MCQs Based On Modern History- (50)

Correct Option: 3. The biggest zamindar.
Explanation: Although ryots were considered landowners, the British government became like a giant zamindar, demanding high land revenue and exercising strong control over peasant land rights.

Correct Option: 1. Gangetic valley and North-West Provinces.
Explanation: The Mahalwari System was introduced in parts of the Gangetic valley, North-West Provinces, Central India, and Punjab. Revenue was settled with entire villages or mahals.
The Mahalwari System was a land revenue settlement introduced by the British in North India during the early 19th century. The term “Mahalwari” comes from the word “mahal”, meaning estate or village.
🔷 Key Features of the Mahalwari System:
1. Village-Based Revenue Settlement:
-Revenue was assessed and collected from the village (mahal), not individuals.
-Settlement was made with village heads, elders, or joint landholders.
2. Collective Ownership:
-The village community or joint family system was considered the landholder.
-Members of the village were jointly responsible for paying revenue.
3. Periodic Revision:
-Unlike the Permanent Settlement, the land revenue was revised periodically, typically every 20–30 years.
4. Revenue Based on Land Productivity:
-Assessment was based on estimates of productivity, soil quality, and past revenue records.
📍 Regions of Implementation:
-Gangetic Valley
-North-Western Provinces (U.P.)
-Central India
-Punjab (with a slightly different form called the Village System)
👤 Key Proponents:
-Holt Mackenzie (1822)
-Robert Merttins Bird (finalized it in 1833)
They wanted a system that would blend the communal traditions of Indian villages with the British need for regular revenue.
Problems with the Mahalwari System:
1. Collective Responsibility = Collective Pressure:
-If one cultivator defaulted, others in the village had to compensate.
-This increased tension and caused burden-sharing disputes.
2. Revenue Still High:
-Despite the communal structure, revenue demands were heavy.
-Failure to pay often led to confiscation of land or forced sale.
3. Increased Government Control:
-British officials had considerable power in deciding revenue.
-This weakened the traditional authority of village councils.
🎯 British Objectives Behind Mahalwari:
-Administrative Efficiency: Use existing village structures to make collection easier.
-Revenue Maximization: Periodic revision allowed the state to increase revenue.
-Avoid Middlemen: Unlike the zamindari system, no separate class of intermediaries.
📝 Conclusion:
The Mahalwari System was an attempt to adapt traditional Indian village systems to British colonial needs. While it tried to preserve communal land ownership in theory, it still led to economic strain, village debt, and loss of land due to excessive revenue demands and rigid enforcement.

Correct Option: 2. Made land transferable and salable.
Explanation: The British introduced private property in land, making it mortgagable, saleable, and alienable. This was to ensure revenue recovery but led to increased peasant indebtedness and land loss.

Correct Option: 3. Because landlords were central to agriculture in England.
Explanation: British officials assumed that zamindars in India were similar to British landlords because, in Britain, landlords were the central figures in agriculture and land management. However, this was a misunderstanding — most Indian zamindars did not have proprietary rights over land before 1793. They were revenue collectors, not landowners in the British sense.

Correct Option: 1. To gain local support by creating a loyal class of zamindars.
Explanation: One of the main political motives behind the Permanent Settlement was to create a class of wealthy, influential zamindars who owed their status and property to British rule. The British believed this class would act as a buffer between the colonial government and the Indian population, ensuring political stability and loyalty—especially during times of unrest.