Ruling the Countryside Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 3 CBSE Notes - 2025-26

Chapter Overview:

Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 3, "Ruling the Countryside," explores how the British East India Company expanded its control over rural India. It details the methods used by the British to administer and extract resources from the countryside, the impact on Indian farmers, and the changes in land revenue systems.

Key Topics Covered:

The Company Becomes the Diwan.

• The East India Company was named the Diwan of Bengal by the Mughal Emperor on August 12, 1765.

• This meant that the British became the chief financial administrator of Bengal, which was now under their control. For the benefit of the Company, they had to devise effective administrative and revenue-collecting policies.

• The Company had to devise ways in which the revenues collected could meet the growing expenses of the Company.

• Being a foreign power in India, the East India Company had to carefully decide how it would rule the countryside. This included controlling revenue resources, producing the desired crops, and redefining the rights of the local people under its rule.

Revenue for the Company.

• Even though the East India Company had become the Diwan of Bengal, at its core, it was still a trading company. This meant that it put the Company's economic success before the well-being of the people.

• The organization exclusively centred around separating as much as income conceivable from individuals and purchasing crude materials like fine silk and cotton from the locale at costs as modest as could really be expected.

• Earlier, the East India Company had to trade gold and silver from Britain to buy raw materials. Be that as it may, subsequent to turning into the Diwan of Bengal, the income gathered from Bengal was utilised to purchase and fare crude materials. 

• This harmed the economy of Bengal. Artisans were forced to sell their goods at low prices to the Company while their taxes kept on increasing. Thus, their economic condition became worse with time, and they were unable to meet their debts. This forced them to desert their villages.

• Artisans leaving their villages increasingly caused artisanal production to fall. The agricultural industry was also under strain due to the economic burden of the state.

• Finally, a terrible famine occurred in 1770, which took the lives of at least one-third of the population of Bengal. Almost 10 million people lost their lives to this calamity.

The Need for Improving Agriculture.

• With the drastic fall in agriculture, it was difficult for the Company to collect as much revenue as it wanted. To secure proper revenue from the land, the Company devised several policies which would ensure regular revenue income and would also force the people to look after the land so as to improve the agricultural output.

• Some of these systems are Permanent Settlement, the Mahalwari system, and the Munro system.

• To ensure that the Company secured revenue from the land, they introduced a revenue system in 1793 known as the Permanent Settlement.

Permanent Settlement System

• The "taluqdars" and "rajas" were recognised as "zamindars." The zamindars had to pay certain fixed revenue to the Company for their authority over the land. 

• The revenue to be paid was extracted in the form of rent from peasants of the region. Since the revenue was fixed, the surplus production collected could be enjoyed by the zamindar. This would encourage the zamindars to invest in agriculture.

The Problem with Permanent Settlement.

The system of permanent settlement created problems for everyone involved.

• The Company expected that they would be tempted by higher income; the new zamindars would make an effort to improve the land for cultivation. However, that did not happen. The revenue was fixed so high that most zamindars could not meet the demand and had to lose their rights to the property. Others were forced to sell off parts of their lands to pay the revenue in auctions.

• In the early 19th century, agricultural production improved, and the market prices rose. This meant that there was an excess income from agriculture. However, due to the principle of a fixed revenue, the Company could not benefit from the agricultural boom.

• The Zamindars were still not interested in improving the land. Some had already lost their rights, while others saw this settlement as a way to secure more money without investment as they realized that as long as they rented their land to peasants, they did not have to invest for the improvement of the land.

• The worst effect was seen on the farmers who were forced to pay high rent. Failing to pay the rent got them evicted. This forced them to take loans from moneylenders. Even with high rents, the peasants had no rights on the land.

Mahalwari System

After realizing the problems of the Permanent Settlement System, the company officials came up with a new system of revenue collection called the Mahalwari System. It was devised by Holt Mackenzie in 1822. This was practised mostly in the North-Western Provinces of the Bengal Presidency.

