AGRARIAN UNREST OR PEASANT MOVEMENTS

CAUSES AND TYPES AGRARIAN UNREST Not a new phenomenon in India 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 peasants developed political consciousness

BEFORE INDEPENDENCE
Santali insurrection(1855-56) Peasant revolution in Punjab(1930) Champaran (Bihar) movement(1917-18) Bardoli satyagraha(1920)

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

CLASSIFICATION PEASANT STRUGGLES

KATHLEEN YOUNGHS CLASSIFICATION 1. Restoration rebellions
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 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, peoples war group

5. Mass 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 struggles-last 225 years Up to 1912,77 major revolts After 1960s-large number of struggles 65% violent Our rural development programs failed Agrarian unrest during Mughal rule, British rule After independence, alive Number of factors contributed for unrest

CAUSES
1. Feeling of relative deprivation
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

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

8. Organizing power of farmers

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

9. Illegal eviction of the tenants

large number of tenants forcibly evicted from joined agitation

10. Anti-farmers measures of govt.

Govt. take decisions against farmers 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 helped farmers to organize themselves

CONCLUSION
Farmers unrest caused by various factors Economic and political developments Liberalisation,privitisation,globalisation added to helplessness of farmers Farmers faced with toughest challenges in 21st century They are not able to compete with west Farmers agitations bound to aggravate