The peasantry was one of the most impoverished sections of Indian society under the British rule Whi...........

Ancient and Medival History Later Mughals and Advent of Europeans

The peasantry was one of the most impoverished sections of Indian society under the British rule. Which of the following statements is/are correct in this context?

1. The high rates of revenue along with transferability of land led to rise of poverty and landlessness.

2. However to offset the burden of high rent/land revenue, the British invested considerably in the improvement of agriculture.

3. The peasant in India also suffered from illegal dues and 'begar' extracted by the Zamindars.

Select the correct answer using codes given below.

1 and 3 only

2 and 3 only

All of the above

1 and 2 only

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Explanation:

First statement is correct. In the very beginning of British rule in Bengal, the policy of Clive and Warren Hastings of extracting the largest possible land revenue had led to such devastation that even Cornwallis complained that ... More often the inability to pay revenue drove the peasant to borrow money at high rates of interest from the moneylender.
Second statement is incorrect. Investment in agricultural fell heavily and Indian agriculture stagnated under British rule. The system of revenue assessment had no uniform basis and suffered from large variations. The burden of land revenue differed between provinces and even within the same province.
Third statement is correct. When the zamindars became owners of the peasants land they thought, Why should we pay someone to cultivate our seer land.
So the peasants were forced to do begar (baogaar: work without wages) on the seer land of the zamindars. If they refused, the zamindars soldiers would beat them up and force them to do begar. The zamindars soon began terrorising the peasants. Their soldiers would even catch peasants walking on the road and force them to do begar in the zamindars’ fields.