CHAPTER-31 ( Revision Notes)
Peasant Movements 1857-1947
- Peasantry Under Colonialism- peasants suffered from high rents, illegal levies, arbitrary evictions and unpaid labour in zamindari areas. In Ryotwari areas, the government itself levied heavy land revenue.
- A Survey of Early Peasant Movements
- Indigo Revolt (1859-60)-anger of the peasants exploded in 1859 when, led by Digambar Biswas and Bishnu Biswas of Nadia district, they decided not to grow indigo under duress and resisted the physical pressure of the planters and their lathiyals (retainers) backed by police and the courts.
- Government appointed an indigo commission to inquire into the problem of indigo cultivation. Pabna Agrarian Leagues-Large parts of Eastern Bengal witnessed agrarian unrest caused by oppressive practices of the zamindars.
- zamindars resorted to enhanced rents beyond legal limits and prevented the tenants from acquiring occupancy rights under Act X of 1859.
- Deccan Riots- ryots of Deccan region of western India suffered heavy taxation under the Ryotwari system. The conditions had worsened due to a crash in cotton prices after the end of the American Civil War in 1864, the Government’s decision to raise the land revenue by 50% in 1867, and a succession of bad harvests.
- Changed Nature of Peasant Movements after 1857
- Peasants emerged as the main force in agrarian movements, fighting directly for their own demands.
- demands were centred almost wholly on economic issues.
- movements were directed against the immediate enemies of the peasant—foreign planters and indigenous zamindars and moneylenders.
- struggles were directed towards specific and limited objectives and redressal of particular grievances.
- Colonialism was not the target of these movements.
- It was not the objective of these movements to end the system of subordination or exploitation of the peasants.
- Territorial reach was limited.
- There was no continuity of struggle or long-term organisation.
- peasants developed a strong awareness of their legal rights and asserted them in and outside the courts.
- Weaknesses
- a lack of an adequate understanding of colonialism.
- 19th-century peasants did not possess a new ideology and a new social, economic and political programme.
- These struggles, however militant, occurred within the framework of the old societal order lacking a positive conception of an alternative society
- Later Movements
- The Kisan Sabha Movement-
- was set up in 1918 by Gauri Shankar Mishra and Indra Narayan Dwivedi. districts of Rai Bareilly, Faizabad and Sultanpur.
- movement declined soon, partly due to government repression and partly because of the passing of the Awadh Rent (Amendment) Act.
- Eka Movement
- issues involved were:
- (i) high rents—50 per cent higher than the recorded rates; (ii) oppression of thikadars in charge of revenue collection; and (iii) practice of share-rents.
- meetings of the Eka or the Unity Movement involved a symbolic religious ritual in which the assembled peasants vowed that they would
- pay only the recorded rent but would pay it on time;
- not leave when evicted;
- refuse to do forced labour;
- give no help to criminals;
- abide by panchayat decisions.
- Mappila Revolt- Mappilas were the Muslim tenants inhabiting the Malabar region. The communalisation of the rebellion completed the isolation of the Mappilas from the Khilafat-Non- Cooperation Movement. By December 1921, all resistance had come to a stop.
- Bardoli Satyagraha- Bardoli taluqa in Surat district had witnessed intense politicisation after the coming of Gandhi on the national political scene.
- movement sparked off in January 1926 when the authorities decided to increase the land revenue by 30 per cent.
- women of Bardoli gaveVallabhbhai Patelthe title of “Sardar”. In February 1926, Vallabhbhai Patel was called to lead the movement.
- The All India Kisan Congress/Sabha-This sabha was founded in Lucknow in April 1936 with Swami Sahjanand Saraswati as the president and N.G. Ranga as the general secretary.
- Under Congress Ministries-The period 1937-39 was the high watermark of the peasant movements and activity under the Congress provincial rule.
- Peasant Activity in Provinces
- Kerala-One significant campaign by the peasants was in 1938 for the amendment of the Malabar Tenancy Act, 1929.
- Andhra-This region had already witnessed a decline in the prestige of zamindars after their defeat by Congressmen in elections. Anti-zamindar movements were going on in some places.
- Bihar- Provincial Kisan Sabha developed a rift with the Congress over the ‘bakasht land’ issue because of an unfavourable government resolution which was not acceptable to the sabha. The movement died out by August 1939.
- Punjab- A new direction to the movement was given by the Punjab Kisan Committee in 1937. The main targets of the movement were the landlords of western Punjab who dominated the unionist ministry.
- Peasant activity was also organised in Bengal (Burdwan and 24 Parganas), Assam (Surma Valley), Orissa, Central Provinces and NWFP.
- During the War- Because of a pro-War line adopted by the communists, the AIKS was split on communist and non-communist lines
- Post-War Phase
- Tebhaga Movement – storm centre of the movement was north Bengal, principally among Rajbanshis—a low caste of tribal origin. Muslims also participated in large numbers.
- Telangana Movement- This was the biggest peasant guerrilla war of modern Indian history affecting 3000 villages and 3 million population. The Telangana movement had many positive achievement to its credit.
- In the villages controlled by guerrillas, vethi and forced labour disappeared.
- Agricultural wages were raised.
- Illegally seized lands were restored.
- Steps were taken to fix ceilings and redistribute lands.
- Measures were taken to improve irrigation and fight cholera.
- An improvement in the condition of women was witnessed.
- The autocratic-feudal regime of India’s biggest princely state was shaken up, clearing the way for the formation of Andhra Pradesh on linguistic lines.
- Balance-Sheet of Peasant Movements- These movements created an atmosphere for post independence agrarian reforms
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