It was greater than a mutiny and less than a war of independence.
Reasons for Rise
economic reasons:
- peasants (land revenue), artisans & craftsmen (loss of patronage, less demand) , merchants and traders (trade policy)
Political reasons => Annexation;
- Doctrine of lapse (Satara, Jhansi, to have administrative convenience), Oudh (ruler is inefficient, Huge market to Manchester cloths), Berar (cotton producing), Nagpur (to connect calcuta and madrass)
- doctrine of lapse : not only applied on princely states but also on zamindars, landholders ..etc.
Religious :
- Sati ban, widow remarriage, human sacrifice ban, Conversion activities.
Army:
- Peasant in uniform, less paid, no foreign allowance, 1856 General Enlistment Act (should be ready to work any where allotted), conversion, Inferior posts and no promotion, Oudh Annexation
Common man:
- Racial discrimination, corrupt adminstration, Police is unfriendly, Justice is very costly
Process, Ignition cause, Major Location
Ignition Point
- Enfield rifle Issue, Both hindus and Muslims affected
- it was just an excuse for already burning bomb to explode
Process => Spontaneous, Violent, and not Organised
- Initially small clashes, in Behrampur in odisha, disbanded
- in Barrakpur, Mangal Pandey, revolt against superiors
- 10th May 1857 in Meerut, destroy the army, marched towards Delhi, and made Behadur Shah Zafar, their leader
Storm centers
|
Leaders
|
Delhi
|
BSZ, Bhakht Khan
|
Bareily
|
Khan Bhahadur
|
Lucknow
|
Begum Hazrat Mahal
|
Faizabad
|
Moulavi Ahmadullah
|
Kanpur
|
Tantia Topi
|
Reasons for Failures
Leadership
- good regional leaders, but weak central leaders
- lacked a forward looking plan
Resources
- More equipped by British and spread to all areas of country
- princes were scattered and led war by their own.
Intelligence
- Eventhough Princely states had good weapon, their military mobilisation is weak.
- Modernised british military
Technology
- Telegraph, Railways
Lack of Participation
- Big Zamindars : when they are promised offers
- Educated Middleclass: thought fight is uncivilised
- Princely states: several sided with British and fought against revolters
- Merchants of Bombay and Madrass: British allowed concessions, thought any kind of disruption is bad for their business.
Other causes
- Localised Grievances
- Geographically restricted to nothern areas.
Note
- Modernisation of weapon and Modernisation of army is different things.
- Why industrialist didn't participate in freedom struggle till 1930:
- if participate, workers will also participate, no production, economic loss.
Outcome of Revolt
Army Reorganisation
- reduced the recruitments from certain areas like awadh
- classification of Martial and non martial sects
- Pathan, Sikh, Gorkha (Those who supported british is declared martial race, supreme race)
- Inferior => those who had revolted
- Importance Positions are allocated only for Europeans and Increased recruitment of europeans
- Intermixing of castes and religion to avoid solidarity in future.
- Indian soldiers are mainly used for foreign expedition
Policy Change
- Dropped the policy of annexation, and focused indirect rule.
- specific discrimination of muslims (hence rise of inequality)
Various acts.
Administrative Changes and various acts
1858 Act,
- Crown took over from company, oversee it through Secretary of State (like foreign minister) who will be assisted by Council
1861 Indian Councils act
- Established Imperial legislative council, which comprising an executive council EC and 6-10 members
- initially no Indians are associated
- don't raise questions and discuss budget.
- all are nominated
1892 Indian Councils Act
- Expansion of ILC ( EC + 10-16 Members)
- Indirect election to some post
- discuss of budget, but cant vote
- ask questions, but no supplementary question allowed
Contribution of 1857 Revolt
- Rise of National consensus
- formation of political organisations (Pre INC)
Mains Question
The revolt of 1857 was more than just a mutiny but at the same time less than a first war of Independence. Elucidate
- Elucidate, explain, elaborate => same
- how it was more than a mutiny
- before 1857 also there were uprising, but it had wider base
- though initially started by army, but later on took a wider form
- princely states, peasants, common man participated and supported
- But at the same time less than war of independence
- there was no explicit aim of Independence, as each group has their own agenda.
- no participation from several
- Conclusion
- was not a war of independence, but it provided direction for future freedom struggle.
Comments
- Savarkar: first war of independence
- britishers: sepoy mutiny
- Marxists: class conflict( lower class like peasants, workers and lower rank soldiers discontent in british policies fought against them)
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