What traumatic event does Zitkala-Sa describe at the school?

The forcible cutting of her long hair

Why was the cutting of her hair so humiliating to Zitkala-Sa?

Among her people, shingled hair was worn by cowards and mourners

Why must official colonial archives be used critically?

Because they were produced by the colonial state to serve its administration and reflect its interests and assumptions, often silencing or distorting peasant experiences.

What was the Permanent Settlement of 1793?

An arrangement in Bengal under which the revenue demand on zamindars was fixed permanently, intended to ensure steady income for the Company.

Why did many Bengal zamindars lose their lands?

The high, inflexible revenue demand meant that those who failed to pay on time had their estates auctioned, so many lost their zamindaris.

Who were the jotedars?

Rich peasants in Bengal who controlled large areas, lent money and gained local power, sometimes at the expense of weakened zamindars.

Who were the Paharias and how did they live?

Forest people of the Rajmahal hills who practised shifting cultivation, gathered forest produce and resisted the encroachment of settled agriculture.

Why did the Company encourage the Santhals to settle?

To clear forests and bring land under settled cultivation that could be taxed, after the Paharias resisted such control.

What caused the Santhal rebellion of 1855-56?

Heavy revenue demands, exploitation by moneylenders and traders, and loss of land led the Santhals to rise in revolt, after which a Santhal Pargana was created.

What was the ryotwari system in the Deccan?

A revenue settlement under which assessment was made directly with individual peasants (ryots) rather than with zamindars.

What caused the Deccan riots of 1875?

High revenue demands, falling prices and growing debt to moneylenders drove peasants to attack sahukars and destroy the bonds and deeds recording their debts.

What did the Deccan Riots Commission do?

It enquired into the riots and gathered evidence, though its report tended to play down the role of government revenue policy in causing peasant distress.

Colonialism and the Countryside — Exploring Official Archives

Class 12 History · Themes in Indian History Part III · Chapter 1

163 members in the CBSE community

View all

CBSE Class 12 · History

Kings, Farmers and Towns: 35 of 100 marks

Marks booster + cheatsheet: key concepts in 2 lines each, common traps
23 of 100 marks: Thinkers, Beliefs, Buildings
22 of 100 board marks: Harappa
20 of 100 marks: Kinship, Caste and Class
8-mark answer: Theme 2 in 3 of 4 papers
5 marks: the Part I map list

Page 1 free about 8 min read, Full kit about 55 min read

₹159See the full kit

CBSE Class 12 · History

Travellers, Bhakti-Sufi: 26 of 100 each

Marks booster + cheatsheet: key concepts in 2 lines each
24 of 100 board marks: Vijayanagara
24 of 100 marks: Mughal village, Theme 8
Q24 from Vijayanagara in every 2025 set
3 of 4 papers: source question on travellers
5 marks: the two map lists

Page 1 free about 8 min read, Full kit about 55 min read

₹159See the full kit

CBSE Class 12 · History

Themes 9–12: 25 theory marks, 1793 to 1950

Marks booster + cheatsheet: key concepts in 2 lines each
1857 and National Movement map items
Constituent Assembly committees table
Gandhiji 1915–1931: Champaran to Salt March
Permanent Settlement and the Fifth Report
Bombay Deccan: ryotwari and the 1875 riots

Page 1 free about 8 min read, Full kit about 55 min read

₹159See the full kit

View all 46 amazing Marks Booster kits →

Summary

This chapter examines what colonial rule meant in the Indian countryside, using official archives — revenue records, surveys, journals and enquiry reports — while warning that these were produced by the colonial state and reflect its concerns. In Bengal the East India Company introduced the Permanent Settlement of 1793, fixing revenue demands on zamindars; many failed to pay and lost their estates at auction, while jotedars and other rich peasants grew powerful and the Company's rigid demands caused hardship. In the Rajmahal hills the Paharias practised shifting cultivation and resisted outsiders; the Company encouraged the Santhals to settle and clear forests for cultivation, but heavy revenue, moneylenders and dispossession led to the Santhal rebellion of 1855-56, after which a separate Santhal Pargana was created. In the Bombay Deccan the ryotwari settlement assessed revenue directly from peasants (ryots); high demands, falling prices and indebtedness to moneylenders (sahukars) produced the Deccan riots of 1875, when peasants attacked moneylenders and burnt bonds and deeds. A Deccan Riots Commission investigated the causes. The chapter shows how historians read such records critically — recognising the biases of surveyors and officials, comparing official accounts with other evidence, and recovering the experiences of peasants who both suffered under and resisted colonial laws.

Bengal and the Permanent SettlementPaharias, Santhals and the hillsThe ryotwari system in the DeccanThe Deccan riots of 1875Reading official archives critically

Key terms

Permanent Settlement

The 1793 revenue arrangement in Bengal fixing the demand on zamindars permanently.

Jotedar

A rich peasant who controlled land and local power in rural Bengal.

Ryotwari

A revenue system in the Deccan under which revenue was assessed directly from individual peasants (ryots).

Santhal rebellion

The 1855-56 uprising of the Santhals against moneylenders and colonial dispossession.

Sahukar

A moneylender and trader on whom Deccan peasants became dependent, often resented during the riots.

Deccan Riots Commission

The body that enquired into the causes of the 1875 Deccan peasant uprising.

Extra questions & answers

Try one from this chapter

The 1793 revenue arrangement in Bengal fixing the demand on zamindars was the

Flashcards & interactive practice

Colonialism and the Countryside — Exploring Official Archives

163 members in the CBSE community

Summary

Key terms

Extra questions & answers

Practice quiz · Colonialism and the Countryside — Exploring Official Archives

Data & insights