WAR OF INDEPENDENCE-1857

Transition Period

War of Independence is an important landmark in the history of Sub-Continent. This War

was fought in 1857 by Indians against the British in order to get rid of their domination

It was an extreme effort made by Indians, but they failed due to certain reasons including
mutual jealousies, disunity, and lack of central leadership etc.

Mutiny or a War? Organized rebellion or scattered uprising?

How should we remember 1857?

The rebellions of 1857 are often called the ‘Indian Mutiny’. This term was used from 1857 because the
British felt betrayed by the Indian soldiers under the employment of the British East India Company.
However, not everyone agrees with the label ‘mutiny’ because it ignores the civilian component of the rebel
forces. Therefore, terms such as ‘rebellion’, ‘revolt’, and ‘uprising’ may be more appropriate.

Others refer to this period as a ‘War of Independence’ where Indian soldiers and civilians were reclaiming
lands taken from them by the British East India Company.

1. Mutiny a situation in which a group of people (such as sailors or soldiers) refuse to obey orders
and try to take control away from the person who commands them

2. A rebellion is a violent organized action by a large group of people who are trying to change
their country's political system.

Causes? : Military, Religious, Political, Economic,

There were many causes of the War of Independence of 1857. They can be divided into political, religious,
military, economic and social causes.

Military Causes include

 Inhuman treatment by English masters

 hurting their religious sentiments
 Huge differences in the living standards of Indian and English soldiers
 Most of the soldiers in army were Indians and were usually low paid
 The officer class included British
 There were also regular rumors that Muslim, Hindu and Sikh soldiers would be forced to convert to
Christianity and that they might be sent to fight abroad, which was unacceptable to the Hindus.
Religious causes include

 Conversions attempts
 Missionaries openly criticized Islam and Hinduism .Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism were under threat
from the British rule as the Christian Missionaries used to come to India and promote their religion.
 prisoners conversions. The prisoners in Jails were also tempted to accept Christianity. Christian
tenets were taught to the prisoners.
 The use of new type of rifle with a paper cartridges covered with grease
 British disrespect towards Indians was common in public, including dishonoring women.
 The spread of british culture, English education and culture through missionaries
 Introducing western methods of education was directly challenging for Hindus as well as Muslims

Political Causes include

 Expansionist policy of British

 Accession of States under British company
 Because of Doctrine of Lapse, the local Indian leaders saw them in decline
The Doctrine of Lapse was introduced by Lord Dalhousie. According to this doctrine, if any Indian
ruler dies without leaving a male heir, his kingdom would automatically pass over to the British.
 The Mistreatment with the Mughal Emperor
 In Civil service jobs were given to less Indians, adding fuel to the fire the British replaced Persian
and declared English as the official language
 The East India Company interfered in the internal matters of Indian States and used the policy of
divide and rule.

Economic Causes

 no key post was held by Indians-only for English

 wealth of India started shifting to England
 The East India Company exploited India's resources and wealth for their own gain.
 India was turned into a source of raw materials and a market for British goods
 Practice of imposing high taxes
 British land revenue policies harmed Indian farmers.
 British made profits from India's wealth
 Taxes were kept by Britishers.
 forced labor and highly unpaid work was done
  destruction of cottage industries.
 British trade interests destroyed India's cottage industries and reduced agricultural production.
 Many among these groups were unable to meet the heavy revenue demands and repay their loans to
money lenders, eventually losing the lands that they had held for generations.

Administrative, Immediate cause?

 Administrative causes:
1. too difficult to understand the taxing system
2. change of official language to English
 Immediate Cause: Cartridges greased with the fat of cow and pig

Causes of Failure?

Reasons For Failure of Revolt of 1857 is not based on only one major cause, there had been many reasons
that led to the collapse of this powerful rebellion like there was no common leader, no unity, didn’t getting
support from all rulers and classes of India. Another one of the main reasons behind the collapse of the
revolt was that it was poorly organized.

The event was known as many names the Sepoy Mutiny, the Indian Mutiny, the Great Rebellion, the Revolt
of 1857, the Indian Resurrection, and India’s First War Of Independence.

 absence of efficient leader

 areas remain limited
 it was happening only in the centre, the south, north, west
 company controlled means of communication and transport
 Native rulres supported English; specially,
 Treachery of Sikhs-they helped English
 Some groups, like the Sikhs, either actively supported the British or remained neutral during the
rebellion.
 The Revolt was a failure due to localized and poorly organized.
 The Revolt lacked mass support.
 It was hard to find a leader who has the military capability and political skills.
 Limited resources in terms of men and money.
 No participation of the middle class: The English educated middle class, the rich merchants, traders
and zamindars of Bengal helped the British
Lack of Unity:

There was no general plan and no attempt to work together. In different places, different groups fought for
different reasons. Getting back control over their own royal lands was the main goal of several Indian rulers.
Islam was the one true common factor in the conflict.

British Strengths:

The major reasons for the failure of Indians was that the British were too strong. Britain was one of the most
powerful nation in the world at that time and its troops were experienced in warfare and highly trained in
modern methods of fighting. They also had a good reputation for discipline in the battlefield.

Result?

The war marked the end of the East India Company’s rule in India.

 transfer of power from East india Company to British Crown via Queen’s proclamation order 1st
Nov 1858.
 changes in military; Divide and Rule, Counterpoising natives against natives in martial and non
martial races. Sikhs and Punjabi Muslims, Hindu Jats, Dogras,Gurkhas, Garhwals, Pathans and
Afridis were among the groups regarded as “martial”. Arain, Balochs, Awan, Gujjars, Khokhars,
Qureshis, Syeds, etc were non martials.
 Changes in administrative systems: competitive exams in London till 1920. majority were Europeans
in ICS.
 Religious tolerance: it was promised and due attention was paid to the customs and traditions of
India.
 Administrative change: the Governor General’s office was replaced by that of the Viceroy.
1. The rights of Indian rulers were recognised.
2. The Doctrine of Lapse was abolished.
3. The right to adopt sons as legal heirs was accepted.
 Military reorganisation: the ratio of British officers to Indian soldiers increased but the armoury
remained in the hands of the English. It was arranged to end the dominance of the Bengal army.

Emperors of British Crown during Indian Colonialism

Monarch of the United Kingdom and Emperor/Empress

 1858–1901-Victoria
  1901–1910-Edward VII
 1910–1936-George V
 1936-Edward VIII
 1936–1947-George VI

Why did colonialism happen in India?

Europeans colonised India for a variety of reasons, including economic, political, and religious. The
economic motive was to gain access to India's wealth, including its spices, textiles, and other commodities.
The political motive was to establish European control over a strategically important region.

Colonialism is the practice by which a powerful country directly controls less powerful countries and
uses their resources to increase its own power and wealth.