Botanical Barriers Flashcards
What was the nickname for the British East India Company?
John Company
When did the British East India Company start and end?
Started 1600 by Royal Charter
Ended 1857 after the Indian Mutiny
How do vegetarians get salt?
Must add it to their diet
How many ounces of salt do humans have in their body?
~6 ounces
What did BEIC initially tax peasants on?
Land surface (not crops or income)
What is a flat tax?
Tax that remains the same regardless of economic conditions
How did BEIC raise more revenue?
Introduced salt tax in 1793
How long was the salt tax around for?
1793-1930’s
What was BEIC’s largest province and what where the salt taxes there?
Bengal Presidency
Salt taxes were 1/3rd higher inside than outside
What was the response to salt taxes?
Smuggling!
How did BEIC respond to salt smuggling?
Created a customs line
When were the 1st customs posts put on the road?
1803
When did the customs line undergo serious expansion?
1834
By 1864, how many men staffed the BEIC customs line?
6600
How long was the customs line by 1869?
2504 miles long (equivalent of Victoria to Brandon)
How many people and miles squared did the customs line enclose?
130 million people and 500,000 miles squared
How many miles of the customs line were a hedge?
1250 miles
What was the customs line hedge made up of?
Thorny trees, thorny shrubs and thorny vines = botanical barbed wire..ouch
How big was the customs line hedge?
10-14 ft thick and 6-12 ft high
What was the disadvantage of the customs hedge to farmers and what did the government do to fix this?
Rats! Brought in cats to try to solve this problem.
What was the BEIC’s total profit on salt + sugar?
41,880,000 Rupees
How did the government/BEIC make revenue on salt and sugar?
Salt tax collected at customs line, duty on salt and sugar and profit of manufacturing salt
What was the salt consumption inside Bengal?
8 pounds/person/year (40% less than outside)
What was the salt consumption outside Bengal?
13 pounds/person/year (40% more than in Bengal)
When was India united?
1879 (just means the British got it all, India still not independent).
What happened to the customs line when India united?
The line fell into disrepair and was destroyed, on need for an internal customs barrier
What was the Salt March?
Famous march to Dandi by Ghandi in 1930
What did the salt march do?
Destabilized the British imperial power, who didn’t even realize that salt shortage was an issue.
When did India become independent?
1947
What happened during the Imperial Raj (British gov’t take over) in India?
Last half of 19th century the income declined by 50% and life expectancy declined by 20%
What was Gebuck?
Hedge of living intertwined trees and thorny shrubs surrounding the Rheingau
What was the purpose of Gebuck?
Protected the independence of Rheingau
What does Gebuck mean in German?
To bend
What 4 main things did royal charters allow the BEIC to do in India?
- Mint money
- Levy taxes
- Regulate legal system
- Raise armies (against non-Christians only)
What is a poll tax? How are these received?
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).
