Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
British trade policy was designed to serve the interests of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, using India as a colony.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
1. Exporter of Primary Products: India was forced to become an exporter of raw materials like raw cotton, silk, wool, indigo, and jute required by British industries.
2. Importer of Finished Goods: India became a consumer market for finished industrial products produced in Britain, such as cotton, silk and woollen clothes.
3. Monopoly Control: More than half of India's foreign trade was restricted to Britain. Opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 further intensified this control.
4. Drain of Wealth: The surplus generated from trade was not used for India's development but to pay for British administrative expenses and war costs.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The colonial policies turned India from a world-renowned exporter of handicrafts into a supplier of raw materials and a market for British goods.
B
Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The British introduced various land revenue systems, the most prominent being the Permanent Settlement (Zamindari System).
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
1. Objectives: The primary objective was to ensure a fixed and regular flow of revenue for the British government and to create a loyal class of Indian landlords (Zamindars).
2. Mechanism: Zamindars were recognized as owners of the land. They had to pay a fixed sum to the government, regardless of the crop yield.
3. Impacts:
- Exploitation: Zamindars extracted as much as possible from the actual tillers (peasants), leaving them in extreme poverty.
- Stagnation: Since the revenue was fixed, Zamindars had no incentive to invest in land improvement (like irrigation), leading to low productivity and frequent famines.
- Vulnerability: Peasants had no land rights and could be evicted anytime, leading to total dependency on Zamindars.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The land settlement policies caused agricultural stagnation and reduced the Indian peasantry to a state of absolute misery.