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History Optional PYQ Master Pack · Model answer

“The permanent settlement of Bengal though initiated with best of intentions, was a sadly blundering affairs.” Comment.

  • UPSC 1993
  • Economic Impact of British Colonial Rule

Cornwallis's Permanent Settlement of 1793 was conceived as a rational solution to genuine administrative and economic problems, yet its actual working diverged sharply from almost every expectation its architects had held for it.

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What the full answer covers

  • The Intentions Behind the Settlement
  • Where the Settlement Blundered
  • Fiscal Miscalculation
  • The Collapse of the Zamindar Class It Meant to Secure
  • Absentee Landlordism and Sub-Infeudation
  • No Real Incentive for Agricultural Improvement
  • …and 3 more sections, with a conclusion

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