Explain briefly the role of Peasant Movements after 1857 and before independence. (Answer in 150 words)

- Explain briefly the role of Peasant Movements after 1857 and before independence. (Answer in 150 words)
Introduction
Between the Revolt and Independence, peasant protest moved from localised, restorative risings to organised, ideological demands on the state itself.

Body

1. Localised agrarian revolts: The Indigo Revolt of 1859 forced the Indigo Commission; the Pabna leagues of 1873 produced the Bengal Tenancy Act, 1885; the Deccan Riots of 1875 against moneylenders, the Agriculturists' Relief Act, 1879.
2. The Gandhian phase: Champaran in 1917 broke the tinkathia system, Kheda in 1918 won revenue suspension, and Patel's Bardoli satyagraha of 1928 fused agrarian grievance with the national movement.
3. Autonomous peasant assertion: The Awadh Kisan Sabha under Baba Ramchandra and the Eka movement pressed tenancy claims beyond what the Congress leadership would sanction.
4. Organised and left-led struggle: The All India Kisan Sabha of 1936 under Sahajanand Saraswati demanded zamindari abolition; Tebhaga in 1946 and Telangana from 1946 turned to armed struggle.

Conclusion
These movements made land the central question of Independence and secured zamindari abolition after 1947. Ranajit Guha later established the peasant as a conscious political subject, not a mass.