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Social ScienceClass 8Ruling the Countryside

Ruling the Countryside | Class 8 Social Science Notes

By ConceptScroll Team · Published on 17 July 2026 · 4 min read

Ruling the Countryside | Class 8 Social Science Notes

Ruling the Countryside – this guide gives you a concise, exam-ready overview of Ruling the Countryside from Class 8 Social Science, written by ConceptScroll editors and reviewed against the latest NCERT textbook.

Revenue for the Company

After becoming the Diwan, the East India Company sought to maximize revenue from Bengal without establishing a systematic or regular method of tax assessment and collection. The primary objective was to increase revenue to finance the Company’s growing administrative expenses and to support its trade ambitions. Within five years of 1765, the value of goods purchased by the Company in Bengal doubled, financed by local revenue rather than imports from Britain. However, this aggressive revenue extraction led to a deep economic crisis in Bengal. Artisans were forced to sell their goods at low prices to the Company, leading many to abandon their crafts and villages. Peasants struggled to pay the high dues demanded by the Company, resulting in declining agricultural productivity. The crisis culminated in the catastrophic famine of 1770, which killed about ten million people, roughly one-third of Bengal’s population. Weekly markets (haats), vital for rural trade, were severely affected during this period of economic distress. This section highlights the consequences of the Company’s revenue policies on rural society and economy, setting the context for the introduction of new land revenue systems.

📊 Diagram: RULING THE COUNTRYSIDE; Fig. 2 – A weekly market in Murshidabad in Bengal

🔗 Connection: Prepares for the discussion on land revenue systems introduced to stabilize revenue and improve agriculture.

Frequently asked questions

Imagine you are a witness giving evidence before the Indigo Commission. W.S. Seton Karr asks you "On what condition will ryots grow indigo?" What will your answer be?

As a witness, I would answer that ryots would grow indigo only if they are given fair terms that do not exploit them. They should not be forced or coerced, and the terms should ensure that indigo cultivation is profitable and not a burden. The ryots must have the freedom to refuse indigo cultivation if it is against their interest.

Lot's recall 1. Match the following: - ryot - village - mahal - peasant - nij - cultivation on ryot's lands - ryoti - cultivation on planter's own land 2. Fill in the blanks: - (a) Growers of wood in Europe saw ______ as a crop which would provide competition to their earnings. - (b) The demand for indigo increased in late eighteenth-century Britain because of ______. - (c) The international demand for indigo was affected by the discovery of ______. - (d) The Champaran movement was against ______.

1. Match the following:

  • ryot — peasant
  • village — mahal
  • nij — cultivation on ryot's lands
  • ryoti — cultivation on planter's own land

2. Fill in the blanks: (a) jute (b) the growth of the textile industry (c) synthetic dyes (d) indigo planters

Explanation:

  • Ryot means a peasant or cultivator.
  • Village corresponds to mahal, an administrative revenue unit.
  • Nij refers to cultivation on the ryot's own lands.
  • Ryoti refers to cultivation on the planter's own land.
  • Jute was seen as compe
Lot's discuss 3. Describe the main features of the Permanent Settlement. 4. How was the mahalwari system different from the Permanent Settlement?

3. Main features of the Permanent Settlement:

  • Introduced by Lord Cornwallis in 1793.
  • Fixed the land revenue permanently with zamindars.
  • Zamindars became the owners of the land.
  • Zamindars were responsible for collecting revenue from peasants.
  • Revenue had to be paid to the British government regardless of crop failure.
  • It created a class of landlords who often exploited peasants.

4. Differences between Mahalwari system and Permanent Settlement:

  • Mahalwari system involved collective r
Lots imagine Imagine a conversation between a planter and a peasant who is being forced to grow indigo. What reasons would the planter give to persuade the peasant? What problems would the peasant point out? Enact their conversation.

Planter: "Growing indigo is profitable and will bring you steady income. The planters will provide you with advances and support. Indigo is in demand in Britain, so this is a good opportunity."

Peasant: "But indigo cultivation ruins my soil and leaves me with little food crops. The advances are loans that trap me in debt. I have to work hard but get little benefit. I want to grow food to feed my family, not indigo for the planters."

Explanation: The planter tries to persuade by emphasizing pro

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