Question

Economic exploitation of the country produced discontent, resentment and resistance among the people that culminated in the Great Uprising of 1857.

1. The ruin of trade and handicrafts.
2. Impoverishment of the cultivators.
3. Subordination of Indian economy to British interests (making India an agricultural colony of British capitalism).

Answer 1

1. The East India Company was founded in 1600 as a commercial enterprise. After 1668, Indian textiles were so popular in England that an Act was passed in 1720 forbidding the use of Indian silks and Calicoes in the country. The British intentionally harmed Indian handicrafts by
   1. Imposing high charges on Indian silk and cotton goods in England.
   2. British goods were imported into India with a modest charge.
   3. The craft of spinning and weaving has become extinct.
   4. The manufacturing towns of Dhaka, Murshidabad, and Surat now appeared forlorn. As a result, dismal economic conditions set the stage for the Revolt of 1857.
2. The English land-revenue policies have impoverished the cultivators. Whether it was Permanent Settlement in Bengal and Bihar, the Ryotwari system in Bombay, or the Mahalwari System, over half of the net produce was claimed as land income. Famines were caused by bad monsoons, which exacerbated farmer poverty. Farmers were increasingly trapped in the clutches of moneylenders because they were unable to pay their land revenue. What else could the destitute ask for than to drive the English out of India.
3. The English subordinated the Indian economy to the interests of British commerce and industry. Heavy tariffs were levied on Indian silk and cotton textiles, causing the industry to suffer. The English exported raw materials from India while also importing enormous quantities of English-made goods. In short, India was reduced to an agricultural colony. The English gradually gained authority and dominance over her trade and commerce.