NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Social Science History Chapter 4 Forest Society and Colonialism

Class 9 History Chapter 4 NCERT Book Solutions – Free PDF Download

This chapter has been removed from the CBSE Syllabus 2021-22, changed term by term.

The British feared that the Indian farmers’ agricultural techniques were destroying the woods. They sought to cultivate the trees and do scientific forestry on their own. So, to limit the farmer’s use of these forests, the British enacted different rules, but they continued to utilize the forests for commercial purposes. The Forest Society and Colonialism Chapter delve into the details of the subject. From the exam standpoint, the questions offered in the chapter for practice are significant. INFINITY has solved the NCERT Solutions for Class 9 History Chapter 4 LEARN’S subject specialists. The responses offered here are correct and well-explained.

1. Discuss how the changes in forest management in the colonial period affected the following groups of people:

a) Shifting cultivators:

1. Ban on shifting cultivation: As shifting cultivation was non-profitable to the government, the government decided to ban shifting cultivation. As a result, many communities lost the source of their livelihood.
2. New occupations: Due to a ban on shifting cultivation, most people had to change their occupations. Some started working as laborers.
3. Large and small rebellions: When the colonial government proposed to reserve two-thirds of the forest in 1905 and banned shifting cultivation, people got together and revolted against the government’s decision.

b) Nomadic and pastoralist communities:

1. Reduction in pastures: The various laws formulated had an adverse effect on the pastures. Some forests were declared ‘Reserved through various acts.’ No pastoralist was allowed access to these forests. Other forests were classified as ‘Protected.’ In these, some customary grazing rights of pastoralists were granted, but their movements were severely restricted.
2. Taxes: Various taxes were imposed on pastoralists to discourage pastoralism and increase government revenue. A pastoralist had to pay tax on every animal they grazed on pastures.
3. Poor quality of pastures: When restrictions were imposed on pastoral movements, grazing lands came to be continuously used, and the quality of pastures declined. This, in turn, created a further shortage of fodder and deterioration of animal stock.
4. Reduction in animal stocks: As there were many restrictions on the movement of nomads and pastoralists, they were forced to reduce their animal stock. Many of them started working as labourers and started adopting other occupations.

c) Firms trading in timber/forest produce:

1. The new forest policy of the British ruined the prospects of several firms trading in timber and forest produce.
2. Through various laws, many local firms imposed many restrictions.
3. With the British coming, trade was regulated entirely by the government. The trading rights were given to many large European firms.
4. The local people or firms that were the forests’ real owners were forced to work for large European traders and firms.

d) Plantation owners:

1. Large forests were cleared to make way for tea, coffee, and rubber plantations.
2. Most of the plantation estates were owned by European traders.
3. These European traders started making huge profits.
4. The Indian traders and plantation workers were left at the mercy of the European plantation owners.

e) Kings/British officials engaged shikar(hunting):

In India, hunting tigers and other animals has been a part of the culture of court and nobility for centuries.

1. Hunting was considered a way of enjoyment by the Indian rulers.
2. The king was recognized by the number of tigers or lions he killed.
3. The Maharaja of Sarguja alone shot more than 1,157 tigers and 2000 leopards up to 1957.
4. Even the British government encouraged the killing of animals. Most British officials were fond of hunting.
5. The British saw large animals as signs of a wild, primitive and savage society. They believed that by killing dangerous animals, the British would civilize India.
6. Sounder colonial rule, the scale of hunting increased to such an extent that various species became almost extinct.
7. But later on, some environmentalists and conservators began to argue that all these animals needed to be protected and not killed.

2. What are the similarities between the colonial management of the forests in Bastar and Java.?

A.

Colonial Management in Bastar		Colonial Management in Java
i.	Raw materials: The main aim of the British to exploit the Bastar forest was to get a regular supply of solid and durable timber for its ship industry.	i.	Raw materials: The main aim of the Dutch was also the same. Like the British, they wanted timber from Java to build ships.
ii.	Introduction of scientific forestry : The British introduced scientific forestry, under which natural forests were cut down, and new species were planted, keeping in mind the needs of the British industry.	ii.	Scientific Forestry: The Dutch also introduced scientific forestry to grow trees according to their needs.
iii.	Various forest laws: The British imposed many restrictions on the locals through various forest laws. There were restrictions on their movements, grazing, collection of wood, etc.	iii.	Various forest laws: The Dutch also introduced rules restricting villagers’ forest access. Now wood could only be cut for specified purposes.
iv.	Forest village policy: To get the support of locals, the Britishers introduced ‘Forest villages.’ Under this, some villages were allowed to stay in the reserved forests because they worked free for the forest department in cutting and transporting trees and protecting the forests from fire.		Blandongdiensten System: Under this, villagers were exempted from the rent if they worked collectively to provide free labour and animals for cutting and transporting timber.

