IGNOU HISTORY NOTES : Modern India -ECONOMY OF THE MAURYAN PERIOD

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IGNOU HISTORY Study Notes for IAS, UPSC Exams

Modern India 1857-1964

Structure

19.0  Objectives
19.1  Introduction
19.2  Material and Social Basis of Production
19.3  Agriculture and Land Revenue
         19.3.1 General Features of Agrarian Economy
         19.3.2 Land Revenue Organisation
19.4  Trade and Towns
         19.4.1 Organisation of Trade
         19.4.2 Growth of Urban Economy
         19.4.3 Socio-Economic Changes in Mauryan India
19.5   Let Us Sum Up
19.6   Key Words
19.7   Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

19.0 OBJECTIVES

The main aim of this Unit is to introduce to you one of the most important aspects dgf Mauryan history, namely, the organisation and changes that took place in the economy of India during this period. Though our focus will be on the Mauryan heartland, the Ganges Valley, we also intend to draw your attention to significant changes that were initiated in this period in other parts of India. After going through this Unit you should be able to:

• understand how different types of resources which are necessary for sustaining an empire were utilised,
• understand the main features of agrarian economy, agfarian expansion and land revenue during this period,
• explain how trade was organised and how it expanded, opening up new areas of activity,
• understand the nature of urban economy as also how towns and cities grew in the period,
• discuss improvements in technology that occurred during this period and;
• analyse how the above developments led to significant socio-economic changes.

19.1 INTRODUCTION

In Unit-18 of this Block you studied about the establishment and expansion of the Mauryan empire. Here, in this Unit we will familiarise you with the economy of the Mauryan period. In Block-4 you must have read about the nature of economy in the period before the establishment of Mauryan rule. Here we will concentrate on the developments which took place during the Mauryan period. We shall start with a general discussion on material and social basis of agricultural and non-agricultural production. Study of agrarian economy is very crucial because the bulk of the population was involved in agriculture. We shall also familiarise you with the organisation of land revenue collection. We shall also take into account the impact of agrarian economy on other spheres of economic activity. This impact was more evident in craft production and commercial activities. Growth in these areas led to:

• improvement in technology,
• increased circulation of coined money, and
• growth of urban centres.

One more important question which deserves our attention is the role of the state in the overall economic activity. We shall therefore examine to what extent the state

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