Assistant Professor, Department of History, Sub Divisional Government Degree College, Benipur
JournalRNIMJ
Volume / Issue1 / 2
Pages8–16
Published20 Dec 2025
Paper IDRNIMJ12OD25002
Views / Downloads14 / 16
Article summary
Abstract
: British l and r evenue pol icies int roduced in nine teenth-cent ury Ind ia fund amentally transformed agr arian structures and pr ofoundly aff ected the l ivelihood of the peasant ry. This paper examines the impact of the Permanent Settlement, Ryotwari, and Mahalwari systems on Indian peasants by situating these pol icies within pr ecolonial land tenure arrangements and regional variations. It argues that colonial revenue reforms, while claiming administrative efficiency and fiscal stability, institutionalized new forms of exploitation through fixed revenue demands, int ermediary dominance, fr equent r eassessments, and commo dification of l and. These systems intensified peasant indebtedness, dispossession, and vulnerability to market fluctuations while eroding customary rights over commons and communal resources. Drawing on comparative regional analysis, the study highlights how differing administrative practices produced uneven outcomes across Bengal, Madras, Bombay, the United Provinces, and Punjab. The paper further e xplores mechanisms of e xtraction su ch as t axation burdens, mort gage debt, and r estricted access t o common l ands, w hich coll ectively r eshaped rur al so cial hierarchies and limited peasant mobility. The findings suggest that British land revenue policies played a decisive role in restructuring agrarian relations, embedding long-term inequalities, and shaping pat terns of rur al d istress that cont inue t o influence cont emporary agr arian issues in India.
Keywords
British Land Revenue PolicyIndian PeasantryPermanent SettlementRyotwari SystemMahalwari SystemAgrarian EconomyColonial India
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How to cite this article
Sanjay Kumar Sahni (2025). The Impact of British Land Revenue Policies on Indian Peasantry in the 19th Century. ResearchNext International Multidisciplinary Journal, 1(2), 8–16. https://doi.org/10.64127/rnimj.2025v1i2002
Sanjay Kumar Sahni. “The Impact of British Land Revenue Policies on Indian Peasantry in the 19th Century.” ResearchNext International Multidisciplinary Journal, vol. 1, no. 2, 2025, pp. 8–16. https://doi.org/10.64127/rnimj.2025v1i2002
Sanjay Kumar Sahni. “The Impact of British Land Revenue Policies on Indian Peasantry in the 19th Century.” ResearchNext International Multidisciplinary Journal 1, no. 2 (2025): 8–16. https://doi.org/10.64127/rnimj.2025v1i2002
Sanjay Kumar Sahni (2025) ‘The Impact of British Land Revenue Policies on Indian Peasantry in the 19th Century’, ResearchNext International Multidisciplinary Journal, 1(2), pp. 8–16. Available at: https://doi.org/10.64127/rnimj.2025v1i2002.
Sanjay Kumar Sahni, “The Impact of British Land Revenue Policies on Indian Peasantry in the 19th Century,” ResearchNext International Multidisciplinary Journal, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 8–16, 2025. https://doi.org/10.64127/rnimj.2025v1i2002.
Sanjay Kumar Sahni. The Impact of British Land Revenue Policies on Indian Peasantry in the 19th Century. ResearchNext International Multidisciplinary Journal. 2025;1(2):8–16. https://doi.org/10.64127/rnimj.2025v1i2002.
Sanjay Kumar Sahni. The Impact of British Land Revenue Policies on Indian Peasantry in the 19th Century. ResearchNext International Multidisciplinary Journal 2025, 1 (2), 8–16. https://doi.org/10.64127/rnimj.2025v1i2002.
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