• This system recognized villages as important social institutions. The revenue collectors thus directly dealt with the village through representatives.

• The collector had to inspect villages and, depending on the available land, condition of the land, and various other factors, calculated the revenue to be paid for each plot in the village. This was added to calculate the given revenue that each village or "mahal" had to pay.

• The headman of the village was responsible for collecting the revenue and paying it to the Company.

• In contrast to the Permanent Settlement System, the income to be paid was not fixed and could be inspected intermittently.

The Ryotwari System

• There was a separate system of revenue collection practised in the southern part of the country. The system was first introduced by Alexander Read and later improved and made popular by Thomas Munro.

• Due to the absence of traditional zamindars in the south, the Company had to deal with the farmers themselves directly. The land was carefully assessed, and then revenue was fixed by the Company that the cultivators were required to pay.

• Despite the introduction of a revenue collection system, the plight of the native people could not be addressed. Due to high revenues, the workers were forced to flee their land. This reduced the revenue from land. Agriculture also suffered due to the shortage of peasants willing to work.

Munro System

• In this system, farmers or cultivators are considered owners of the land. They own property and can sell, mortgage, or give away land. The government collects taxes directly from farmers.

Growing Indigo in India

• Indigo is a crop grown to be used as a dye for its rich colour. Indigo was in high demand all over Europe for dying, which can only be grown in temperate regions. 

• The British realised the demand for the crop and forced the farmers in India to grow indigo. This was done in two elaborate ways, namely the Nij System and the Ryoti System.

• In the Nij system, the farmer's own land was cultivated for indigo. Due to the scarcity of land and the high labour demands of cultivation, it was very difficult for the farmers to make a profit.

• In the Ryoti framework, ranchers were given development credit for development. 

• The farmers were also given land for cultivation. However, due to the low selling price of indigo, loss of land due to indigo cultivation, and a brutal system of loaning, the farmers were not satisfied with this system.

The Blue Rebellion and After-Effects.

• Due to the ruthlessness of the framework, in March 1895, the cultivators in Bengal started to revolt against the specialists. The neighbourhood zamindars and town headmen additionally took part in the mobs. 

• The grower was boycotted, and the indigo creation was halted. The ranchers likewise waged war to battle against the framework. 

• Their discontent was clear to the Lieutenant Governor, who visited Bengal that colder time of year. In dread of insubordination, the lead representative expressed that it was not obligatory for cultivators to develop indigo. 

• As the disobedience spread, even the educated people from Calcutta joined their battle through writing. 

• Finally, a commission was set up to investigate the matter. The commission tracked down that the development was drilled shamelessly by the grower, and they were considered answerable for it.

• It additionally reasoned that the development was not beneficial for Ryotis, and they could decline to develop indigo get-togethers end of the existing agreement.

Revenue for the Company

The Company aimed to build the revenue to buy fine cotton and silk cloth as inexpensively as possible. Within five years, the value of goods purchased by the Company in Bengal increased. The Company, before 1865, bought goods in India by bringing gold and silver from Britain. Now it was funded by the revenue collected in Bengal. Artisanal production was in a slump, and agricultural cultivation displayed symptoms of collapse. Then in 1770, a terrifying famine decimated ten million people in Bengal.

The Need to Improve Agriculture

In 1793, the Permanent Settlement Agreement was introduced by the Company. By the terms of the agreement, the taluqdars and rajas were identified as zamindars, who were asked to raise the rent from the peasants and remit revenue to the Company. The amount to be repaid was fixed permanently. This settlement guaranteed a regular flow of income and at the same time, supported the zamindars to invest in developing the land.

The Problem

The Permanent Settlement created obstacles. Soon, the company officials learned that the zamindars were not funding the development of land because the fixed revenue was very high. The situation altered by the first decade of the nineteenth century. The values in the market increased, and cultivation slowly developed. Even then, the zamindars were not enthusiastic about developing the land.

In the villages, the cultivators observed the system was exceptionally dismal. The money they paid to the zamindars was extremely high, so they had to take a loan from the moneylender, and when they failed to pay the rent, they were dismissed from the land.

