Revolt of 1857: The First War of Independence

Report Analysis by Adolf Hitler

Contents:
 Introduction
 Downfall of Indian ruling dynasties
 Causes of revolt
 The revolt of 1857
 Why the did it fail?
 Aftermath of revolt

Introduction
A revolt is a violent action taken against an established
ruler or government. The Revolt of 1857(also known as the
first war of independence) was a major uprising in India in
1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company,
who was functioning as a sovereign power in India on
behalf of the British Crown. It was caused by many events
and triggered by a mutiny by Mangal Pandey against his
Superior Officers because he refused to bite a rifle
cartridge, covered in animal fat.
Downfall of Indian ruling dynasties
The British East India Company landed in India in Surat in
the 1600s for the purpose of trading, but later transformed
into a ruling power.
After the end of the 17th century, the Mughals were
constantly losing territory because of the independence of
the governors of the provinces. At the same time, other
powers such as the Sikhs, Jats, and the Marathas were
beginning to rise.
From around the year 1757, the British East India Company
had started annexing territories and slowly advancing
towards Delhi. Eventually, in the year 1803, the company
defeated the Marathas and became the rulers of Delhi and
almost the entire subcontinent, and made Calcutta their
capital.

Causes of revolt
Though the company had its own army, a majority of its
army was composed of Indian soldiers. The company made
the soldiers fight on various grounds such as Afghanistan,
but did not pay them well enough. The soldiers objected
against this. Moreover, the soldiers also complained that
their food was not looked after well which created a sense
of grievance among the Indian people.
Furthermore, there was also a rumour that the British
wanted to hurt the religious and cultural practices and
beliefs of the people. For example, the Enfield rifles used
by the British had a cartridge that had to be bitten off
before use. It was rumoured that the cartridges were
covered with animal fat to hurt the religious sentiments of
Indians. This rumour was in practice in many places and
the rejection of these very Enfield rifles by Mangal Pandey
was what created a spark in the army against the British
rule.
At the same time, the revenue and tax rates were rising
which meant more tax to be given to the government.
These rising taxes caused many zamindars to lose their
zamindaris. This caused grievance in the common people
and zamindars against the British.
So, these were the various causes that eventually led to
the revolt of 1857.

The Revolt of 1857

After Mangal Pandey, several other Indian soldiers refused
to accept the new Enfield rifle cartridge and were jailed.
This caused a mutiny by those soldiers on 10th May 1857 in
Meerut.
The soldiers killed their superior Officers and set fire to
buildings in a form of an open rebellion.
After doing that, they set off for Delhi overnight and
arrived on 11th May 1857.
 Once in Delhi, they went to the Mughal emperor in the
Red Fort, Bahadur Shah Zafar and with the help of his sons
and grandsons, convinced him to lead the rebellion.
Slowly, many other soldiers who were posted in Delhi,
along with the citizens of Delhi and a few other emperors
joined the rebellion. The rebels killed every British army
personnel they saw. This forced the few British survivors to
flee to Karnal, where they received support from the East
India Company.
Bahadur Shah Zafar with the help of other members of the
royal family, the rebel soldiers, and the other emperors,
governed Delhi for a short period of time till 1st November
1858.
However, this revolt was eventually supressed by the
British.

Why did it fail?

The biggest question about the revolt of 1857 is “Why was
the revolt eventually supressed by the British?”
This is because the British had realized the shortcomings
and weakness of the rebels:

• They were not truly ‘Indians’ but were simply different

rulers and leaders who were together only temporarily as
there was no unity among them.
The British exploited this weakness and sent reinforcements
from Punjab to Delhi, in order to defeat Bahadur Shah Zafar.
The city of Delhi was attacked and bombarded for the next 3
months. The rebel forces were eventually defeated.
The revolt was brutally crushed and Delhi was recaptured by
the British.

Aftermath of the revolt

The loss of the revolt of 1857 had several good and bad
consequences for Indians.
 Survivors of the attack, were either executed, jailed,
or exiled.
 Bahadur Shah Zafar was exiled to Burma. This was the
end of the Mughal Dynasty.
 The citizens of Delhi were thrown out of the city.
However, the Hindus were allowed back a few months
later.
 More than 90% of the city was demolished
 Many citizens permanently migrated out of Delhi. This
led to a cultural change around that area.
 The British held Muslims responsible for the revolt
and punished them more than the Hindus. It created a
mental division among the two religions in Delhi.
 The failure of the revolt brought India directly under
the rule of British Crown. India officially became a
British colony
The Revolt of 1857 did fail. However, it did have a significant
impact on gaining India’s independence 90 years later. The
revolt was indeed a turning point in the history of India. It
taught Indian people the importance of unity. It motivated
them that they could unitedly challenge British rule and
inspired future generations to fight for independence.

Therefore, the revolt of 1857 was a turning point in the

history of India. It showed the people of India that they could
unitedly challenge British rule and inspired future generations
to fight for independence.