Causes of the Revolt of 1857

 Economic causes: One of the major causes of the Revolt was the
economic policies pursued by the British in India. It caused immense
hardship for the people.
1. Britain used India as a source of raw materials for its own industries. In
turn it flooded India with cheap machine made goods from Britain. As a
result, Indian industries suffered a steep decline and millions of artisans
were rendered jobless.
2. The land revenue systems put in place by the British were another cause
of discontent. The Permanent Settlement of Bengal fixed the revenue at
such high levels that not only poor peasants but even many zamindars
found it impossible to pay the amount demanded by the British.
3. As a result of these policies, there were recurring famines and many
suffered extreme poverty.
4. Also, almost all the high posts in the army, civil services, police and
judiciary were reserved for the British, which angered the Indians.

 Religious and cultural causes: During the governor-generalship of Lord

Bentinck, several social and educational reforms were introduced in India
by the British.
1. The British openly criticised some Hindu customs. Sati was banned, the
remarriage of widows was sanctioned by law and schools were opened
for the education of women. This made the Indians think that the British
were interfering in the age old customs, which hurt their sentiments.
2. Persian was removed as the official language of Bengal and replaced
with English.
3. The increasing popularity of the Christian missionaries made the
conservative people in Indian society insecure and angry and this anger
grew after the British government passed a law which made it possible
for children to inherit their father’s property even if they changed their
faith.
 Military Causes: On the military front too, the sepoys of Indian origin
faced many hardships and discrimination, which made them rise against
the British in the Revolt of 1857.
1. In the army, Indians were not allowed to rise in their jobs beyond the
rank of sergeant- no Indian could become an officer.
2. Many sepoys felt their religion was threatened by the policies of the
British, they were not allowed to wear their caste mark on their
foreheads.
3. The General Service Enlistment Act of 1856 forced the sepoys to go
abroad to fight wars, though the Hindu faith prohibited them from
crossing the seas.
 Political Causes: The conquest of India by the British had dispossessed
many Indian rulers of their territories.
1. The British policies for annexing more states, like the subsidiary alliance
and the doctrine of lapse, caused resentment and insecurity among the
Indian rulers.
2. The annexation of Awadh, on grounds of misgovernance, was seen by
them as a great betrayal and they were waiting to protest.
3. Also, under the doctrine of lapse policy, the British annexed Jhansi and
Nana Saheb, the adopted son of Pehswa Baji Rao II, was refused
pension.
4. Once a state was annexed by the British, the army was disbanded. The
soldiers lost their jobs and their income and were reduced to poverty.
This hatred towards the British spread among the common people.
 Immediate Cause: The British introduced the Enfield Rifle in 1857 and to
prevent the iron cartridge from rusting, it was smeared with grease.
There was a rumour that this grease was the fat of cows and pigs. This
made the Sepoys enraged as it hurt their religious sentiments of both the
Hindus and the Muslims. The soldiers refused to use the cartridge and
Mangal Pandey who led the revolt, was hanged. This became the
immediate cause of the Revolt of 1857.