8th Social Science – Our Pasts lll – Chapter 3

Based on the chapter in the file you uploaded, here are the important topics that students should study along with brief summaries for each:

1. The Company Becomes the Diwan

– Summary: In 1765, the Mughal emperor appointed the East India Company as the Diwan of Bengal, giving them the role of chief financial administrator in the region to manage revenue resources effectively.

2. Ruling the Countryside

– Summary: The East India Company needed to pacify and control local powers while colonizing the countryside, organizing revenue resources, redefining rights, and cultivating specific crops.

3. Revenue for the Company

– Summary: The Company aimed to increase revenue and promote trade by purchasing goods in Bengal, leading to economic crises including artisans leaving villages and a devastating famine in 1770.

4. The need to improve agriculture

– Summary: The Company introduced the Permanent Settlement in 1793 to encourage land investment and agricultural improvement, but the system led to issues with zamindars not investing in land improvement.

5. A new system is devised

– Summary: In the early 19th century, a new revenue system was introduced, the mahalwari settlement, focusing on village preservation and periodic revenue revision, deviating from the Permanent Settlement idea.

6. The Munro system

– Summary: The ryotwar system, pioneered by Captain Alexander Read and developed by Thomas Munro, aimed to make settlements directly with cultivators in South India, moving away from traditional zamindari systems.

These topics cover the key aspects of the Company's administration, revenue management, and land settlement policies discussed in the chapter for student study and understanding.