UPSC Prelims 2011 Q55: Modern History – Peasant, Tribal & Labour Movements
- (a) Introduction of a new system of land revenue and taxation of tribal products
- (b) Influence of foreign religious missionaries in tribal areas
- (c) Rise of a large number of money lenders, traders and revenue farmers as middlemen in tribal areas
- (d) The complete disruption of the old agrarian order of the tribal communities
Answer: (d) The complete disruption of the old agrarian order of the tribal communities
Explanation
The common factor behind 19th-century tribal insurrections in India
Tribal uprisings across India (Santhal, Munda, Kol, etc.) in the 19th century shared one deep structural cause.
| Option | Verdict | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| (a) New land revenue and taxation system | Incorrect | A major contributing factor, but it is itself part of a larger structural change, not the broadest common factor |
| (b) Influence of foreign missionaries | Incorrect | Relevant in some specific regions, but not a universal common factor across all tribal insurrections |
| (c) Rise of money lenders, traders, revenue farmers as middlemen | Incorrect | An important factor, but again a component of a bigger structural shift, not the overarching cause |
| (d) Complete disruption of the old agrarian order of tribal communities | Correct | This is the broadest, encompassing factor: colonial policies (land revenue changes, outsider moneylenders/traders, missionaries) together disrupted the entire traditional tribal agrarian system, which (a), (b) and (c) are all symptoms/parts of |
Tribal insurrections, 19th century:
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Root cause | Disruption of the traditional agrarian order |
| Visible symptoms | New revenue system, outsider moneylenders/traders, missionary influence |
| Examples | Santhal Hul (1855), Munda Ulgulan (1899-1900) |
Answer: (d) The complete disruption of the old agrarian order of the tribal communities.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. This is a real factor, but it is one component of the larger agrarian disruption, not the overarching common cause.
- (b) Incorrect. Missionary influence mattered in specific regions, but was not present or central in every tribal insurrection.
- (c) Incorrect. The rise of middlemen was significant, but again a symptom of the broader agrarian breakdown, not the common factor itself.
- (d) CORRECT. The complete disruption of the tribal agrarian order is the overarching factor that subsumes land revenue changes, middlemen, and other disruptive forces.
Key point
The common factor behind 19th-century tribal insurrections was the COMPLETE DISRUPTION OF THE OLD TRIBAL AGRARIAN ORDER — land revenue changes and the rise of middlemen were parts of this larger disruption, not standalone causes.
Remember
19th-century tribal insurrections: common factor was the complete disruption of the tribal agrarian order (subsuming revenue changes and middlemen).
Common mistakes
- Picking a specific symptom (revenue system, middlemen) instead of the broader structural cause.
- Treating missionary influence as universal, when it varied by region.
- Missing that the question asks for the most encompassing common factor, not just any contributing one.
Exam tip
When a UPSC question asks for the 'common factor,' prefer the broadest structural cause over a specific symptom of it.
Sources
- Bipan Chandra — Modern India (NCERT textbook for Class XII)
- Kumar Suresh Singh — Dust-Storm and Hanging Mist: A Study of Birsa Munda and His Movement in Chhotanagpur, 1874–1901 (Firma K. L. Mukhopadhyay, 1966)