British Policies

What this chapter covers

1. Indian Economy Before the British

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   • Rural EconomySelf-sufficient villages; most Indians rural.
   • Agriculture and HandicraftsFarming supported by village handicrafts.
   • ZamindarsCollected revenue, kept a commission.

2. British Revenue System (1765–93)

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   • Early Revenue PracticesHigher rates, cash payment, cash crops.
   • Permanent Settlement (1793)Cornwallis made zamindars hereditary owners.
   • Ryotwari SystemCultivators paid revenue directly to officials.
   • Mahalwari SystemVillages collectively owned; talukdar collected revenue.

3. Commercial Policy (1773–1857)

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   • India's Pre-British Commercial PositionMajor exporter of handmade goods.
   • Decline of Indian Crafts and IndustriesForeign markets closed; weavers exploited.
   • Drain of WealthDadabhai Naoroji's 'everlasting foreign invasion'.
   • Transport and CommunicationRoads, canals, railways, post and telegraph.

4. Educational Policy

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   • Charter Act of 1813 and the Great Debate₹1 lakh set aside for education.
   • Wood's Despatch and Western EducationEnglish-medium schools; English became official.
   • Purpose and Effects of Western EducationAnglicized Indians as low-salaried clerks.

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