The revolt of 1857 was also known as the First War of Independence. It has several different incidents and backgrounds leading to an uprising as such revolt. The revolt began on 10th May 1857 at Meerut as a form of sepoy mutiny and it was initiated by sepoys in the Bengal Presidency against the British officers. Discriminative policies, violence, and economic exploitation affected all the sections and religions of the Indian Society which shook the foundation of the British Empire in India. All Indian Rulers, artisans, zamindars, peasants, traders, and craftsmen had severe discontent that burst in the form of the 1857 revolt.
This war of independence marked the end of rule by the British East India Company and post which India came to be ruled directly by the British Government., through representatives of the Governor-General. The major cause emerged from all aspects - social, cultural, economic, and political of the Indian Population. Though revolt had its time in 1857 annoying policies and aggressive attitudes were the major reason. Besides the introduction of greased cartridges sparked the fire.
Revolt of 1857Revolt of 1857
The revolt of 1857 was one of the first major challenges which had to be faced by the British in India and it broke out on May 11, 1857, at Meerut, which is a small town situated near Delhi. Gradually, it spread to the rest of the country and became a full-fledged rebellion against the rule of the British in India.
After a long-fought battle, the revolt was crushed but it did leave a deep impact on the course of history in India. It made the people realize that the people of India if come to fight unitedly would challenge the British unitedly and also inspire future generations for fighting for their independence.
Immediate reason for Revolt of 1857 was the introduction of "Enfield" rifle and the cartridges had to be bitten off before the gun is load. Indian sepoys tend to believe that the cartridge was greased with either pig factor cow fat, which was against the sentiments of Hindus and Muslims. Thus, there developed reluctance for "Enfield" rifle and was important catalyst for the engagement of soldiers against British; which was immediate cause for revolt of 1857.
Causes of the Revolt of 1857
Important causes which led to the Revolt of 1857 are as follows:
The Policy of Annexation
The annexation policy by the British led to the annexation of several Indian states which made the people believe that their rights were challenged.
The Doctrine of Lapse
This doctrine helped the British in the process of annexation of the native states of India, rulers of which had died without any male heir. This led to huge unrest among the people
Economic Policies of the British
The economic policies of the British were those that favored Europeans over Indians in many aspects of life, which led to anger among the people.
Greased Cartilages
The introduction of certain greased cartilage led to some immediate causes of the revolt. This has led to great resentment among Hindus as well as Muslims, as they felt it to be against their religious sentiments.
Important Leaders Associated with Revolt of 1857
Place/Area | Important Leaders |
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Delhi | General Bakht Khan and Bahadur Shah II |
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Lucknow | Begam Hazrat Mahal, Ahmadullah, Birjis Qadir |
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Kanpur | Rao Sahib, Nana Sahib, Azimullah Khan |
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Jhansi | Rani Laxmibai |
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Rajasthan | Jaidayal Sigh and Hardayal Singh |
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Farrukhabad | Tufzal Hasan Khan |
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Bihar | Kunwar Singh, Amar Singh |
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Assam | Maniram Dutta Baruah |
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Orissa | Surendra Shahi, Ujjwal Shahi |
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Causes of the Revolt of 1857- In Detail
A number of factors, both immediate and long-term, contributed to the 1857 revolt. Some of the most important causes of the revolt are as follows:
Social Policies
The British Government passed various Acts that disturbed the already established social structure viz. Abolition of Sati Act, Widow Remarriage Act, Support Women Education, Religious Disability Act. Moreover, they imposed a Tax on Temples/Mosques that created outrage among the masses. Western education and the establishment of missionaries directly challenged the traditional education system and attacked orthodoxy. The introduction of the Lex Loci Act to inherit the ancestral property of the Hindus who had converted to Muslim was a major threat and alarmed the British for all Hindus to convert to Christianity.
Economic Policies
- Heavy Taxation on the Industry: Britishers laid taxes and introduced policies like Ryotwari, Mahalwari, and the Permanent Revenue system. Many peasants and Zamindars were unable to pay the dues and eventually lost the lands they had been earning for generations. Some became landless whereas others had hefty loans to repay.
- Skewed Tariff Policy: Indian products were exported at a very cheap price to Britain while the raw materials were also made available at a negligible rate. Another hand, the import of British goods and their sale levied heavy taxes and duties on Indians.
