Changes in Land Revenue System in British Era

India’s land revenue system was radically changed under British due to several factors such as agricuituralisation and de-industrialization; change in land ownership; methods of assessment; and collection of land revenue.

In the 18th and 19th centuries free countries of Europe and America, more and more people shifted from agriculture to industry and service. Ironically, exactly reverse happened in India. When England was undergoing Industrial Revolution, India was undergoing increased agricuituralisation and de-industrialization. The coordination between Indian Industry and Indian Agriculture was destroyed and a new bond of Indian agriculture and Britain’s industry was developed which shifted the entire wealth of India to that European country.

Destruction of rural and cottage industries, allied trades and commerce ruined  all supportive  vocations  of the bulk of population  and the people thus thrown  out from their vocations  crowded  in the agriculture sector.

Coupled with new land ownership policy of the British, even the peasants started getting uprooted  from land ownership. Land was never a mortgagable commodity in India earlier to British. It was rarely transferable as a matter of right. The laws enacted around 1835 A.D. and in the following years by the British conferred unrestricted rights of transfer of land on occupants of all classes. It could be mortgaged now and could be recovered through the British court of law.

In the pre-British India, land had no exchange value and labour was costly. During British rule all those who were deprived of their vocations and trade, flocked to agricultural land and labour became cheap. These things are evident by the repeated famines during the early British rule in India.  This has been endorsed by the famine commission appointed in 1878.

Another blow to the whole system of agriculture was given by introducing Zamindari in India in the British style. These changes in land policy and revenue system literally shattered the whole system of agriculture and trade in the country.

In conclusion, within 50 years of British Rule, the pattern of ownership, the method of assessment and the collection of land revenue introduced by the British in India had destroyed the self sufficiency of the Indian economy.