Peasant Movements 1857–1947

1.Peasantry Under Colonialism

• Causes of Peasant Impoverishment Under ColonialismImportance 3/5
  Four factors transformed the agrarian structure and pushed the peasantry into poverty. Remember what they were, and understand how the ruin of handicrafts crowded more people onto the land.
• Burdens on Peasants in Zamindari and Ryotwari AreasImportance 3/5
  How did the burden on the peasant differ in zamindari areas and in ryotwari areas? Understand how debt to the moneylender led to mortgage and seizure of land and cattle. Remember the groups the actual cultivators were finally reduced to.
• Early Responses: Crime and Social BanditryImportance 2/5
  Whom did peasants come to see as their real enemy? Remember the kinds of crime that desperate peasants turned to, including what has been called social banditry.

2.A Survey of Early Peasant Movements

• Causes of the Indigo RevoltImportance 4/5UPSC 1999
  Who were the indigo planters in Bengal? Why did growing indigo on their own land hurt the peasants, compared with crops such as rice? Understand how advance payments and contracts trapped the peasants. Remember the forms of intimidation the planters used.
• Leadership and Methods of the Indigo RevoltImportance 4/5
  When did the revolt begin, who led it, and in which district? Remember who the lathiyals were and who backed the planters. You should be able to explain how resistance moved from refusing to grow indigo to a rent strike and then to legal action.
• Role of the Bengali Intelligentsia in the Indigo RevoltImportance 3/5
  How did educated Bengalis support the indigo peasants? Remember the different kinds of help they gave.
• Indigo Commission and the Outcome of the RevoltImportance 3/5UPSC 2020
  What did the government do through the indigo commission? Remember what the November 1860 notification promised the ryots. What had happened to indigo cultivation in Bengal by the end of 1860?
• Causes of the Pabna UnrestImportance 3/5UPSC 1997
  In which period and which part of Bengal did this unrest arise? Remember how zamindars stopped tenants from gaining occupancy rights under Act X of 1859. Understand why long and costly court cases hurt poor peasants.
• The Pabna Agrarian League and Its MethodsImportance 4/5
  Where did the agrarian league begin? Understand how it resisted the zamindars, and how it raised money. Was its main form of struggle violent or legal?
• Outcome of the Pabna Movement (Bengal Tenancy Act, 1885)Importance 3/5
  Why were most cases settled, and what did many peasants gain? Remember what the government promised and the law passed in 1885.
• Supporters of the Pabna PeasantsImportance 2/5
  Which young intellectuals and which association backed the Pabna peasants? Remember the names, including the leader of the association.
• Causes of the Deccan RiotsImportance 3/5UPSC 1999
  Why were Deccan peasants in such distress? Understand the weight of ryotwari taxation and the role of outsider moneylenders. Three events made things worse: a fall in cotton prices after the American Civil War, a rise in land revenue in 1867, and bad harvests. Understand what each did to the peasant.
• Social Boycott of 1874 and the Deccan RiotsImportance 4/5
  How did the ryots' social boycott of moneylenders work, and in which districts did it spread? Understand how it turned into riots, and what was done to the debt bonds.
• Deccan Agriculturists Relief Act, 1879Importance 3/5
  The government answered the riots in two ways. Distinguish between its use of repression and its conciliatory step, and remember the 1879 Act. Which group in Maharashtra stood with the peasants?

3.Changed Nature of Peasant Movements After 1857

• Leading Force and Targets of Post-1857 MovementsImportance 3/5
  Who now led agrarian movements, and what kind of demands did they mostly raise? Remember whom these movements were aimed at, and how specific and limited their objectives were.
• Limits of the Post-1857 Movements and Awareness of Legal RightsImportance 3/5
  Was colonialism the target of these movements? Did they aim to end the peasants' subordination? Remember their limits in territory and continuity. Understand how peasants' awareness of their legal rights showed itself, in and outside the courts.

