Colonialism and the Countryside

Vocabulary flashcards about Colonialism and the Countryside

Zamindars

In Bengal, revenue collectors of the state, classified from rajas and taluqdars, who had to pay a fixed revenue demand in perpetuity.

Permanent Settlement

A revenue system introduced in Bengal in 1793 by the East India Company, fixing the revenue that each zamindar had to pay.

Sunset Law

A law stating that if revenue payment did not come in by sunset of the specified date, the zamindari was liable to be auctioned.

Ryot

The term used in British records to designate peasants in Bengal.

Jotedars

A class of rich peasants in North Bengal who acquired vast areas of land, controlled local trade and moneylending, and exercised immense power over the poorer cultivators.

Benami

Literally anonymous, a term used for transactions made in the name of a fictitious or relatively insignificant person, while the real beneficiary remains unnamed.

Lathyal

Literally one who wields the lathi or stick, functioned as a strongman of the zamindar.

Fifth Report

A detailed report submitted to the British Parliament in 1813 on the administration and activities of the East India Company in India.

Paharias

Hill folk who lived around the Rajmahal hills, subsisting on forest produce and practicing shifting cultivation.

Aquatint

A picture produced by cutting into a copper sheet with acid and then printing it.

Damin-i-Koh

A large area of land demarcated in 1832 as the land of the Santhals, where they were to live, practice plough agriculture, and become settled peasants.

Santhals

Settlers who moved into the Rajmahal hills around 1800, displaced the hill folk, cleared forests, and settled the land.

Deccan Riots Commission

A commission of enquiry set up by the Government of Bombay to investigate into the causes of the riots in the Deccan in 1875.

Ryotwari Settlement

Revenue system introduced in the Bombay Deccan where revenue was directly settled with the ryot.

Rentier

A term used to designate people who live on rental income from property.

Cotton Supply Association & Manchester Cotton Company

Organizations founded in Britain to encourage cotton production in other parts of the world, including India.

Limitation Law (1859)

British law stating that loan bonds signed between moneylenders and ryots would only be valid for three years.