History

This phase of Colonization coincided with the Industrial Revolution in Western Europe and the United States of America. The relative technological supremacy and decadence in the Eastern states meant that Europe could interfere in the internal affairs of these states. European states used gunboat diplomacy (Opium Wars in China) as well as vile political machinations … Read more

The French revolution brought fundamental social, political, and economic changes in the history of France. End of the social divide The French Revolution destroyed the social discriminative class system in France and declared equality for all. This led to the rise of the middle class who had acquired education to positions of responsibility. Declaration of … Read more

The Company introduced the Permanent Settlement in 1793. Cornwallis was the Governor-General of India at that time. By the terms of the settlement, the rajas and taluqdars were recognised as zamindars. They were asked to collect rent from the peasants and pay revenue to the Company. The amount to be paid was fixed permanently – … Read more

There were two main systems of indigo cultivation – nij and ryoti . Nij: the planter produced indigo in lands that he directly controlled. He either bought the land or rented it from other zamindars and produced indigo by directly employing hired labourers. Ryoti system: the planters forced the ryots to sign a contract, an … Read more

After 1800, urbanisation in India was slow-moving. 19th century up to the first two decades of the 20th, the proportion of the urban population to the total population in India was extremely low and had remained stagnant. However, there were significant variations in the patterns of urban development in different regions. The smaller towns had … Read more

In 1599, an English company was formed by a group of merchants to trade with the east, known as Merchant Adventurers. It was given the permission and exclusive rights to trade with the east, by the queen in 1600.  Mughal emperor, Jahangir, gave captain Hawkins the royal farman to set up factories on the western … Read more

Robert Clive Robert Clive (1765-72) was given a second chance following his outstanding military leadership. He introduced a system known as ‘dual administration’ in Bengal. The company already had the power to collect its own taxes. Thus it was the diwan. Now, with the say in the appointment of the deputy subahdar, the company got … Read more

Economy The British policies towards agriculture and industry were mainly aimed at their benefit. This resulted in the commercialisation of agriculture and the ruin of traditional Indian industries. Polity Various Acts passed by the English had positive and negative outcomes. However, the most significant result of the new laws was the enforcement of the British … Read more

The European Commercial Companies had set up base in different places early during the Mughal era: the Portuguese in Panaji in 1510, the Dutch in Masulipatnam in 1605, the British in Madras in 1639 and the French in Pondicherry (present-day Puducherry) in 1673. From the mid-eighteenth century, there was a new phase of change. Commercial … Read more

Colonial economic policies, the new land revenue system, the colonial administrative and judicial systems, and the ruin of handicrafts leading to the over-crowding of land transformed the agrarian structure and impoverished the peasantry. When the peasants could take it no longer, they resisted this oppression and exploitation.  The most militant and widespread of the peasant … Read more