4.Weaknesses

• Weaknesses of 19th-Century Peasant MovementsImportance 3/5
  Remember the three weaknesses of these movements. You should be able to explain why even militant struggles stayed within the old social order.

5.Later Movements

• Causes of Peasant Unrest in AwadhImportance 3/5
  Why did the taluqdars grow stronger in Awadh after 1857? Remember the burdens peasants faced: high rents, evictions (bedakhali), illegal levies and nazrana. How did the First World War make their condition worse?
• United Provinces Kisan Sabha (1918)Importance 4/5UPSC 2005
  Who set up the Sabha, who supported them, and what part did Home Rule activists play? Remember how fast it grew by 1919 and the other prominent leaders, including Baba Ramchandra. How did Nehru come into contact with the villagers?
• Awadh Kisan Sabha (1920) and Its ProgrammeImportance 4/5
  When and why was the Awadh Kisan Sabha formed? Remember what it asked kisans to do about bedakhali land, hari and begar, those who broke its rules, and their disputes.
• Course and Decline of the Awadh MovementImportance 3/5
  How did the form of protest change in January 1921, and in which districts was it centred? Understand the two reasons for the decline, one of them an Act.
• Areas and Issues of the Eka MovementImportance 4/5UPSC 1997, 2026
  When and in which districts did peasant discontent rise again? Remember the three issues behind the Eka Movement.
• Eka Vows, Leadership and EndImportance 4/5
  What does "Eka" mean? Remember the religious ritual and the vows peasants took, and the people who led the movement, including Madari Pasi. How and when did it end?
• Mappila Grievances and the Khilafat LinkImportance 4/5UPSC 1997
  Who were the Mappilas, and what were their grievances? Understand what encouraged them, how their movement joined the Khilafat agitation, and who led it after national leaders were arrested.
• Course of the 1921 Revolt and Its CommunalisationImportance 4/5
  What sparked the revolt in August 1921, and who were its first targets? You should be able to explain how martial law and repression changed its character, and what this did to its link with the Khilafat-Non-Cooperation Movement.
• Cause of the Bardoli Satyagraha and Patel's LeadershipImportance 5/5UPSC 1996, 2003, 2026
  Where did the Bardoli Satyagraha take place, and what land revenue increase set it off? Remember the inquiry committee, who was called to lead, and the title the women of Bardoli gave him. Understand what the peasants resolved to refuse, and on what terms they would stop.
• Organisation of the Bardoli MovementImportance 3/5
  How did Patel organise the movement? Remember the workers' camps, the periodical, the intelligence wing, the social boycott and the focus on women. Which two legislators resigned from the Bombay Legislative Council in support?
• Outcome of the Bardoli SatyagrahaImportance 3/5
  Why did the government start looking for a way out? Understand the part played by the chance of a railway strike in Bombay and by Gandhi's arrival. What did the final committee recommend about the revenue increase?
• Peasant Awakening in the 1930sImportance 2/5
  Which two influences stirred the peasants in the 1930s? Understand why many new entrants to politics after 1932 turned to organising peasants.
• Founding of the All India Kisan Sabha (1936)Importance 5/5UPSC 2019
  Where was it founded, and who became its president and its general secretary? Remember the month of founding, the manifesto issued, and the periodical started under Indulal Yagnik.
• AIKS and the Congress Agrarian ProgrammeImportance 3/5
  Where did the AIKS and the Congress hold their sessions in 1936? How did the AIKS agenda shape the Congress agrarian policy for the 1937 provincial elections?
• Peasant Mobilisation Under Congress Ministries (1937–39)Importance 2/5
  Remember the years 1937–39 as the peak of peasant activity under Congress rule. What were the main ways in which peasants were mobilised?

