Q. The consequences of the British Imperialistic policies on Indian Agriculture were:
Polarization between landowners and tillers (cultivators)
Increase in number of landless laborers
Creation of a independent market economy
Select the correct answer from the codes given below: Answer:
1 & 2
Notes:
Polarization between landowners and tillers (cultivators): This statement is correct. British policies disrupted traditional agrarian structures by introducing new systems of land ownership and revenue collection. The introduction of the Permanent Settlement in some regions, for instance, led to the concentration of landownership in the hands of intermediaries, creating a divide between wealthy landowners and cultivators who often became tenants on their ancestral lands. This polarization resulted in socio-economic inequalities and changed the power dynamics within rural communities.
Increase in the number of landless laborers: This statement is correct as well. The British colonial policies, including the introduction of revenue systems like the Zamindari system and the Ryotwari system, resulted in dispossession of land from small cultivators and peasants. Many were unable to pay the high land taxes imposed by the British and lost their land as a result. This forced displacement led to a surge in the number of landless laborers who became dependent on larger landowners for work, exacerbating the socio-economic divide.
Creation of an independent market economy: This statement is not correct. The British Imperialistic policies did lead to changes in the Indian economy, but the economy did not become independent due to these policies. Instead, the British colonial administration focused on exploiting India's resources for the benefit of the British Empire. They implemented policies such as the cash-crop cultivation of goods like indigo, opium, and cotton, which were produced for export to meet British demand. This export-oriented approach disrupted the self-sustaining nature of traditional Indian agriculture and led to an overemphasis on cash crops at the expense of food crops. This shift had detrimental effects on food security and contributed to famines.