Peasants, Famine and the State in Colonial Western India

Cover......Page 1
Contents......Page 8
List of Tables......Page 10
List of Abbreviations......Page 12
M......Page 13
Z......Page 14
Acknowledgements......Page 15
Maps......Page 17
Introduction......Page 20
Introduction......Page 38
The agrarian structure of Ahmednagar district......Page 41
Distribution and fluctuation of land ownership......Page 43
Extent of cultivation and peasant farming strategies......Page 49
Livestock......Page 54
Levels of production......Page 55
Rainfall and drought......Page 58
The impact of the famine crisis......Page 63
Government agendas for rural development......Page 67
Conclusion......Page 75
Introduction......Page 76
Cotton production for export......Page 78
Knock-on benefits of the cotton boom......Page 80
The degree of integration of Ahmednagar with external markets......Page 83
Transport and communication infrastructure......Page 89
Peasant poverty and rational caution......Page 97
Free trade during the famine......Page 101
Conclusion......Page 107
Introduction......Page 111
The extent and causes of agricultural indebtedness......Page 112
The nature of rural lending......Page 114
Credit legislation and British self-criticism......Page 116
Land transfers from peasants to moneylenders......Page 119
The Deccan riots......Page 123
The Deccan Agriculturists\' Relief Act......Page 126
The nexus of colonial revenue with peasant indebtedness......Page 130
State credit schemes......Page 133
A proposed agricultural bank in Ahmednagar......Page 142
Conclusion......Page 145
Introduction......Page 147
The importance of land revenue......Page 148
The history of the Bombay ryotwari assessment......Page 153
Difficulties in meeting the land revenue demand......Page 157
Calculation of the revised revenue settlement......Page 162
Revenue revisions in Ahmednagar district......Page 169
Land revenue collection during and after the famine crisis......Page 176
Conclusion......Page 186
Introduction......Page 187
British relief criteria......Page 189
Relief costs......Page 193
The nature of relief......Page 198
Tests of eligibility for relief......Page 203
Responses to famine policy by ryots and individual officers......Page 214
Mortality......Page 223
Conclusion......Page 227
Conclusion......Page 231
Notes......Page 241
Bibliography......Page 276
D......Page 283
G......Page 284
L......Page 285
R......Page 286
T......Page 287
W......Page 288