ABSTRACT
The establishment of colonial rule had a great impact on the agrarian economy of India. The colonial land revenue system and the frequent famines transformed the agrarian structure and impoverished the peasantry. The heavy burden of land tax, coercive methods of revenue collection and forest policies of the British colonial rulers forced the ryots to borrow money from moneylenders. This indebtedness further accentuated their poverty. The impoverished condition of the ryots had different effects. It slowly developed a feeling of discontent against the colonial rule. This peasant discontent was fully used by the nationalists. The nationalist leaders who were critical of colonial agrarian policies, sided with the peasants by highlighting their sufferings and demanded redressal. They believed that the exploitative nature and character of colonial rule was the root cause for the impoverishment of peasants. They also slowly merged the peasant discontent with the general anti-colonial discontent. Thus, the nationalists were able to enlarge the social base of their anti-colonial struggle. The present chapter seeks to analyse the land revenue and forest policies of the colonial rulers and its impact on peasantry. Further, it traces the rise of peasant discontent and the role of nationalists in it. It also shows how this peasant discontent merged with the general anti-colonial movement.
