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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.

The Company Becomes the Diwan

On 12 August 1765, the Mughal emperor granted the East India Company the Diwani rights of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa, making it the chief financial administrator of these territories. This event marked a significant shift from the Company being merely a trading entity to becoming a political power with administrative responsibilities. The grant of Diwani meant the Company was responsible for collecting land revenue and managing the financial resources of the region. The Company needed to organize land administration and revenue collection efficiently to meet its growing expenses, including administrative costs and the purchase of goods for trade. However, as an alien power, the Company had to exercise caution in dealing with existing local rulers and power holders such as zamindars and taluqdars, who had traditionally governed the countryside. The Company aimed to control these local authorities without completely eliminating their influence, as they were crucial for maintaining order and collecting revenue. This section sets the stage for understanding how the British colonial administration began to colonize rural India by reorganizing revenue systems, redefining rights, and influencing agricultural production to serve colonial interests.

📊 Diagram: Fig. 1 – Robert Clive accepting the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa from the Mughal ruler in 1765

🔗 Connection: Leads to the next section discussing the challenges the Company faced in revenue collection and the socio-economic crisis in Bengal.

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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