. Before the advent of the British the Indian textile industry was the finest and
the largest in the world.
7. After the Battle of Plassey the Company used its political power to destroy the
Indian handicraft industry and promote British industries.
8. With the spread of the Industrial Revolution in England, Indian markets were
flooded with cheap, machine made textiles of British mills.
9. By 1850, India became a major importer of english textiles.
10. Lord Dalhousie introduced the railway system in India in 1853.
11. The Grand Trunk Road from Calcutta to Peshawar was reconstructed by the
British in the 19th century.
B. Match the following:

Answer:

C. Choose the correct answer:

1. The Treaty of Allahabad/Madras/Benaras granted the English East India Company

the right to collect revenue from Bihar, Bengal and Orissa.
Ans. The Treaty of Allahabad granted the English East India Company the right to
collect revenue from Eihar, Bengal and Orissa.

2. To remove the defect of the revenue system Lord Cornwallis introduced the
Permanent settlement/Ryotwari system/ Mahalwari system in 1793.
Ans. To remove the defect of the revenue system Lord Cornwallis introduced the
Permanent settlement in 1793.

3. The Ryotwari system of revenue collection was introduced in

Madras/Calcutta/Bombay presidency.
Ans. The Ryotwari system of revenue collection was introduced in Madras presidency.
4. The Charter Act of 1813, directed the Company to spend 1/ 10/15 lakh rupees on the
education of Indians.
Ans. The Charter Act of 1813, directed the Company to spend 1 lakh rupees on the
education of Indians.

5.The first railway line was from Bombay to Poona/Thana/ Calcutta.

Ans. The first railway line was from Bombay to Thana.

D. State whether the following are true or false:

1. Before the advent of the British more than 95 per cent of Indians lived in villages.
True.
2. The Indian peasants were satisfied with the Company’s revenue collection
methods.
False.
3. The Permanent Settlement assured the Company a fixed revenue at a fixed time
even during natural calamities.
True.
4. Lord Macaulay insisted that Western education should be imparted through the
medium of the vernacular languages.
False.
Correct : Lord Macaulay insisted that Western education should be imparted
through the medium of the English.
5. The development of transport and communication systems did not benefit Indians
in any way.
False.
Correct : The development of transport and communication systems benefit
Indians in unexpected ways.

E. Answer the following questions in one or two words/ sentences:

Question 1.
Why did the Indian peasants begin to grow cash crops ?
Answer:
Since revenue payments had to be paid in cash, the peasants began to grow cash
crops like jute, cotton, sugarcane etc., which could be sold for ready cash in the
markets.

Question 2.
How did the Company utilize the revenues from Bengal ?
Answer:
The revenue from Bengal was used to cover as salaries of officials and to finance the
trading activities of the company. Raw materials for England’s growing industries were
bought with the revenues collected from Bengal.
Question 3.
What were the drawbacks of Warren Hastings’s five-year revenue settlement ?
Answer:
The new zamindars, unsure of retaining the contract at the next auction, had no
permanent interest in the land and did nothing to improve it. The peasants were fleeced
to meet the revenue targets.

Question 4.
What was the significance of the Charter Act of 1813 in the context of British
educational policy in India?
Answer:
The Charter Act of 1813 directed the Company to spend 1 lakh rupees on the education
of Indians. This was the first step taken by the British rulers towards the encouragement
of the study of literature and science in India. The Charter Act, however, did not lay
down any specific guidelines.

Question 5.
In what way would westernized Indians help to promote the interests of British
manufacturers?
Answer:

1. The British system of education produced English-speaking Indian graduates who

helped their British masters to run the empire.
2. It also created a class of Indians who were Westernized to the extent that they
rejected Indian culture and patronized anything and everything that was British
including British goods.

Question 6.
How did knowledge of contemporary nationalist movements in Europe inspire the
Indians?
Answer:
Knowledge of contemporary nationalist movements in Europe fired the Indians with an
intense desire to build a new India progressive, strong, prosperous and united.

Question 7.
Mention any two positive effects of the introduction of English in the Indian educational
system.
Answer:
Western education, however, impacted Indian society in a way the British could never
have imagined.

1. It aroused in them an awareness of the evil effects of foreign rule.

2. The teachings of modem European philosophers instilled in them an admiration
for democratic institutions.
Question 8.
Which section of Indians gained from the British commercial policies ?
Answer:
Indian Steel, Urban Centres specialized in gold and silver ornaments, cooper,
brassware, and crafts people.

