The Economic historian, who has used the data collected by Buchanan-Hamilton to support the thesis of deindustrialization in the 19th century India, is
- A.Tirthankar Roy
- B.Amiya Kumar Bagchi
- C.Sabyasachi Bhattacharya
- D.Irfan Habib
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Amiya Kumar Bagchi. Bagchi used Francis Buchanan-Hamilton's survey figures for Gangetic Bihar to argue that India went through deindustrialization in the 19th century.
Buchanan-Hamilton surveyed eastern India for the East India Company between 1807 and 1814 and recorded how many people lived by spinning, weaving and other crafts. In a well-known study of 1976, Bagchi compared these figures with the census of 1901 and found that the share of the population that depended on industry had fallen sharply, as cheap machine-made British cloth ruined Indian handicrafts. His work became key evidence for the drain and deindustrialization arguments first made by Dadabhai Naoroji and R. C. Dutt.
Option A is wrong because Tirthankar Roy is known for questioning the deindustrialization thesis rather than supporting it with this data. Option C is wrong because Sabyasachi Bhattacharya, a historian of modern India, did not make this study. Option D is wrong because Irfan Habib is known mainly for his work on the agrarian system of Mughal India.
Exam tip: deindustrialization debate: Bagchi (for, with Buchanan-Hamilton data) versus Morris D. Morris and Tirthankar Roy (sceptics).
Practice Questions
View allWhich of the following was/were founded by Raja Ram Mohan Roy?
1. Atmiya Sabha
2. Brahmo Samaj
3. Prarthana Samaj
4. Arya Samaj
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
- A.1, 2 and 3
- B.2 only
- C.1 and 2 only
- D.1, 3 and 4
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Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded the Atmiya Sabha in 1815 and the Brahmo Sabha, later the Brahmo Samaj, in 1828.
Read the full explanation →Which politician in British India had opposed to a Pakistan that would mean "Muslim Raj here and Hindu Raj elsewhere"?
- A.Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
- B.Sikandar Hayat Khan
- C.Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
- D.Rafi Ahmed Kidwai
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As Premier of Punjab, he told the Punjab Legislative Assembly in March 1941 that he did not want freedom so that there could be "Muslim Raj here and Hindu Raj elsewhere", and that if this was what Pakistan meant he would have nothing to do with it.
Read the full explanation →Simla was founded as a hill station to use as strategic place for billeting troops, guarding frontier and launching campaign during the course of
- A.Anglo-Maratha War
- B.Anglo-Burmese War
- C.Anglo-Gurkha War
- D.Anglo-Afghan War
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Simla came under British control during the Anglo-Gurkha War of 1814-16 and grew as a military post on the hill frontier.
Read the full explanation →In 1921, during which one of the following tours, Gandhiji shaved his head and began wearing loincloth in order to identify with the poor?
- A.Ahmadabad
- B.Champaran
- C.Chauri Chaura
- D.South India
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In September 1921, while touring the south during the Non-Cooperation Movement, Gandhi gave up his shirt and cap at Madurai and took to a simple loincloth.
Read the full explanation →Harshacharita has references to various presents sent by a ruler named Bhaskara to Harshavardhana. Bhaskara belonged to
- A.Haryanka Dynasty of Magadha
- B.Varman Dynasty of Assam
- C.Nanda Dynasty of North India
- D.None of the above
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Bhaskaravarman was the king of Kamarupa, ancient Assam, and a close ally of Harsha. Harshacharita was written by Banabhatta, the court poet of Harshavardhana of Kannauj in the seventh century.
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