Question map
Not attempted Correct Incorrect ★ Bookmarked
Loading…
Q63 (IAS/2020) History & Culture › National Movement (1857–1947) › Colonial economic impact Official Key

Indigo cultivation in India declined by the beginning of the 20th century because of

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 2.

The primary reason for the decline of indigo cultivation in India by the early 20th century was the invention of synthetic dyes (German coal-tar dyes) in the late 19th century. These chemical substitutes were cheaper, more stable, and easier to produce than natural indigo, making the latter unprofitable in the international market.

  • Option 1: While peasant resistance (like the Indigo Revolt of 1859) occurred, it led to shifts in cultivation areas (from Bengal to Bihar) rather than a total decline of the industry.
  • Option 3: National leaders like Gandhi did oppose the tinkathia system in Champaran (1917), but this was a response to the existing economic crisis caused by synthetic dyes.
  • Option 4: The government generally supported planters; it did not exert control that led to the industry's downfall.

Ultimately, the collapse was market-driven; planters could no longer compete with industrial chemical advancements.

How others answered
Each bar shows the % of students who chose that option. Green bar = correct answer, blue outline = your choice.
Community Performance
Out of everyone who attempted this question.
67%
got it right
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest preview
Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. Indigo cultivation in India declined by the beginning of the 20th century because of [A] peasant resistance to the oppressive conduct of…
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Moderate fairness Books / CA: 7.5/10 · 2.5/10
You're seeing a guest preview. The Verdict and first statement analysis are open. Login with Google to unlock all tabs.
Statement 1
Did peasant resistance to the oppressive conduct of planters contribute to the decline of indigo cultivation in India by the beginning of the 20th century?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 15: Struggle for Swaraj > Champaran Satvagraha (1917) > p. 266
Presence: 5/5
“Gandhi's first great experiment in Satyagraha came in 1917 in Champaran, a district in Bihar. The peasantry on the indigo plantations in the district was excessively oppressed by the European planters. They were compelled to grow indigo on at least 3/20th of their land and to sell it at prices fixed by the planters. Similar conditions had prevailed earlier in Bengal, but as a result of a major uprising during 1859-61 the peasants there had won their freedom from the indigo planters. Having heard of Gandhi's campaigns in South Africa, several peasants of Champaran invited him to come and help them.”
Why this source?
  • Records that a major uprising (1859–61) led Bengal peasants to win their freedom from indigo planters.
  • Directly links peasant revolt to the ending of planter control over indigo cultivation in that region.
Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 31: Peasant Movements 1857-1947 > Indigo Revolt (1859-60) > p. 575
Presence: 4/5
“In Bengal, the indigo planters, nearly all Europeans, exploited the local peasants by forcing them to grow indigo on their lands instead of the more paying crops like rice. The planters forced the peasants to take advance sums and enter into fraudulent contracts which were then used against the peasants. The planters intimidated the peasants through kidnappings, illegal confinements, flogging, attacks on women and children, seizure of cattle, burning and demolition of houses and destruction of crops. The anger of the peasants exploded in 1859 when, led by Digambar Biswas and Bishnu Biswas of Nadia district, they decided not to grow indigo under duress and resisted the physical pressure of the planters and their lathiyals (retainers) backed by police and the courts.”
Why this source?
  • Describes severe planter oppression and the peasants' organized refusal to grow indigo in 1859, led by named local leaders.
  • Documents violent repression by planters and their retainers, indicating substantial peasant resistance that challenged planter dominance.
Exploring Society:India and Beyond ,Social Science, Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 4: The Colonial Era in India > Peasant uprisings against economic exploitation > p. 108
Presence: 4/5
“illustrates this exploitation. European planters forced peasants in the northern parts of Bengal to abandon food crops and, instead, grow indigo plants, as the indigo dye was then in great demand in Europe. From planters to traders, everyone earned huge profits — except the peasants, who were so poorly paid that they got trapped in debt slavery. When they refused to grow indigo, they faced imprisonment, torture, and destruction of their property. Their uprising was directed mostly at the planters, who retaliated by hiring mercenaries to attack the peasants. Their cause was supported by educated Bengalis and the Bengali press; the British authorities were eventually forced to restrict some of the worst abuses.”
Why this source?
  • Explains that peasants were trapped in debt slavery by forced indigo cultivation and that uprisings targeted planter abuses.
  • Notes that public support and pressure eventually forced authorities to restrict some of the worst planter practices.
Statement analysis

This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.

Login with Google to unlock all statements.

Statement analysis

This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.

Login with Google to unlock all statements.

Statement analysis

This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.

Login with Google to unlock all statements.

How to study

This tab shows concrete study steps: what to underline in books, how to map current affairs, and how to prepare for similar questions.

Login with Google to unlock study guidance.

Micro-concepts

Discover the small, exam-centric ideas hidden in this question and where they appear in your books and notes.

Login with Google to unlock micro-concepts.

The Vault

Access hidden traps, elimination shortcuts, and Mains connections that give you an edge on every question.

Login with Google to unlock The Vault.

✓ Thank you! We'll review this.

SIMILAR QUESTIONS

CAPF · 2015 · Q3 Relevance score: 1.49

Statement I : India’s share of world manufacturing output steadily declined during the 19th and the 20th centuries. Statement I : There was no absolute decline in production in India during the colonial rule.

CDS-I · 2004 · Q49 Relevance score: 1.31

What was the main reason for the greatly worsened condition of the Peasants in the late 1920s and early 1930s which led to Peasants Movements in thePunjab,Gujaratand Uttar Pradesh? Time

NDA-II · 2012 · Q37 Relevance score: 0.48

Statement I : Indigo formed the basis of a flourishing sector of commercial agriculture by the beginning of the 19th century. Statement II: The Indigo Commission was set- up to enquire into the grievances of the indigo cultivators in 1860.

IAS · 2018 · Q52 Relevance score: -0.18

Economically, one of the results of the British rule in India in the 19th century was the

CAPF · 2017 · Q24 Relevance score: -0.22

Which one of the following statements about the Indigo Revolt of 1859 is conect ?