6.Peasant Activity in Provinces

• Peasant Mobilisation in MalabarImportance 2/5
  Who mobilised peasants in Malabar, and what organisations came up? What was the most popular method of pressing demands? Remember the 1938 campaign and the Act it wanted amended.
• Peasant Activity in AndhraImportance 2/5
  Why had the prestige of zamindars fallen in Andhra? Remember what N.G. Ranga set up in 1933, and the summer schools and the leaders who addressed them.
• Bihar Kisan Sabha and the Bakasht Land IssueImportance 3/5
  Who joined Swami Sahajanand Saraswati in Bihar, and which slogan did the Provincial Kisan Conference adopt in 1935? Understand why the Kisan Sabha fell out with the Congress over bakasht land. When did the movement die out?
• Punjab Kisan Committee and Its CampaignsImportance 2/5
  Which groups had organised Punjab peasants earlier, and what new direction did the Punjab Kisan Committee give in 1937? Remember its targets, its main issues and what the strike won. Which peasants were largely left untouched?
• Peasant Activity in Other ProvincesImportance 1/5
  In which other provinces, apart from the ones above, was peasant activity organised? Remember the named places in Bengal and Assam.
• Split in the Kisan Sabha During the WarImportance 3/5
  Why did the AIKS split during the War? Remember which veteran leaders left, and what work the Kisan Sabha still did in 1943.
• Tebhaga Movement: Demand and OrganisationImportance 5/5UPSC 2013
  Who called for the movement, and when? Which commission's recommendation did the call seek to implement? What did "tebhaga" mean compared with the old share? Remember who the bargardars and the jotedars were, who went to the villages to organise the sharecroppers, and the central slogan.
• Tebhaga Movement: Social Base and DeclineImportance 3/5
  In which region, and among which groups, was the movement strongest? Understand the four reasons it faded.
• Telangana Movement: Conditions in Hyderabad StateImportance 4/5
  What was the Nizam's rule in Hyderabad like for most of its people? Remember who exploited the peasants and how, including vethi. During the war, who built a base in the villages, and through which organisation? Which issues did they take up?
• Telangana Movement: Course and EndImportance 4/5
  How many villages and people did the movement affect? Remember where and how the uprising began in 1946, where it spread, and how peasants fought. When was it most intense, who were the Razakars, and how did the movement end?
• Achievements of the Telangana MovementImportance 4/5
  What changes came in the villages controlled by guerrillas? Think about how the movement weakened the Nizam's regime, and how this is linked to the later formation of Andhra Pradesh on linguistic lines.

7.Balance-Sheet of Peasant Movements

• Balance-Sheet of Peasant MovementsImportance 4/5
  What did peasant movements achieve? Understand their effect on post-independence reforms such as the abolition of zamindari, and on the power of the landed class. Also understand what role nationalism played in these movements, and how similar the movements were across regions.

1. 1.

   Consider the following statements about the Indigo Revolt (1859–60):
   1. The indigo planters in Bengal were nearly all Europeans.
   2. The Bengali intelligentsia supported the peasants through newspaper campaigns and legal help.
   3. Indigo cultivation expanded in Bengal after 1860.
   Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

   1. A1 only
   2. B2 and 3 only
   3. C1 and 2 only
   4. D1, 2 and 3
2. 2.

   Consider the following statements:
   Statement-I: The Pabna agrarian unrest involved very little violence.
   Statement-II: The main form of struggle was legal resistance, with rent strikes and challenges to zamindars in the courts.
   Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

   1. ABoth Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
   2. BBoth Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
   3. CStatement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
   4. DStatement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct
3. 3.

   Consider the following:
   1. A crash in cotton prices after the American Civil War
   2. The government's decision to raise land revenue by 50 per cent in 1867
   3. A succession of bad harvests
   4. Exploitation by 'outsider' moneylenders
   How many of the above contributed to the Deccan riots?

