why did the deccan roits occur
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Answer:
In May and June 1875, peasants of Maharashtra in some parts of Pune and Ahmednagar districts revolted against increasing agrarian distress. The Deccan Riots of 1875 targeted conditions of debt peonage (kamiuti) to moneylenders. The rioters' specific purpose was to obtain and destroy the bonds, decrees, and other documents in the possession of the moneylenders.[1] The peasants began a systematic attack on the moneylenders’ houses and shops. They seized and publicly burnt debt bonds and deeds signed under pressure, in ignorance, or through fraud and other documents dealing with their debts. They socially boycotted the moneylenders. Within days the disturbances spread to other villages of the Poona and Ahmednagar districts. But there was no anti-colonial consciousness. The peasants failed to realize that the root cause of their distress was the British administration.
Before the 1860s, 3/4th of the raw cotton imports of Britain came from America. British cotton manufacturers established Manchester Cotton Company in 1859 to encourage cotton exports. When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, the imports from America fell miserably. British started importing and securing cotton from India to maintain the cotton exports. So, they started giving advances to moneylenders who turned this into debts for ryot. Ryots in demand boom took a lot of credit and sometime forcefully given credit and made to sign bonds and deeds. The moneylenders used deceit and fraud to extract as much advantage as possible in this economic condition. After the civil war, the cotton demands fell drastically and moneylenders started recovering their money by charging high interests from ryots.
Answer:
In May and June 1875, peasants of Maharashtra in some parts of Pune and Ahmednagar districts revolted against increasing agrarian distress. The Deccan Riots of 1875 targeted conditions of debt peonage (kamiuti) to moneylenders. The rioters' specific purpose was to obtain and destroy the bonds, decrees, and other documents in the possession of the moneylenders.[1] The peasants began a systematic attack on the moneylenders’ houses and shops. They seized and publicly burnt debt bonds and deeds signed under pressure, in ignorance, or through fraud and other documents dealing with their debts. They socially boycotted the moneylenders. Within days the disturbances spread to other villages of the Poona and Ahmednagar districts. But there was no anti-colonial consciousness. The peasants failed to realize that the root cause of their distress was the British administration.
Before the 1860s, 3/4th of the raw cotton imports of Britain came from America. British cotton manufacturers established Manchester Cotton Company in 1859 to encourage cotton exports. When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, the imports from America fell miserably. British started importing and securing cotton from India to maintain the cotton exports. So, they started giving advances to moneylenders who turned this into debts for ryot. Ryots in demand boom took a lot of credit and sometime forcefully given credit and made to sign bonds and deeds. The moneylenders used deceit and fraud to extract as much advantage as possible in this economic condition. After the civil war, the cotton demands fell drastically and moneylenders started recovering their money by charging high interests from ryots. Most of the time the ryots failed to pay back the debt and they were evicted from lands and lands were sold. This infuriated ryots who started violent protest against devious and deceitful moneylenders. They complained to authorities for grievance redressal. In 1859, the British passed Limitation Law that reduced validity of bonds for 3 years. This could limit the money paid by the peasants to the moneylenders. But, moneylenders started signing new bond for 3 years and at expiry signed new bond. Hence, it fuelled rebellion and riots.[2]
The movement continued for 2 months and spread to over 30 villages. It took several months for the police to restore order in the countryside. The Bombay government initially dismissed the uprising as trivial. However, the Government of India pressurized Bombay to enquire into the matter, and as a result Deccan Riots Commission was set up to enquire and investigate the reasons for riots. It submitted its report to British Parliament in 1878. In 1879, the Agriculturists Relief Act was passed which ensured that the farmers could not be arrested and imprisoned if they were unable to pay their debts. The movement had got support from the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha co-founded by M G Ranade.Many nationalist newspapers also supported the peasants. Bal Gangadhar Tilak played a very important role in the passage of Deccan Agriculturist Relief Bill.[3]
As Indian agriculture was drawn into the world economy, credit, commerce, inequality and growth were interrelated. The cultivators' distress resulted from falling agricultural prices, heavy taxation, and a sense of political powerlessness. The commercialization of agriculture under British land revenue policies burdened small peasants by placing a premium on access to credit to finance productive investments in the land. Employing capital advanced by European merchants, local moneylenders obtained unlimited title to the property and labor of their debtors; it gave them the "power to utterly ruin and enslave the debtor."[4] During the 19th century, they used this power to control peasant labour, and not their land, which was of little value without people to work it.
These changes in agriculture undermined the communal traditions which had been the basis of Indian village life.[5] Access to common resources declined steadily because various forms of joint use were misunderstood by the British, access to the forests was restricted, and the British redefined the state's relationship to pastoral communities.
Vasudeo Balwant Phadke launched a violent campaign against British rule in 1879, aiming to establish an Indian republic by driving them out. However, his insurrection met with limited success. Someone betrayed Phadke to claim a bounty offered by the British; he was arrested and deported to Aden, where he died of a hunger strike in 1883.