Botanical Barriers

Question 1

What was the nickname for the British East India Company?

Answer 1

John Company

Question 2

When did the British East India Company start and end?

Answer 2

Started 1600 by Royal Charter

Ended 1857 after the Indian Mutiny

Question 3

How do vegetarians get salt?

Answer 3

Must add it to their diet

Question 4

How many ounces of salt do humans have in their body?

Answer 4

~6 ounces

Question 5

What did BEIC initially tax peasants on?

Answer 5

Land surface (not crops or income)

Question 6

What is a flat tax?

Answer 6

Tax that remains the same regardless of economic conditions

Question 7

How did BEIC raise more revenue?

Answer 7

Introduced salt tax in 1793

Question 8

How long was the salt tax around for?

Answer 8

1793-1930’s

Question 9

What was BEIC’s largest province and what where the salt taxes there?

Answer 9

Bengal Presidency

Salt taxes were 1/3rd higher inside than outside

Question 10

What was the response to salt taxes?

Answer 10

Smuggling!

Question 11

How did BEIC respond to salt smuggling?

Answer 11

Created a customs line

Question 12

When were the 1st customs posts put on the road?

Answer 12

1803

Question 13

When did the customs line undergo serious expansion?

Answer 13

1834

Question 14

By 1864, how many men staffed the BEIC customs line?

Answer 14

6600

Question 15

How long was the customs line by 1869?

Answer 15

2504 miles long (equivalent of Victoria to Brandon)

Question 16

How many people and miles squared did the customs line enclose?

Answer 16

130 million people and 500,000 miles squared

Question 17

How many miles of the customs line were a hedge?

Answer 17

1250 miles

Question 18

What was the customs line hedge made up of?

Answer 18

Thorny trees, thorny shrubs and thorny vines = botanical barbed wire..ouch

Question 19

How big was the customs line hedge?

Answer 19

10-14 ft thick and 6-12 ft high

Question 20

What was the disadvantage of the customs hedge to farmers and what did the government do to fix this?

Answer 20

Rats! Brought in cats to try to solve this problem.

Question 21

What was the BEIC’s total profit on salt + sugar?

Answer 21

41,880,000 Rupees

Question 22

How did the government/BEIC make revenue on salt and sugar?

Answer 22

Salt tax collected at customs line, duty on salt and sugar and profit of manufacturing salt

Question 23

What was the salt consumption inside Bengal?

Answer 23

8 pounds/person/year (40% less than outside)

Question 24

What was the salt consumption outside Bengal?

Answer 24

13 pounds/person/year (40% more than in Bengal)

Question 25

When was India united?

Answer 25

1879 (just means the British got it all, India still not independent).

Question 26

What happened to the customs line when India united?

Answer 26

The line fell into disrepair and was destroyed, on need for an internal customs barrier

Question 27

What was the Salt March?

Answer 27

Famous march to Dandi by Ghandi in 1930

Question 28

What did the salt march do?

Answer 28

Destabilized the British imperial power, who didn’t even realize that salt shortage was an issue.

Question 29

When did India become independent?

Answer 29

1947

Question 30

What happened during the Imperial Raj (British gov’t take over) in India?

Answer 30

Last half of 19th century the income declined by 50% and life expectancy declined by 20%

Question 31

What was Gebuck?

Answer 31

Hedge of living intertwined trees and thorny shrubs surrounding the Rheingau

Question 32

What was the purpose of Gebuck?

Answer 32

Protected the independence of Rheingau

Question 33

What does Gebuck mean in German?

Answer 33

To bend

Question 34

What 4 main things did royal charters allow the BEIC to do in India?

Answer 34

1. Mint money
2. Levy taxes
3. Regulate legal system
4. Raise armies (against non-Christians only)

Question 35

What is a poll tax? How are these received?

Answer 35

Always thought to be a bad thing. It’s wrong when you just tax everyone who lives in a country. It’s like taxing water (or salt in India’s case).