Why did the Santhals rebel against British rule?
By 1832 the Santhals had settled in Damin-i-Koh area. Their settlement expanded rapidly. Forests were cleared to accommodate them. The Company also benefitted as it got more and more land revenue. However, the Santhals too got dissatisfied. They rebelled against the British rule.
Following are the main causes for their rebellion.
1.Santhals were not happy with the tax regime of the company. They thought that the land revenue rates were high and exploitative .
2.The Zamindars began to exercise greater control on the areas brought under cultivation by Santhals, apparently it was a part of the British Policy. But Santhals resented that.
3.Moneylenders in the rural areas were seen as villain and agent of Company rule by the Santhals. Moneylenders could auction the land of Santhals in case of defaulter. All this was not liked by the Santhals. The British took steps to placate the Santhals later on. A separate district of Santhal Pargana was carved out and law was enacted to protect the santhals.
What are the problems of using official sources in writing about the history of peasants?
How did the Paharias respond to the coming of outsiders?
Why was the jotedar a powerful figure in many areas of rural Bengal?
How did the American Civil War affect the lives of ryots in India?
In what way was the livelihood of the Paharias different from that of the Santhals?
Why were many zamindaris auctioned after the Permanent Settlement?
On an outline map of the subcontinent, mark out the areas described in this chapter. Find out whether there were other areas where the Permanent Settlement and the ryotwari system were prevalent and plot these on the map as well.
What explains the anger of the Deccan ryots against Fig. 10.20 the moneylenders?
How did zamindars manage to retain control over their zamindaris?
Why did the mutinous sepoys in many places turn to erstwhile rulers to provide leadership to the revolt?
To what extent are census data useful in reconstructing patterns of urbanisation in the colonial context?
How did Mahatma Gandhi seek to identify with the common people?
What did the Muslim League demand through its resolution of 1940?
What were the ideals expressed in the Objectives Resolution?
Discuss the evidence that indicates planning and coordination on the part of the rebels.
What do the terms “White” and “Black” Town signify?
How was Mahatma Gandhi perceived by the peasants?
Why did some people think of Partition as a very sudden development?
How was the term minority defined by different groups?
Examine how concerns of defence and health gave shape to Calcutta.
Discuss the different arguments made in favour of protection of the oppressed groups.
What connection did some of the members of the Constituent Assembly make between the political situation of the time and the need for a strong Centre?
What do the terms “White” and “Black” Town signify?
Why is Partition viewed as an extremely significant marker in South Asian history?
Why did some people think of Partition as a very sudden development?
What were Mahatma Gandhi’s arguments against Partition?
Why was British India partitioned?
Why are newspapers an important source for the study of the national movement?
What do private letters and autobiographies tell us about an individual? How are these sources different from official accounts?