Permanent Settlement of Bengal

E113524

The Permanent Settlement of Bengal was a late 18th-century land revenue system introduced by the British that fixed land taxes permanently and created a class of hereditary zamindar landlords, profoundly shaping Bengal’s agrarian and social structure.

All labels observed (7)

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Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf agrarian settlement
colonial policy
land revenue system
aimedAt creating a loyal landed aristocracy
encouraging agricultural improvement
ensuring stable and predictable land revenue
alsoKnownAs Permanent Settlement of Bengal
surface form: Permanent Settlement

Permanent Settlement of Bengal
surface form: Zamindari Settlement
appliedInRegion Bengal Presidency
Bihar
Orissa
appliedTo landholding intermediaries
talukdars
zamindars
coreFeature auction of estates for revenue arrears
conversion of zamindars into revenue-collecting landlords
hereditary and transferable zamindari rights
intermediary landlord class between state and peasants
permanent fixation of land revenue demand
recognition of zamindars as hereditary landowners
state demand fixed in perpetuity
country British India
effect agrarian distress in Bengal
creation of a powerful zamindar class
frequent sale and fragmentation of estates
growth of absentee landlordism
increased rent extraction from cultivators
limited state share in rising agricultural income
long-term rigidity of revenue structure
marginalization of peasants
weakening of customary peasant rights
historicalContext late 18th-century British colonial reforms
post-Battle of Plassey consolidation of Company rule
influencedBy Charles Cornwallis
John Shore
introducedBy British East India Company
Charles Cornwallis
surface form: Lord Cornwallis
legalStatus binding in perpetuity unless altered by the British government
legislativeAct Code of 1793
surface form: Regulation I of 1793
longTermImpact affecting patterns of land tenure in eastern India
contributing to rural indebtedness
influencing social hierarchy in Bengal
shaping Bengal’s agrarian structure
precededBy temporary revenue settlements in Bengal
relatedTo Mahalwari system
Ryotwari system
startTime 1793
subjectOf debate among British officials and Indian nationalists

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Referenced by (11)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Bengal Presidency significantEvent Permanent Settlement of Bengal
Bengal Presidency knownFor Permanent Settlement of Bengal
this entity surface form: Permanent Settlement land revenue system
Company rule in India economicPolicy Permanent Settlement of Bengal
1st Marquess Cornwallis reform Permanent Settlement of Bengal
subject surface form: Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
Permanent Settlement of Bengal alsoKnownAs Permanent Settlement of Bengal
this entity surface form: Permanent Settlement
Permanent Settlement of Bengal alsoKnownAs Permanent Settlement of Bengal
this entity surface form: Zamindari Settlement
Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa relatedConcept Permanent Settlement of Bengal
this entity surface form: Permanent Settlement (as later revenue arrangement in Bengal)
Mahalwari system contrastedWith Permanent Settlement of Bengal
this entity surface form: Permanent Settlement (Zamindari system)
Presidency of Fort William in Bengal introducedSystem Permanent Settlement of Bengal
this entity surface form: Permanent Settlement in Bengal
British policies in India associatedWith Permanent Settlement of Bengal
this entity surface form: Permanent Settlement in Bengal
British colonial authorities in India appliesPolicy Permanent Settlement of Bengal
this entity surface form: Permanent Settlement