Agrarian Unrest or Peasant Movements

AGRARIAN UNREST OR PEASANT MOVEMENTS CAUSES AND TYPES AGRARIAN UNREST  Not 

a new phenomenon in India

Peasant Peasant movements-part of national movement

 N.G.Ranga

uses struggle of peasantry

 A.R.Desai uses "peasant struggle”  Agrarian

revolution, peasant movement

 Only after-1916

consciousness

peasants developed political

BEFORE INDEPENDENCE  Santali insurrection(1855-56)

revolution in Punjab(1930)  Peasant revolution movement(1917-18)  Champaran (Bihar) movement(1917-18)  Bardoli satyagraha(1920)

AFTER INDEPENDENCE  Telangana peasant struggle(1947-51)  Naxalbari peasant struggle(1967)

CLASSIFICATION PEASANT STRUGGLES KATHLEEN KATHLEEN YOUNGH’S CLASSIFICA CLASSIFIC ATION 1. Rest estora oration tion rebel ebelli lion onss  

To restore the one time existed privileges Santhals fought against British to restore their traditional rights

2. Religious movements  

Agitations under Muslim religious leaders Mopla Muslims of Malabar Mal abar revolted against Hindu landlords and British- Thangal, Muslim religious leaders

3. Social banditry  

Social oriented robberies Leaders loot property of rich and distribute among poor

4. Terrorist vengeance  Agitators

attack on opponents and kill them  Nexabite agitations, people’s war group

5. Mass insurrections insurrections  Take place suddenly come to end abruptly  Man

explosions for long pending problems

6. Liberal reformist movements  Useful

for removing harmful laws  Peasant agitations under Gandhi  Champaran satyagraha

AGRARIAN UNREST OR PEASANT STRUGGLES Peasant Up

struggles-last 225 years

to 1912,77 major revolts

1960s-large number After 1960s-large Our

of struggles 65% violent

rural development programs failed

unrest during Mughal Agrarian unrest After

rule, British rule

independence, alive

Number

of factors contributed for for unrest

CAUSES 1. Feel Feelin ing g of relat elativ ive e depr depriv ivat atio ion n 

During British rule,Zamindars higher officials enjoyed privileges



Peasants deprived of such privileges

2. Foreign Invansion,Atrocities,Explosion 

Before independence,patrilism made them fight against British

3. Destruction of cottage industries of farmers 

Factory system led to destruction of cottage industries

4. Exploitation of tribals 

Tribals,many agricultural communities exploited by British, revolted

5. Coercion exercised to grow commercial crops 

Zamindars forced farmers to grow commercial crops  Explosion of Bengal indigo growers agitations

6. Increasing burden of debt 

Increase in debt led to bonded labor  Charging heavy interest led to revolt

7. Increasing number of landless and unemployed une mployed 

Tribal farmers, low caste Hindus had to surrender land to landlords Unemployment, poverty contributed to unrest  Unemployment,

8. Organizing power of farmers 

Farmers organizations established growers organizations etc. asserted their rights  Sugarcane, tobacco growers

9. Illegal eviction of the tenants 

large number of tenants forcibly forcibly evicted from

joined agitation

farmer ’s measures of govt. 10. Anti-farmer’  Govt. take decisions against farmer’s in fixing rates on loans,

prices

11. Increasing political awareness and village bearing hot bed of politics 

Political ideology, political parties inspired farmers agitation

12. Use of modern technology 

Rapid means of transport, communications communications helped farmers to organize organize themselves

CONCLUSION Farmer’s unrest caused by various factors Economic and political developments

Liberalisation,privitisation,globalisation tion Liberalisation,privitisation,globalisa

added to

helplessness of farmers farmers Farmers

faced with toughest challenges in 21st

century They are not able to compete with west Farmer’ Farmer ’s agitations bound to aggravate