   1. AOnly one
   2. BOnly two
   3. COnly three
   4. DAll four
4. 4.

   Consider the following statements about peasant movements after 1857 (19th century):
   1. Their demands centred almost wholly on economic issues.
   2. Colonialism was their main target.
   3. Peasants developed a strong awareness of their legal rights.
   Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

   1. A1 only
   2. B1 and 3 only
   3. C2 and 3 only
   4. D1, 2 and 3
5. 5.

   Consider the following statements about the Awadh Kisan Sabha:
   1. It came into existence in October 1920.
   2. It asked kisans to refuse to till bedakhali land and not to offer hari and begar.
   3. Its main centres of activity were Hardoi, Bahraich and Sitapur.
   Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

   1. A1 only
   2. B2 and 3 only
   3. C1 and 2 only
   4. D1, 2 and 3
6. 6.

   Consider the following vows taken by peasants in the Eka Movement:
   1. To pay only the recorded rent, but on time
   2. Not to leave when evicted
   3. To refuse to do forced labour
   4. To abide by panchayat decisions
   How many of the above were among the Eka vows?

   1. AOnly one
   2. BOnly two
   3. COnly three
   4. DAll four
7. 7.

   Consider the following statements:
   Statement-I: The Mappila rebellion became isolated from the Khilafat-Non-Cooperation Movement.
   Statement-II: After martial law and repression, the rebellion, which began as anti-government and anti-landlord, acquired communal overtones.
   Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

   1. ABoth Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
   2. BBoth Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
   3. CStatement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
   4. DStatement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct
8. 8.

   Consider the following statements about the Bardoli Satyagraha:
   1. Patel set up 13 chhavanis (workers' camps) in the taluqa.
   2. K.M. Munshi and Lalji Naranji resigned from the Bombay Legislative Council in support.
   3. The inquiry committee finally upheld the entire revenue hike.
   Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

   1. A1 only
   2. B2 and 3 only
   3. C1 and 2 only
   4. D1, 2 and 3
9. 9.

   Match List I with List II:

   List I (Peasant movement)	List II (Region)
   A. Pabna agrarian league	1. Malabar
   B. Deccan riots	2. North Bengal
   C. Mappila revolt	3. East Bengal
   D. Tebhaga movement	4. Poona, Ahmednagar, Sholapur and Satara

   Select the correct answer using the code given below:

   1. AA-3, B-4, C-1, D-2
   2. BA-2, B-4, C-1, D-3
   3. CA-3, B-1, C-4, D-2
   4. DA-4, B-3, C-1, D-2
10. 10.

    Consider the following statements about the Tebhaga Movement (1946):
    1. It sought a two-thirds share of the crop for the bargardars instead of one-half.
    2. The call was given by the Bengal Provincial Kisan Sabha.
    3. Muslims stayed away from the movement.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    1. A1 only
    2. B1 and 2 only
    3. C2 and 3 only
    4. D1, 2 and 3
11. 11.

    Consider the following statements about the Telangana Movement:
    1. It was the biggest peasant guerrilla war of modern Indian history.
    2. The peasants organised themselves into village sanghams.
    3. It was at its greatest intensity between August 1947 and September 1948.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    1. A1 only
    2. B1 and 2 only
    3. C2 and 3 only
    4. D1, 2 and 3
12. 12.

    Consider the following statements about the All India Kisan Sabha:
    1. The Congress manifesto for the 1937 elections was strongly influenced by the AIKS agenda.
    2. The AIKS split during the Second World War over the communists' pro-war line.
    3. Sahajanand, Indulal Yagnik and N.G. Ranga stayed with the communist-led sabha.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    1. A1 only
    2. B1 and 2 only
    3. C2 and 3 only
    4. D1, 2 and 3
13. 13.

    In Bihar, the Provincial Kisan Sabha developed a rift with the Congress over which issue?

    1. ABakasht land
    2. BTinkathia system
    3. CIndigo cultivation
    4. DCanal water rates
14. 14.

    Consider the following statements about peasant activity in the provinces during the 1930s:
    1. In Malabar, peasants were mobilised mainly by Congress Socialist Party activists through 'Karshak Sanghams'.
    2. N.G. Ranga set up the India Peasants' Institute in Andhra in 1933.
    3. In Punjab, the movement mainly targeted landlords of western Punjab who dominated the Unionist ministry.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    1. A1 and 2 only
    2. B2 and 3 only
    3. C1, 2 and 3
    4. D1 and 3 only
15. 15.