- Traditional Industry Destroyed: Due to discriminative policies, tariffs, and rules, Indian artisans, Zamindar peasants, and traders, all suffered heavy losses. Local industries and handicrafts were completely destroyed while the traders have to bear the biased taxes on selling Indian goods and Foreign goods.
Political Policies
- The doctrine of Lapse: Dalhousie’s doctrine talks about the right to succession to the throne of the rulers who had their natural heir and not the adopted child. This waved great anger in rulers of Jhansi, Satara, Udaipur, Jaipur
- Absentee Sovereignship: India was ruled by the British thousands of miles away that creating a picture of the sovereignty of the Kingdom without physical presence.
- Subsidiary Alliance: It dissolved the armed force and brought the rulers under the direct control of the British. A huge army was maintained against the cost of Indian Rulers and they cannot do the alliance with other states without prior approval
Military Policies
- Greased Cartridges: It is believed to be one of the major causes behind the 1857 uprising. Indian soldiers had to blow the cartridge which was made of pork and beef. Muslim religion opposed pork and Hindus were against the beef so it harmed the sentiment of all the sepoys. They refused to use Enfield Rifles and it became a flashpoint for the soldiers to revolt against the Britishers thus making it the Immediate Cause of the revolt. When Mangal Pandey refused to use the Rifles, he was hanged. Other soldiers who did so were imprisoned for 10 years.
- Discriminatory Rules: Sepoys were charged feed for the post and letters. They were asked to serve in any territory even across borders.
- Religion v/s services: Sepoys were banned to wear Turbans having beards or any marks on their body, which was an essential religious practice of many
Administrative Administrative Policies
- Corruption: Britishers were leveraging heavy policies and corruption flew in each layer of machinery including Law courts, petty officials, and even the police departments.
- Payment: Indian sepoys were a majority but their pay scale and rank were quite less compared to England soldiers. Sepoys were paid 70Rs and European 500Rs exposing the prejudice and poor machinery of British
Aftermath of the Revolt
The aftermath of the revolts is as follows:
- Administrative: The revolt marked the end of the East India Company and it showed the inefficiency of the British in handling Indian Administration. India was ruled in the name of the queen. It created an additional charge for the Governor-general who will also be the viceroy of India. No Annexations of Indian states will be the ultimate goal and they won't interfere in social/religious matters. It passed the Good Governance Act. Abolished Doctrine of Lapse and Rulers can have adopted children as legal heirs.
- Military: PEEL commission redesigned the military that comprised a ratio of India to European Soldiers as 2:1 or 3:1 instead of having a full majority. They adopted a divide & rule policy.
- Society: British invoked Punch Cartooned Indians with Half Negro and Half Gorilla expressing humiliation, ill-treatment, and insult. Neo Imperialism had its roots but revolt unified all the Indians and eradicated all differences. It revealed the shortcomings of the British Empire and sown the seeds of nationalism among the masses. By Queen Victoria's Proclamation, citizens were allowed to practice their religion and traditional practices without any due interference from the state.
Impact of Revolt of 1857
The Revolt of 1857 had shaken the foundation of British East India Company and also disclosed their inefficiencies for handling the administration in India. A major impact was the introduction of Government of India Act, 1858, which led to abolishment of the rule of British East India Company and also marked the beginning of British raj which was bestowed the powers in hands of British government by Governor- General.
Causes of Failure of the Revolt of 1857
The Revolt of 1857 was not successful because of the following reasons:
- Sepoys lacked leadership and did not have a concrete plan by which foreigners would be traced and let down.
- Indian rulers who aided the revolt did not envision any plan for the country after they were defeated in the hands of British.
- Majorly, north India came to be affected by the revolt and the 3 presidencies of Bengal, Bombay and Madras remained unaffected.
Conclusion
The 1857 revolt caused a lot many factors, the chief one being increasing the power of East India Company and also the resentment which is caused among the Indian people. The monopoly of East India Company on trade, exemption from taxation, and also increase power with land ownership has created a sense of inequality and injustice among the people. British policies like the Doctrine of Lapse and the Vernacular Press Act have angered the people.
Related Link
- Consequences of the Revolt of 1857