Class 8 History Chapter 3 question answer Ruling the Countryside

Ruling the countryside class 8 questions and answers: History class 8 chapter 3 question answer

Textbook	Ncert
Class	Class 8
Subject	History
Chapter	Chapter 3
Chapter Name	Ruling the Countryside ncert solutions
Category	Ncert Solutions
Medium	English

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Let’s recall ruling the countryside class 8 questions and answers

Question 1: Match the following:

ryot	village
mahal	peasant
nij	cultivation on ryot’s lands
ryoti	cultivation on planter’s own land

Answer 1:

ryot	peasant
mahal	village
nij	cultivation on planter’s own land
ryoti	cultivation on ryot’s lands

Question 2: Fill in the blanks.
(a) Growers of woad in Europe saw __________ as a crop which would provide competition to their earnings.
(b) The demand for indigo increased in late eighteenth-century Britain because of __________.
(c) The international demand for indigo was affected by the discovery of __________.
(d) The Champaran movement was against __________.

Answer 2: (a) Growers of woad in Europe saw indigo as a crop which would provide competition to their earnings.

(b) The demand for indigo increased in late eighteenth-century Britain because of the expansion of cotton production.

(c) The international demand for indigo was affected by the discovery of synthetic dyes.

(d) The Champaran movement was against indigo planters.

Let’s discuss ruling the countryside class 8 questions and answers

Question 3: Describe the main features of the Permanent Settlement.

Answer 3: In order to get a stable revenue income, most of the East India Company’s officials believed that investment in land had to be encouraged and agriculture had to be improved. Debates on how this was to be done led to the introduction of the Permanent Settlement in 1793. The aim of this settlement was to ensure a regular flow of revenue for the Company. As per the settlement, rajas and taluqdars were recognised as zamindars.

They were asked to collect rent from the peasants and pay revenue to the Company. The amount to be paid was fixed permanently and it was not to be increased ever in the future. The Company believed that as the revenue amount was fixed, the zamindars would benefit by investing in land improvement, which would in turn lead to increased production. If the zamindars failed to pay the revenue, which they usually did as the fixed revenue was very high, they lost their zamindari.

Question 4: How was the mahalwari system different from the Permanent Settlement?

Answer 4:

Mahalwari Settlement	Permanent Settlement
The mahalwari system, designed by Holt Mackenzie, went into action in the Bengal Presidency’s North Western provinces in 1822.	Lord Cornwallis introduced the Permanent Settlement in 1793.
It was created as a replacement for the Permanent Settlement.	It was designed to ensure the East India Company’s revenue was constant.
The revenue was collected by the local headmen.	The revenue was collected by the rajas and taluqdars.
The revenue figure was not set in stone and would be adjusted on a regular basis. To compute the tax that each village or mahal had to pay, the expected revenue of each plot within a village was totalled up.	The revenue amount was fixed and was never to be increased in the future.

Question 5: Give two problems which arose with the new Munro system of fixing revenue.

Answer 5: The new Munro system of fixing revenue posed two problems:

• a. The revenue demand was fixed way too high for peasants to pay.
• b. Peasants were unable to pay the rent, which culminated in villages getting deserted.

Question 6: Why were ryots reluctant to grow indigo?

Answer 6: The ryots were reluctant to grow indigo because the price they got for the indigo they produced was very low. The planters insisted that indigo be cultivated on the best soils in which peasants preferred to cultivate rice. As the Indigo plant had deep roots it exhausted the soil fertility and the land was unfit for rice cultivation.

Question 7: What were the circumstances which led to the eventual collapse of indigo production in Bengal?

Answer 7: The collapse of indigo production in Bengal was caused by several factors, including:

1. Oppressive System – European planters forced farmers into unfair contracts (tinkathia system), paying low prices while demanding high production.
2. Peasant Resistance – Farmers protested exploitation, culminating in the Indigo Revolt (1859-60), where they refused to grow indigo.
3. Decline in Global Demand – The discovery of synthetic dyes in Europe (especially synthetic indigo by the late 19th century) reduced the demand for natural indigo.
4. Harsh Working Conditions – Farmers suffered financial losses and land degradation due to repeated indigo cultivation.
5. Government Inquiry & Reforms – The British government, after investigating planter abuses, discouraged forced indigo farming, weakening the industry.
6. Alternative Crops – Farmers preferred growing more profitable crops like rice and jute instead of indigo.
7. Legal & Political Pressure – The 1860 Indigo Commission Report condemned the planters’ practices, reducing their power and influence.

Let’s do ruling the countryside class 8 questions and answers

Question 8: Find out more about the Champaran movement and Mahatma Gandhi’s role in it.

Answer 8: When the indigo production collapsed in Bengal, the European planters of indigo shifted their operations to Bihar. When Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa, a peasant from Bihar persuaded him to visit Champaran and see the plight of the indigo cultivators there.

Role of Mahatma Gandhi: Mahatma Gandhi’s visit in 1917 marked the beginning of the Champaran movement against the indigo planter. He European planter oppressed the peasants. Gandhiji reached Champaran in 1917 to witness the miserable conditions of the peasants. The districts officials ordered him to leave Champaran but he refused to comply the orders and started the Satyagraha.

Question 9: Look into the history of either tea or coffee plantations in India. See how the life of workers in these plantations was similar to or different from that of workers in indigo plantations.

Answer 9: The history of tea and coffee plantations in India shares similarities with indigo plantations, particularly in the exploitation of laborers. Tea plantations, which began in the early 19th century under British rule, were primarily established in Assam, Darjeeling, and the Nilgiris. Like indigo farmers, tea plantation workers faced harsh conditions, low wages, and little to no rights. Workers, often from tribal or marginalized communities, were recruited through deceptive contracts (indentured labor) and had to live in isolated plantations with poor housing and sanitation.

Unlike indigo farmers, who were forced to cultivate indigo on their own land, tea plantation workers were wage laborers entirely dependent on plantation owners for their livelihood. While indigo production declined after the 1860 Indigo Revolt and the rise of synthetic dyes, tea plantations continued to expand due to high global demand. The British government and planters tightly controlled tea estates, making it difficult for workers to escape exploitation. Over time, labor movements and reforms improved conditions, but tea plantation workers, like those in the indigo industry, struggled against colonial exploitation and economic hardship.