    Consider the following statements about the Kisan Sabha movement in UP:
    1. It was organised mainly due to the efforts of Home Rule activists.
    2. By June 1919, the UP Kisan Sabha had 450 branches.
    3. The movement declined partly because of the Awadh Rent (Amendment) Act.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    1. A1 and 2 only
    2. B2 and 3 only
    3. C1 and 3 only
    4. D1, 2 and 3

1. 1.

   UPSC 2026

   Which one of the following statements about the Eka Movement and Bardoli Satyagraha is correct ?

   1. AThe Eka Movement was throughout supported and organized by the Congress while Bardoli Satyagraha was initially independent of Congress influence and was only in the last stages supported by the Congress.
   2. BThe Eka Movement was provided leadership by the taluqdars of Awadh, whereas the Bardoli Satyagraha was a movement of the landless labourers.
   3. CThe Bardoli Satyagraha was a campaign against the enhancement of land revenue, while the Eka Movement was a protest against excessive extraction of rents.
   4. DThe Eka Movement was located in the Varanasi and Mirzapur districts of the present-day U.P., while the Bardoli Satyagraha took place in Saurashtra.
2. 2.

   UPSC 2020

   Indigo cultivation in India declined by the beginning of the 20th century because of

   1. Apeasant resistance to the oppressive conduct of planters
   2. Bits unprofitability in the world market because of new inventions
   3. Cnational leaders’ opposition to the cultivation of indigo
   4. DGovernment control over the planters
3. 3.

   UPSC 2019

   Consider the following pairs : Movement/ Organization
   1. All India Anti-Untouchability League : Mahatma Gandhi
   2. All India Kisan Sabha : Swami Sahajanand Saraswati
   3. Self-Respect Movement : E. V. Ramaswami Naicker
   Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

   1. A1 only
   2. B1 and 2 only
   3. C2 and 3 only
   4. D1, 2 and 3
4. 4.

   UPSC 2013

   The demand for the Tebhaga Peasant Movement in Bengal was for

   1. Athe reduction of the share of the landlords from one-half of the crop to one-third
   2. Bthe grant of ownership of land to peasants as they were the actual cultivators of the land
   3. Cthe uprooting of Zamindari system and the end of serfdom
   4. Dwriting off all peasant debts
5. 5.

   UPSC 2005

   Who among the following was not associated with the formation of U.P. Kisan Sabha in February 1918?

   1. AIndra Narain Dwivedi
   2. BGauri Shankar Misra
   3. CJawaharlal Nehru
   4. DMadan Mohan Malviya
6. 6.

   UPSC 2003

   The leader of the Bardoli Satyagraha (1928) was

   1. ASardar Vallabhbhai Patel
   2. BMahatma Gandhi
   3. CVithalbhai J Patel
   4. DMahadev Desai
7. 7.

   UPSC 1999

   Consider the following events:
   I. Indigo Revolt
   II. Santhal Rebellion
   III. Deccan Riot
   IV. Mutiny of the Sepoys The correct chronological sequence of these events is:

   1. AIV, II, I, III
   2. BIV, II, III, I
   3. CII, IV, III, I
   4. DII, IV, I, III
8. 8.

   UPSC 1997

   Match List I with List II and select the correct answer by using the codes given below the lists:
   List I
   I. Moplah revolt
   II. Pabna revolt
   III. Eka Movement
   IV. Birsa Munda revolt
   List II A) Kerala B) Bihar C) Bengal D) Awadh

   1. AI-A, II-C, III-D, IV-B
   2. BI-B, II-C, III-D, IV-A
   3. CI-A, II-B, III-C, IV-D
   4. DI-C, II-D, III-A, IV-B
9. 9.

   UPSC 1996

   The Sarabandi (no tax) campaign of 1922 was led by

   1. ABhagat Singh
   2. BChittaranjan Das
   3. CRajaguru
   4. DVallabhbhai Patel