3. Between 1880 and 1920, forest cover in the Indian subcontinent declined by 9.7million hectares, from 108.6 million hectares to98.9 million hectares. Discuss the role of the following factors in this decline:

A.

1. Railways
2. Shipbuilding
3. Agricultural expansion
4. Commercial farming
5. Tea/Coffee plantations
6. Adivasis and other peasant users

4. Why are forests affected by wars?

A. Forests are affected by wars due to various reasons. The chief among them are the following :

1. In modern times, the defending armies hid themselves and their war materials under the thick forests to avoid detection. The enemy forces target forest areas to capture the opposing soldiers and their war materials.
2. Because of the preoccupation of the participant countries in the war, many proposals for promoting the forest culture have to be abandoned halfway. As such, many forests became prey to neglect.
3. To meet war needs, sometimes forests are cut indiscriminately, and as a result, forests vanish within no time, one after the other.
4. Fearing the capture of forest areas by the enemy, sometimes, the existing governments themselves cut down the trees recklessly, destroy the sawmills and burn vast piles of great teak logs. In Indonesia, such a thing happened when the Dutch Government felt that the area under their control would fall to the Japanese.
5. Sometimes, the occupying forces recklessly cut down trees for their war industries, as the Japanese did during the occupation of Indonesia in the Second World War.
6. Finding the forest staff difficult during war, some people expand their agricultural land at the cost of the forest land. Some people excluded from the forest once again tried to reoccupy their lands.

Summary of the Forest Society and Colonialism

The following subjects are covered in NCERT Class 9 India and the Contemporary World – II Chapter 4:

1. What is the purpose of deforestation?

• • 1.1 Improving the Land
  • 1.2 Sleepers on the Tracks
  • 1.3 Plantations

2. Commercial Forestry’s Ascension

• • 2.1 How Have People’s Lives Been Affected?
  • 2.2 What Impact Did Forest Rules Have on Cultivation?
  • 2.3 Who Might Hunt?
  • 2.4 New Jobs, New Trades, and New Services

3. The Forest’s Rebellion

• • 3.1 The Bastar people
  • 3.2 People’s Fears

4. Java Forest Transformations

• • 4.1 The Javanese Woodcutter
  • 4.2 Scientific Forestry in the Netherlands
  • 4.3 Samin’s Challenge 
  • 4.4 Deforestation and War
  • 4.5 New Forestry Developments

India and the Contemporary World is a crucial text for Social Sciences students in Class 9. Apart from this chapter, this article has the entire set of NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Social Science.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 History Chapter 4 Frequently Asked Questions

In Chapter 4 of NCERT Solutions for Class 9 History, students will learn about Forest Transformations in Java.

Students will learn about the following topics in Chapter 4 of NCERT Solutions for Class 9 History: 

1. The Java Woodcutters
2. Scientific Forestry in the Netherlands
3. The Challenge of Samin
4. Deforestation and War
5. New Forestry Developments

Students who want an excellent grade in this chapter should use the NCERT Solutions created by INFINITY LEARN specialists to answer the textbook questions.

What questions may students expect to encounter in Chapter 4 of NCERT Solutions for Class 9 History?

Long-answer questions might be expected in Chapter 4 of NCERT Solutions for Class 9 History. Students can use the NCERT Solutions to learn the correct solutions to the problems in the textbook, which individual subject-matter experts developed with extensive expertise. Furthermore, students can access all the solutions for free, online and offline. The solutions are available in PDF format, which allows students to prepare without worrying about running out of time.

What can I study in Chapter 4 of the NCERT Solutions for Class 9 History?

Topics covered in Chapter 4 of NCERT Solutions for Class 9 History include:

1. What is the Purpose of Deforestation?
2. Commercial Forestry’s Ascension
3. The Forest’s Rebellion
4. Java Forest Transformations

The NCERT Solutions, curated by expert subject faculty according to the latest CBSE rules and marking schemes, contain the solutions to the textbook question.