Question

What are Peasant Movements, and what were the primary demands of the Tebhaga or Naxalbari movements?

Hint:

Peasant movements challenged agrarian exploitation — Tebhaga sought fair crop share, while Naxalbari demanded radical land redistribution.

Answer 1

Concept: Peasant movements are collective protests by farmers and agricultural laborers against oppressive land relations, high rents, and exploitation by landlords or the state. In India, such movements played a major role in agrarian reforms and rural political consciousness. Step 1: {\color{red}Meaning of Peasant Movements}
Peasant movements involve:

• Agrarian struggles for land and rights
• Resistance against landlordism and feudal exploitation
• Demand for economic justice

Step 2: {\color{red}The Tebhaga Movement (1946–47)}
Originated in Bengal:

• Led by sharecroppers (bargadars)
• Protest against exploitative sharecropping system

Primary Demand:

• Two-thirds (tebhaga) of the produce for sharecroppers
• Storage of crops in peasant-owned granaries

Step 3: {\color{red}The Naxalbari Movement (1967)}
Started in Naxalbari, West Bengal:

• Led by radical left groups
• Inspired by Maoist ideology

Primary Demands:

• Redistribution of land to the landless
• Abolition of feudal landlordism
• Empowerment of peasants through revolutionary means

Step 4: {\color{red}Common Themes}
Both movements reflected:

• Agrarian inequality
• Land rights struggles
• Peasant resistance to exploitation

Step 5: {\color{red}Impact and Significance}
These movements led to:

• Greater focus on land reforms
• Political mobilization of rural masses
• Emergence of radical agrarian politics