Colonialism & Countryside | Permanent Settlement | Burdwan Auction (1797) | NCERT Class 12 History

📚 COLONIALISM & THE COUNTRYSIDE — BENGAL AND THE ZAMINDARS | PERMANENT SETTLEMENT | BURDWAN AUCTION (1797) 🎯 Class 12 NCERT History | UPSC CSE / State PCS / SSC / NET / Teaching Exams ✅ Overview of the Chapter This lecture explains a very important part of Indian colonial history — how the British transformed Indian rural countryside through new land revenue systems, starting with Bengal. The lesson explores: ✅ British East India Company’s revenue experiments ✅ Permanent Settlement (1793) ✅ Zamindari system under colonial rule ✅ Burdwan auction (1797) ✅ Rise of Jotedars ✅ Resistance by Zamindars ✅ Fifth Report (1813) This topic is directly from NCERT Class 12 History — Chapter: Colonialism and the Countryside and is vital for: UPSC CSE (Prelims + Mains) State PSC Class 12 Boards (CBSE / ISC / State Boards) ⭐ PART — 1 🔷 Why did the British Introduce Permanent Settlement (1793)? British East India Company wanted: 1. A stable and permanent revenue source 2. A loyal landed elite (zamindars) 3. Minimum administrative burden Lord Cornwallis introduced the Permanent Settlement in Bengal, Bihar, Orissa. British Assumption Reality (What Actually Happened) Zamindars will improve agriculture They just collected rent without investing Stable revenue = stable rule Fixed revenue led to frequent defaults Zamindars will be loyal They resisted, manipulated auctions The Company fixed a permanent revenue — which never decreased, even during famine or crop failure. ⭐ PART — 2 🔶 What Rights Did Zamindars Get? Under Permanent Settlement (1793): Zamindars became hereditary landowners. They collected rent from peasants (ryots). They paid fixed annual revenue to Company. If they failed → Estate would be auctioned. In simple words: Zamindars became revenue contractors for the British. ⭐ PART — 3 🔴 Why Did Permanent Settlement Fail? 1. Revenue demand was unrealistically high 2. No relaxation during drought / flood / famine 3. British removed zamindari power: No courts No private troops No local authority Result: Zamindars couldn’t collect enough rent → default → auction. ⭐ PART — 4 🟣 Case Study: Auction of Burdwan Estate (1797) ⚠️ The Raja of Burdwan failed to pay revenue arrears ✅ British auctioned his zamindari BUT THE TWIST — 95% of buyers were secretly Raja’s own agents. ➡️ He bought back his estate benami ➡️ British system collapsed in front of traditional rural networks What it proves: Zamindars were powerful and street-smart British lacked understanding of rural power structures Permanent Settlement failed in land distribution ⭐ PART — 5 🟢 Who Were Jotedars? Jotedars = Rich peasants, not zamindars. Controlled large land holdings Lived in villages (unlike zamindars who lived in Calcutta) Financed peasants Took control of land when zamindars defaulted Jotedars gradually became real power in villages. “Where zamindars had papers, jotedars had power.” ⭐ PART — 6 ⚔️ How Zamindars Resisted British? 🔸 Benami / fictitious purchase Used agents to buy back their own estates cheaply. 🔸 Violence & social alliances Used lathyals (armed men) Ryots refused outsiders from entering villages. ⭐ PART — 7 🟠 The Fifth Report (1813) British Parliament exposed: Massive zamindari auctions Company corruption Failure of Permanent Settlement ⚠️ However, historians say: The report exaggerated zamindari collapse Many zamindars retained land through benami purchases ⭐ PART — 8 UPSC / Boards Exam Value Exam Question Type Covered in Video NCERT Class 12 short answers ✅ UPSC Mains “analyze” questions ✅ Assertion / Reason MCQs ✅ Map + Case Study (Burdwan) ✅ ✏️ Permanent Settlement UPSC Colonialism and the Countryside NCERT Zamindari System Explained Burdwan Auction Case Study Class 12 History Chapter 10 Notes Jotedars vs Zamindars Difference 🎯 Time Stamps (add after uploading video) 00:00 Introduction 02:30 Why Permanent Settlement? 05:20 Rights of Zamindars 07:40 Burdwan Auction (1797) 13:10 Rise of Jotedars 16:45 Strategies of Zamindars 19:40 Fifth Report (1813) 22:55 NCERT MCQs + PYQs ✅ CTA (Add at bottom) 📌 LIKE | SHARE | COMMENT | SUBSCRIBE 💬 Comment your doubt — I respond to every question Follow IASZen for Premium UPSC Notes, Mentorship & Motivation. #PermanentSettlement #ColonialismAndTheCountryside #UPSC #IASPreparation #NCERTClass12History #ModernIndianHistory #Zamindars #Jotedars #BurdwanAuction #UPSCNotes #HistoryOptional #Class12Boards #EastIndiaCompany #NCERTNotes #IASZen ✅ Permanent Settlement UPSC Colonialism and the Countryside Class 12 Zamindari System explained Burdwan Auction 1797 NCERT Class 12 History Notes UPSC History Preparation Jotedars vs Zamindars East India Company revenue system Indian agriculture British rule IASZen lectures