Question

A seminar on the hardship faced by different categories of people in Bengal under the company rule

Answer 1

Answer:

The rule of the British East India Company on the Indian subcontinent is referred to as company rule.

Explanation:

This is widely believed to have begun in 1757, following the Battle of Plassey, when the Nawab of Bengal surrendered his dominions to the Company in 1765, when the Company was granted the Diwani, or right to collect revenue, in Bengal and Bihar, or in 1773, when the Company established a capital in Calcutta, appointed its first Governor-General, Warren Hastings, and became directly involved in governance. The rule lasted until 1858, when, following the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and as a result of the Government of India Act 1858, the British government took over direct administration of India in the new British Raj.

During the company rule, different people of Bengal had to suffer from various hardships.

1. Hardship faced by Farmers: Farmers were forced to give the revenue even if they had a year with less agricultural produce. To pay the taxes, they had to sell their produce at low prices. The British or Zamindars made no effort to improve agricultural conditions. Farmers were unable to pay revenue and were forced to turn to moneylenders who charged exorbitant interest rates on loans.

2. Weavers, workers, craftsman, and laborers were forced to work ruthlessly and they were not given sufficient wages.

3. Land taxes were at the peak and no rules were followed. Economy were damaged totally and finance institutions were forcing people to fulfill company demands.

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Answer 2

The hardships faced by different categories of people in Bengal under the company rule are-

• During the 18th and 19th centuries, Bengal was India's richest and most productive land.
• Bengal trade was very profitable for the British, and in particular for the East India Company. Bengal was where the British first exercised political sway over India.
• By importing gold and silver from Britain, the East India Company began purchasing cotton and silk at a discount.
• After five years, the price of the commodities doubled, and they used the extra money to export. Therefore, this led to Bengal's financial state demise.
• A royal Farman issued by the Mughal emperor in 1717 provided the Company important rights, including the ability to import and export their commodities without paying taxes in Bengal and the authority to issue passes or dastaks for the transportation of such goods.
• For the Bengali government, it meant a loss of income. Second, the Company's employees misappropriated the authority to issue dastaks for the Company's items in order to transgress taxes on their personal trade.
• Bengal was under British control when two devastating famines struck in the years 1770 and 1943, both of which claimed many lives.
• Within five years of the British East India Company's reign, the famine struck, one of Bengal's worst famines to have ever taken place.
• In 1943, a significant famine that claimed the lives of about 3 million people took place during the Second World War.
• The farmers in Bengal were forced to cultivate indigo. The Europeans' needs for the dye were erratic. Bengal indigo growers revolted in 1859–1860 as a result of the peasant unrest.
• Even if they had a year with less agricultural output, the farmers in Bengal were required to pay the revenue.
• To pay the taxes, they had to sell their produce at a loss. Neither the British nor the Zamindars made any attempt to improve the state of agriculture.
• The farmers had no other option than to turn to moneylenders who charged exorbitant interest rates for loans because they were unable to pay their bills.

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