Crops for Europe

During the late eighteenth century, the Company decided to extend the cultivation of indigo and opium. The Company overpowered cultivators in different parts of India to produce various crops:

• Jute in Bengal.

• Tea in Assam.

• Sugarcane in the United Provinces.

• Wheat in Punjab.

• Cotton in Punjab and Maharashtra.

• Rice in Madras.

Demand for Indian Indigo

Indigo plants grew in the tropics. Cloth manufacturers used Indian indigo in Italy, France and Britain to dye cloth. When the Indian indigo was delivered to the European market, it was very expensive. Therefore, the European cloth producers had to depend on a different plant named ‘woad’ to make blue and violet dyes. Indigo presented a rich blue colour, whereas the dye from the woad was pale and dull. By the end of the eighteenth century, the Indian indigo demand grew further. While the need for indigo expanded, its existing quantities from the West Indies and America failed for a variety of causes.  In the years 1783 and 1789, the production of indigo fell by half in the world.

Britain Turns to India

In Europe, the demand for indigo was very high, so the Company in India examined ideas to increase the area under indigo cultivation. Gradually, the indigo trade flourished, and so the commercial agencies and Company officials started funding indigo production. The Company officials were intrigued by the prospect of high profits and shifted to India to become indigo planters.

Cultivation of Indigo

Indigo cultivation was done in two different systems – nij and ryoti. In the nij cultivation system, the planter grew indigo in lands that he directly managed. The planter either rented the land or purchased it from other zamindars and grew indigo by hiring labourers. In the ryoti system, the planters were ordered to sign a contract or an agreement (Satta). Those who endorsed the deal got money in advance from the farmers at low rates of interest to produce indigo.

5 Important Topics of Class 8 Chapter 3 Ruling the Countryside

Importance of Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 3  Ruling the Countryside Revision Notes

• Class 8 Chapter 3 Ruling the Countryside is an essential Chapter in History. The Chapter explains how the Company came to the countryside to colonise, build revenue sources, redefine the priorities of people, and produce the crops it required. 

• The CBSE Class 8 History Chapter 3 Notes by Vedantu further elaborate on the issues presented above with proper examples so that students can understand the Chapter efficiently. 

• Ruling the Countryside Class 8 Notes PDF covers all the essential topics, as mentioned in the Chapter. Students can download the Class 8 History Ch 3 Notes to obtain good grades in the exam.

• These Notes break down complex historical events and revenue systems into easily understandable points, helping students grasp the impact of British policies on rural India.

• They emphasise important events like the introduction of different revenue systems and key figures such as Lord Cornwallis, making it easier to remember significant details.

Tips for Learning the Class 8 Chapter 3 History  Ruling the Countryside

• Focus on the three main revenue systems introduced by the British—Permanent Settlement, Ryotwari System, and Mahalwari System. 

• Create a comparison chart to visualise how each system worked and its effects on farmers.

• After studying each section, write a summary of the key events and policies. This will help reinforce your understanding and make it easier to recall important details.

• Remember key figures like Lord Cornwallis and their roles in implementing revenue systems. Create flashcards with their names, contributions, and the impact of their policies.

• Work on practice questions and past exam papers related to this Chapter. This will help you apply what you've learned and prepare effectively for exams.

Conclusion

Vedantu's free PDF download of CBSE Class 8 History Chapter 3 Notes on "Ruling the Countryside" is a valuable educational asset. These Notes provide a comprehensive understanding of the intricate rural administration in historical India, offering insights into governance, taxation, and societal structures. Vedantu's commitment to delivering high-quality educational materials for free ensures that students have access to well-structured, informative resources. These Notes are instrumental in helping students excel academically while fostering a deeper appreciation for India's rich historical heritage. Vedantu's CBSE Class 8 History Chapter 3 Notes exemplify their dedication to facilitating learning and knowledge-sharing, making History an engaging and accessible subject for all.

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