Question 9.
How would the improved transport and communication system benefit the Indian later ?
Answer:
The transport and communication system, however, would ultimately benefit Indians in
unexpected ways. Besides stimulating trade and commerce it would bring the people of
India closer to one another and infuse in them a sense of unity and nationalism—a
development that would have far-reaching effects on India’s future.

F. Answer the following questions briefly:

Question 1.
In the context of Permanent Settlement of Bengal answer the following:
(a) Explain the special features of the Permanent Settlement.
(b) What are its advantages ?
(c) Briefly describe its disavantages
Answer:
(a)
The system had two special features:
Permanent ownership of land

1. The zamindars, collectors of land revenue, were made permanent legal owners of
the land from which they collected the land tax. The tax collector became the
landlord.
2. The zamindar’s ownership rights became hereditary and he was given the
freedom to sell or mortgage his land.
3. The cultivators of the land became the tenants of the zamindar and lost their
ancestral rights. They had to pay a rent to the zamindar who could increase the
rent as and when they wanted to.

Fixed Revenue

1. The land revenue was fixed on a permanent basis. The Company could not make
any further demands on the zamindars.
2. The zamindar had to pay the land revenue once a year on a spe cific date. If he
failed to pay on time, his lands were confiscated and sold.

(b) Advantages
 1. The Company was assured of a fixed revenue at a fixed time even during natural
calamities.
2. The collection of revenue was simpler and cheaper. The zamindars replaced
hundreds of paid tax officials.
3. The British won the support and loyalty of the powerful and priviledged class of
zamindars that they had created.
4. As permanent owners of the lands, the zamindars took several steps to increase
agricultural production whose benefits they would enjoy.

(c) Disadvantages

1. The cultivators were left at the mercy of the zamindar, who exploited and
oppressed them, increased their rents and evicted them from the land when they
unable to pay the high rents. This led to widespread poverty and misery of the
cultivators.
2. Since the revenue was fixed, the government would not get a share of increasing
returns form the land.
3. This system gave rise to a class of absentee landlords. These zamindars
preferred to live in cities and towns and sublet their land to tenants at high rates.
These tenants in turn sublet it to other tenants. As this process continued, the rent
rates increased with each successive layer. The entire burden of paying the
enhanced rates had to be borne by the actual cultivator—the last tenant.

Question 2.
With reference to Ryotwari and Mahalwari systems answer the following:
(a) Explain the features of the Ryotwari system.
(b) What were the features of the Ryotwari system.
(c) What were the fundamental changes introduced by these systems in the traditional
land system of the country ?
Answer:
(a)
The features of Ryotwari system were:

1. The cultivator (ryot) was recognized as the owner of his land as long as he paid
the land revenue.
2. The revenue was paid directly by the cultivator to the revenue officials.
3. The revenue was fixed for 30 years after which it could be revised.
4. Collection of revenue was rigid. There was no remission of revenue even when
the crops failed.

(b)
‘Mahal’ means a group of villages. Under this system land was collectively owned by the
villagers. The revenue settlement was made with the village as a whole. The talukdar or
head of the mahal collected the revenue and handed it over to the British collectors.
(c)
The Zamindari and Ryotwari systems introduced fundamental changes in the traditional
land systems of the country. Land became a commodity — a new form of property —
which could be bought, sold and mortgaged as and when the need arose. The stability
and continuity of the Indian villages were shaken and the traditional structure of rural
society began to disintegrate.

Question 3.
The first century of British rule resulted in the decay and destruction of traditional India
trade and industry. Explain this statement with reference to the following:
(a) Political powers of the Company
(b) Collapse of ruling dynasties and ruling courts
(c) Decline of modern India industries.
Answer:
(a)
After the Battle of Plassey in 1757, the company used its political power to destroy the
Indian handicraft industry and promote British industries. The Indian weavers were
forced to sell their products to the Company at very low prices. To add to their miseries,
they were compelled to buy interior raw cotton at high prices from the Company officials
who bought it from the Indian farmers at low rates.
(b)
With the establishment and expansion of the British empire in India, the royal courts and
the nobility of the ruling dynasties, (including the Mughals) collapsed one by one. The
craftspersons and artisans were deprived of royal patronage and Indian handicrafts
suffered a severe setback.
(c)
The British government also obstructed the growth of modern Indian industries to keep
the country underdeveloped and economically backward. Almost everything of daily use
like needles, pins, sewing machines, thread, soaps, biscuits, cycles, medicines, paper,
etc. were imported from England.

