Question

The villages lost their _______ under the British.

• A. self sufficiency
• B. prestige
• C. control
• D. none of the above

Answer 1

The correct option is A self sufficiency

When the British established their rule, Indian villages continued with the old system under the supervision of British officials and their Indian agents. But the peasants and the landlords were oppressed and exploited by the Company officials. Gradually, the Company changed its policy and then started a period of interference in the village affairs by the outsiders that included the revenue collectors, police and judicial officers recruited directly by the Company. The village panchayats lost their importance, revenue was collected as a fixed amount irrespective of the amount of the produce. Since the peasants had to pay the revenue in cash, they were forced to raise those crops that could be sold in the market. As the result, the village lost their self-sufficiency under the British rule.