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?
What explains the anger of the Deccan ryots against Fig. 10.20 the moneylenders?
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.
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?
What steps did the British take to quell the uprising?
How was the term minority defined by different groups?
What historical forces shaped the vision of the Constitution?
Examine how concerns of defence and health gave shape to Calcutta.
Why is Partition viewed as an extremely significant marker in South Asian history?
Discuss the extent to which religious beliefs shaped the events of 1857.
Why did the salt laws become an important issue of struggle?
In what way did Mahatma Gandhi transform the nature of the national movement?
What do visual representations tell us about the revolt of 1857? How do historians analyse these representations?
What did the rebels want? To what extent did the vision of different social groups differ?