SOAS Research Online

Abstract

The main focus of this study, which consists of eight chapters, is upon the changes in the structure of the landed society of Bengal under the operation of the Permanent Settlement. We have changes which occurred in the powers and privileges of the landed interest, in the ownership of land which was then the basic foundation of the Bengali society, and changes in the methods of estate management and also in the lifestyle of the landed class. The first, introductory, chapter deals with the scope of this work and of the sources upon which it is based. The second chapter deals with the zamindars' reactions to the various changes in their traditional powers and privileges as brought about by the system of the Permanent Settlement. The third chapter attempts to show how a dozen great families who controlled a little more than half of the landed property of Bengal in terms of the government revenue demand were affected under the operation of the Permanent Settlement. The fourth chapter is devoted to general transfer of land and the fifth chapter looks at the emergence of new landed families consequent upon the collapse of the old under the operation of the sale laws. The sixth chapter, then, examines whether or not any marked changes in the methods of estate management took place as a result of the entry of the new men of capital and enterprise into land. The seventh chapter attempts to look at the life style of the zamindars with a view to finding whether or not they changed their mode of life in view of their changed positions under the regulations of the Permanent Settlement. Finally, the eighth chapter summarises the important findings of this study.