Question 4.
The Charter Act of 1813 passed by the British Parliament was the first major step to
introduce changes in the Indian system of education. In this context discuss:
(a) The general directives issued to the Company in the Charter Act of 1813 and its
inherent weakness
(b) The Great Debate over the content and medium of education
(c) The introduction and spread of Western education
Answer:
(a)
The Charter Act of 1813 directed the Company to spend 1 lakh rupees on the education
of Indians. This was the first step taken by the British rulers towards the encouragement
of the study of literature and science in India. The Charter Act, however.- did not lay
down any specific guidelines. The money sanctioned for the education project lay
untouched for 2 decades while a great controversy raged over the content and medium
of education.
(b)
One group favoured the promotion of traditional Indian learning through the medium of
classical (Sanskrit and Persian) and regional language. This group was known as the
Orientalists. The other group led by Lord Macaulay (Law Member of the Governor
General’s Council) insisted that Western education should be introduced and imparted.
(c)
The government began to set up English medium schools and colleges for the
education of a limited number of Indians. In 1844, English became the official language
and the government announced that Indians educated in British schools would be given
jobs in government services. This helped the spread of English education in India.

Question 5.
The Wood’s Despatch introduced further changes in the Indian educational system.
With reference to the above statement, answer the following questions:
(a) What was the purpose behind the introduction of Western education in India?
(b) How did the introduction of Western education benefit the British?
(c) Explain how

1. Western education and

2. The English language led to the rise of a spirit of nationalism among the Indians.

Answer:
(a) The purpose behind the introduction of Western education in India.

1. The primary motive of the British government was to create a class of persons,
Indian in blood and colour, but British in taste, opinions, morals and intellect. The
class of Indians could be employed, on low salaries, as clerks in the Civil Service.
2. This would greatly reduce the heavy expenditure involved in running the
administration. Employing theBritish in these posts was very expensive and
difficult.
3. Westernized Indians, it was hoped, would create a demand for British goods and
promote the interests of British manufacturers.
4. Western education would inculcate in the Indians a sense of admiration and
respect for British rule. This would strengthen the foundations of the British empire
in India.

(b) The introduction and spread of Western education in India benefited the
British like:

1. The British system of education produced Englishspeaking Indian graduates who

helped their British masters to run the empire.
2. It also created a class of Indians who were Westernized to the extent that they
rejected Indian culture and patronized anything and everything that was British
including British goods.
(c) Western education, however, impacted Indian society in a way the British
could never have imagined.

1. It aroused in them an awareness of the evil effects of foreign rule.

2. The teachings of modern European philosophers instilled in them an admiration
for democratic institutions.

Question 6.
With reference to the transport and communication system in India, answer the
following questions:
(a) Why and how did the British develop proper transport and communication facilities in
India?
(b) How did the railways serve the interests of the British?
(c) Explain how the improved transport and communication system proved beneficial for
Indians.
Answer:
(a)

1. The transport and communication system in India in the 18th century was very
backward. The British realized the importance of developing proper
communication facilities to consolidate their position in India and promote their
industrial and commercial growth.
2. Steps were taken to link all the major cities, ports, agricultural centres and markets
through an elaborate network of roads, canals and railways. Metalled roads,
steamships and trains were introduced.

(b)
The railways ensured quick transfer of troops and ammunition during revolts and other
disturbances and the easy tranportation of raw materials and manufactured goods.
(c)
The transport and communication system, however, whould ultimately benefit Indians in
unexpected ways. Besides stimulating trade and commerce it would bring the people of
India closer to one another and infuse in them a sense of unity and nationalism. A
development that would have far-reaching effects on India’s independence.The
improved communication system established by the British benefited the Indians in
unexpected ways. Besides stimulating trade and commerce it brought the people of
India closer to one another and infused in them a sense of unity and nationalism which
had far-reaching effects on Indian’s future.
G Picture Study:

This is the picture of an Indian nationalist.

1. Identify the person.

Ans. DadabhaiNaoroji.

2.What did he think about the British rule in India ?

Ans. Dadabhai Naoroji one of the early nationalist of India, described British rule as an
‘everlastingL.foreign invasion that was utterly though gradually destroying the country’.

3.Explain any three ways in which he felt that the Indian economy was being exploited
by the British.
Ans.

1. A greater part of the salaries of British officials and employees of the Company
(paid out of Indian revenues) was deposited in England as savings.
2. Material resources like cotton, jute, indigo, tea, coffee, etc. were transported to
England.
3. Goods purchased in India with revenues drawn from the country were sent to
England.
4. Huge sums of money which the officials received as bribes and gifts were sent out
of the country.