British colonialism which was based on a capitalist system directly interfered to ensure profits for themselves by:
A. Changing the laws of the land on land ownership
B. Altering the way production and distribution took place in manufacturing sector
C. By enacting forest laws that safeguarded the rights of the indigenous people
D. By introducing Western Education to manage British colonial government
E. By enabling movement of people from one part of the country to another through labour recruitment
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → A, B, D, E only
A. Changing the laws of the land on land ownership Correct. British colonialism, based on a capitalist system, changed the very laws of the land - not just land ownership laws, but even what crops ought to be grown.
B. Altering the way production and distribution took place in manufacturing sector Correct. It meddled with the manufacturing sector and altered the way production and distribution of goods took place, to suit British capitalism.
C. By enacting forest laws that safeguarded the rights of the indigenous people Incorrect. Colonial rule entered the forests, cleared trees for tea plantations and brought in Forest Acts that changed the lives of pastoralists, who were kept out of forests they had long used. The laws took away the rights of forest people; they did not safeguard them.
D. By introducing Western Education to manage British colonial government Correct. Western education was introduced to create Indians who would manage British colonialism, though it also led, without being meant to, to a nationalist and anti-colonial consciousness.
E. By enabling movement of people from one part of the country to another through labour recruitment Correct. Colonialism led to considerable movement of people: people from present-day Jharkhand, for instance, moved to Assam to work on the tea plantations.
NCERT (2025-26): “1.1 Understanding Colonialism … In contrast British colonialism which was based on a capitalist system directly interfered to ensure greatest profit and benefit to British capitalism. Every policy was geared towards the strengthening and expansion of British capitalism. For instance it changed the very laws of the land. It changed not just land ownership laws but decided even what crops ought to be grown and what ought not to be. It meddled with the manufacturing sector. It altered the way production and distribution of goods took place. It entered into the forests. It cleared trees and started tea plantations. It brought in Forest Acts that changed the lives of pastoralists. They were prevented from entering many forests that had earlier provided valuable forage for their cattle.” “Colonialism also led to considerable movement of people. It led to movement of people from one part to another within India. For instance people from present day Jharkhand moved to Assam to work on the tea plantations.…” “…For example, we saw how western education was introduced to create Indians who would manage British colonialism. Instead it led to the growth of a nationalist and anti-colonial consciousness.” |