NAME: FAIQ AHMED KHAN

ROLL NO: 22k-4810

IMPACTS OF WAR OF INDEPENDENCE

 WAR OF INDEPENDENCE
The War of Independence is considered an important landmark in the history of subcontinent.
The war was started by Indians to get rid of British dominancy and had created a different
perspective for both nations because one called it (The Indian Mutiny) while the other opposed it
as (The Great Indian Revolt).

BACKGROUND:-
East India Company was formed on 31st December 1600 by the British in India as a trading
organization. However, due to the negligence of Indian Government and lack of leadership, this
so-called trading company started to invade different Indian territories which turned out as a
nightmare for Indians.
Sooner or later, Indians realized that they should be united to oppose all the problems they were
facing. As a result, the storm break on 10th May 1857 at the military base of Meerut and was
ended on 1st November 1858.

IMPACTS OF WAR OF INDEPENDENCE:-

POSITIVE IMPACTS:-

1. End of East India Company:

EIC was disbanded by the British Government in favor of direct control over India. The decision
was made to regain the trust they had lost over a period of time. Hence, now the British were
showing no further interest to capture Indian territories. They started to clarify their past
transgressions that led to the conflict between the two sides. British also said that they would not
interfere with Muslim and Hindu customs.
According to the Times of London “It accomplished a work such as in the whole history of
the human race no other company has attempted and is ever likely to attempt in the years
to come.”

2. Abolition of Doctrine of Lapse and improvements by British:

The act introduced in 1852 by Governor General Dalhousie, finally came to an end. This implies
that a male successor was no longer needed to be the owner of the land. It brings a sigh of relief
for Indians, as they had already lost their important regions such as Satara, Jhansi, and Nagpur
under this policy. Indians were pleased to see that the English Government was now being
sincere with them, reversing the policy of annexation and returning their rights.
British government also made some improvements in the country, transportation and irrigation
system was setup for Indians, many new industries (loyalpur) were also setup by British
Government.

3. Indian Legislative Council Act 1961:

It was introduced by Lord Canning in 1961. According to this act Indians were now involved in
country affairs and the process of law-making. The portfolio system was introduced, under
which the legislative council in the government of Calcutta was transformed into a cabinet
consisting of 6 ordinary members, 5 of them were in charge of different departments such as
(home, law, finance, military, revenue) and (public works after 1874)
Under this act, all the legislative powers of Bombay and Madras were restored which were taken
away by the act of 1833. The attempt was made by the English government to remove the
existing powers of the East India Company and to improve the constitutional representation of
India after a long time.

4. Rights and Political Representation:

The Indians were united and the first challenge was to counter the English dominance. They
knew the significance of freedom and how important it was to get rid of British slavery.
Consequently, this event motivates Indians to contemplate the future regarding their separate
nation, and to carry on the momentum provided by Mangal Pandey.
Indians realized how crucial it was for them to acquire a political platform to express their
thoughts in front of English government. Hence, they realized their rights won’t be advanced if
they continue to rely on British and place blind faith on them.
Later, they announced the formation of the Indian National Congress (an organization to unite
all the Indians on one platform and advances their views and perspectives).

5. Message for Muslims and Role of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan:

Muslims soon realized that Hindus were not sincere with them, and their intent was to promote
their own views, religion and customs. They emphasized their superiority and bigotry towards
Muslims in every aspect while improving their own ties with British. They forgot all the
hardships Muslims had faced while resisting the British rule.
Therefore, soon after the change of behavior from the Hindu side Sir Syed Ahmed Khan started
to educate Muslims to stand against Hindu oppression. He represented Muslims in front of the
British to remove the misunderstanding between the two sides. He emphasized the importance of
western education to Muslims, and it’s the only way to revive self-identity and political
positioning in the Indian society otherwise Muslims will left behind. He stated Muslims and
Hindus are two separate nations and both must be treated differently.
Indeed, the efforts of Sir Syed served as the foundation for the formation of All India Muslim
League and then for the development of the Pakistan Movement.

NEGATIVE IMPACTS:-

1. Government of India Act, 1958:

British realized that Indians were ready to face the consequences of the mutiny they had started.
Under this Act, the English Crown had power over foreign policies and had a free hand in the
administration of India. A council of 15 members were appointed to assist the Secretary of State.
Governor General and the Governors of the presidencies were to be appointed by the crown.
Indians were outraged when the legislation was passed.

2. Reforms made by Government:

British started to be more biased, proud of their civilization and think others to be much inferior.
They prohibited the involvement of Indians in the country’s politics, and started to make changes
in several sectors of the country. British were the only in charge of artillery and the number of
British soldiers in the army increased to 65,000 while the number of Indian soldiers decreased to
1, 40,000, and the ratio dropped from 9:1 to 3:1 due to which many Indians faced
unemployment. Newspapers and journals were limited to Indians. They were offered low ranked
jobs and positions and must convert to Christianity to be promoted as an officer. As a symbol of
zero tolerance, all the soldiers who were involved in the rebellion were brutally shot by the
canon alive. They adopted the policy of Divide and Rule.

3. The End of Mughal Empire:

The rule of British Crown in India ultimately ended the reign of Mughal Emperor. Bahadur Shah
Zafar was the last one to fight against the English side, who later escaped to Yangon and was
exiled. Therefore, the collapse of mighty Muslims power shook Muslims as now their political
background was totally ruined.

4. Hatred towards Muslims:

Hindus revealed their hypocrisy towards Muslim after the war by shaking hands with British and
improving their image in front of them. They stated that the Muslims were the one to start the
mutiny. Now, British grew furious and think Muslims as a root cause for the setup at Meerut, due
to which Muslims had faced many problems.

5. Loss to Economy:
The British Government started to impose heavy taxes on Indian people and also destroyed many
cottage industries in India. British merchants were exploiting Indians, and corruption was at its
peak. Cheap mass produced products were available in the local market to reduce the profit
margin, due to which Indian families were not able to sell their goods and it had created a huge
rate of poverty in the country.

CONCLUSION:-

To a great extent, the uprising against British did not succeed in terms of immediate outcomes,
but it provide a platform and motivates the following generation to fight for their freedom. The
life of Muslims was much dreadful because the British considered them as the supporter of
Mughal Emperor and the ones planning to dethrone British Raj from the subcontinent.
To some extent, the idea of mutiny came out with flying colors because they were able to obtain
certain privileges from British and it paved the way for the creation of two different nations.