History Assignment

Q1. Discuss in detail the causes of revolt of 1857?

Answer: The revolt of 1857 was initiated due to various factors which are stated below:
● Religious & Social Causes – Racism or racial discrimination was believed to be a major
reason for the revolt of 1857 wherein Indians were exploited and were kept away from mixing
with Europeans. The whites also started interfering in the religious and cultural affairs of
Indians and tortured them as well.
● Political Causes – The British expansion had led to the propagation of unjust policies that led
to the loss of power of the Nawabs and Zamindars residing at various places of India. The
introduction of unfair policies like the policy of Trade and Commerce, the policy of indirect
subordination (subsidiary alliance), the policy of war and annexation, the policy of direct
subordination (doctrine of lapse), the policy of misgovernance (through which Awadh was
annexed) greatly hampered the interests of the rulers of the native states, and they one by
one became victims of British expansionism. Therefore, those rulers, who lost their states to
the British, were naturally against the British and took sides against them during the revolt.

● Economic Factors -There were various reforms in the taxation and revenue system that
affected the peasants’ heavily. British Government had imposed and introduced various
administrative policies to expand their territory.

Q2. Write in brief about Doctrine of Lapse ? Which three States were annexed
by it ?
Answer : Doctorine of lapse was a policy of annexation initiated by the East India Company in
the Indian subcontinent about the princely states, and applied until the year 1858, the year
after Company rule was succeeded by the British Raj under the British Crown The company took
over the princely states
of Satara (1848), Jaitpur and Sambalpur(1849), Bhagat (1850), Udaipur (1852), Jhansi (1853), Nagpur (1
854), Tore and Arcot (1855) under the terms of the doctrine of lapse. Awadh (1856) is widely
believed to have been annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse.

Q3 Describe the merits and demerits of Subsidiary Alliance?

Answer : The Merits:

-The Indian rulers who accepted the subsidiary relationship obtained security from
the British and were protected from their neighbors.
-since one of the terms of the agreement to the subsidiary alliance was that no ruler
could make war without the consent of the British, most of the wars among them
was contained.
-The local armies were trained and equipped by the British, hence led to a more
formidable Indian army.
-Governorship was  left for the British and this gave the Indians the chance to unite
as they felt really oppressed by their rule.
The demerits:
-Indian princes lost their administrative powers and hence obtained a more
submissive stature.
-Due to lack of practicing their authority the Indian rulers were heavily demoralized
and grew weaker.
-One of the requirements of the subsidiary alliance was to have the rulers pay
subsidiary for the protection they received. This meant that the rulers had to tax the
locals-which resulted to heavy taxes that led to the oppression of the local Indians.
-By accepting a subordinate state, the Princes of India surrendered the sovereignty of
India to the British and along with it, their independence. 

Q4 Describe the factors which led to the failure of revolt of 1857?

Answer: Revolt was eventually not successful because of several factors.

1.The sepoys lacked one clear leader; there were several. They also did not have a coherent plan by
which the foreigners would be routed.

2.Indian rulers who aided the revolt did not envision any plan for the country after the British were
defeated.

3.Majorly northern India was affected by this revolt. The three presidencies of Bengal, Bombay and
Madras remained mostly unaffected.

Q5 Justify the Statement – “Revolt of 1857 was Military Revolt or the first War of Independence”

Answer: General Elishment Act passed in 1856 Under this act it was necessary for all neely recurted
soilders of Bengal Army to go and survive wherever it would be required by Governmental there was
general perspective that crosing se a was considered a sinful act . The revolt of 1857 was the conscious
beginning of the Independence struggle against the colonial tyranny of the British. There are various
names for the revolt of 1857 – India’s First War of Independence, Sepoy Mutiny, etc. The revolt began on
May 10, 1857, at Meerut as a sepoy mutiny. It was initiated by sepoys in the Bengal Presidency against
the British officers.This war of Independence marked the end of rule by the British East India company.
Post this, India was directly ruled by the British government through representatives known as
Governor-General.