WAR OF INDEPENDENCE

1857

PAKISTAN STUDIES
WAR OF INDEPENDENCE OR SEPOY MUTINY
• IT WAS CALLED AS A SEPOY MUTINY BY BRITISH
HISTORIANS
• SOUTH ASIAN HISTORIANS CALLED IT WAR OF
INDEPENDENCE THAT MARKED THE BEGINNING OF A
NEW ERA WHICH ENDED IN 1947
• IT WAS FOUGHT BY BOTH HINDUS AND MUSLIMS BUT
ONLY MUSLIMS WERE SINGLED OUT FOR THE
PUNISHMENTS
• IT CREATED A VOID BETWEEN HINDUS AND MUSLIMS
CAUSES OF WAR OF INDEPENDENCE 1857

• ECONOMIC EXPLOITATION OF INDIANS BY BRITISH

• POLICIES OF EAST INDIA COMPANY THAT LED TO
ECONOMIC DESTRUCTION OF INDIANS
• IMPERIALISTIC POLICY OF BRITISH (ANNEXATION OF
DIFFERENT INDIAN STATES AND CREATING DOMINANCE
OVER INDIANS)
• AGRARIAN POLICIES OF BRITISH
• INTRODUCTION OF SUBSIDIARY SYSTEM BY BRITISH
CAUSES OF WAR OF INDEPENDENCE 1857

• ABOLITION OF CHILD MARRIAGE

• ABOLITION OF TRADITION OF SATTI (ALIVE BURNING OF
THE HINDU WIDOW WITH THE DEADBODY OF HER
HUSBAND)
• BRITISHERS ALLOWED THE REMARRIAGE OF HINDU
WIDOWS
CAUSES OF WAR OF INDEPENDENCE 1857

• INTRODUCTION OF GREASED CARTRIDGES THAT HAD TO

BE BITTEN BY MOUTH IN ORDER TO LOAD THE RIFLE. IT
WAS RUMORED THAT THESE CARTRIDGES WERE
GREASED BY PIG AND COW FAT. THIS CREARTED
UNREST AMONG HINDU AND MUSLIM SEPOYS
CAUSES OF WAR OF INDEPENDENCE 1857

• ACT OF 1950 INTRODUCED BY LORD CANNING THAT

ALLOWED CONVERTS TO OTHER RELIGIONS TO RETAIN
THE INHERITANCE BY THEIR HINDU OR MUSLIMS
PARENTS
• LOWER SALARIES AND OPPURTUNITIES FOR INDIAN
SOLDIERS AS COMPARED TO EUROPEANS
• HEAVY TAXATION AND LAND REVENUES
RESULTS AND REASONS FOR THE FAILURE OF
WAR OF INDEPENDENCE

• INDIANS LOST THIS WAR AND BRITISH WERE

VICTORIOUS
• EAST INDIA COMPANY WAS ABOLISHED AND CROWN
FORMALLY TOOK OVER THE CHARGE OF INDIA
• THOUGH BOTH HINDUS AND MUSLIMS FOUGHT THE
WAR SIDE BY SIDE BUT ONLY MUSLIMS HAD TO BEAR
THE WRATH OF BRITISH
RESULTS AND REASONS FOR THE FAILURE OF
WAR OF INDEPENDENCE

• BRITISHERS WERE HAVING THIS MISCONCEPTION THAT

FOR HINDUS, BRITISH DOMINANCY WOULD ONLY MEAN
CHANGE OF MASTERS AS PREVIOUSLY THEY WERE
LIVING UNDER RULE OF MUSLIM RULERS
• INDIANS LOST THIS WAR DUE TO THE DISLOYALTY OF
SIKH AND MAHARASHTRIAN SOLDIERS AS THEY SIDED
WITH BRITISH ARMY
RESULTS AND REASONS FOR THE FAILURE OF
WAR OF INDEPENDENCE

• LACK OF RESOURCES FOR INDIANS

• LACK OF PLANNING, ORGANIZATION, COMMUNICATION
AND COORDINATION
• LACK FOR LEADERSHIP
• HINDU-MUSLIM UNITY DECLINED