Prepare an Indian

Causes of the revolt of 1857

Economic Causes:

• The Britishers were economically exploiting India.

• This created intolerance in all sections of society.

• The high tax/ revenue system put the burden of debt on farmers.

• The other working sections suffered from dishonest import and export.

• Indian goods were purchased for cheap rates from the manufacturers and called for huge amounts in the world market.

• The system of administration was so corrupt. And it created discontent among the people.

Social Causes:

• The social reforms initiated by the British were looked upon with suspicion by the conventional sections of the Indian society.

• The social discrimination faced by the Indians due to the British attitude of racial superiority also led to much resentment.

• Educated Indians were denied promotions and appointments to high office. This turned them against the British.

c) Religious Causes:

• The religious sentiments of the people were also insulted by the Britishers.

• There was a fear among the people that the British government was determined to destroy their religion

• They also believed that the British and convert Indians to Christianity.

• The policy of taxing lands belonging to temples and mosques also increased the fear of people.

• The increasing actions of the Christian missionaries and the actual conversions made by them were taken as evidence of this fear.

• The belief that their religion was under threat, united all sections of society against a common enemy.

Political Causes:

• The territorial annexations led to the dislocation of a large number of rulers and chiefs.

• the British policies of Subsidiary Alliance and Doctrine of Lapse were very dangerous.

• Rani Lakshmi Bai and Nana Sahib and led to the revolt against British in their respective territories.

• The annexation was widely seen as a rude act by the British.

• It deeply damaged the sentiments of the Company’s sepoys because most of them came from Awadh.

• The people of Awadh were continuously oppressed.

• Peasants had to pay even higher revenue and additional taxes were made compulsory.

• The British provided no substitute source of employment to the people who lost their jobs due to the suspension of the Nawab’s administration.

Military Causes:

• The annexation of Awadh irritated their strong feelings against foreign rule.

• They were also influenced by the general fear that their religion was in danger.

• The sepoys were restricted from wearing caste and sectarian marks hurt their sentiments deeply.

• The Act of 1816 required the new recruits to travel overseas.

• The Hindu sepoys defended this because, as according to the popular Hindu belief, travel across the sea, led to a loss of caste.

• Another cause of sepoy displeasure was the withdrawal of the Foreign Service allowance (‘batta’) ,which the sepoys were getting for fighting outside the country.

Immediate Cause:

• The first soldier to protest against using the greased cartridges was Mangal Pandey.

• He belonged to the 34^th Infantry stationed at Barrackpore. He refused to use the cartridges and was afterward hanged.

• On 24 April 1857, some soldiers stationed at Meerut also rejected to use the cartridges.

• On 9 May 1857, they were brutally punished for this.

• This incident resulted in a general mutiny among the sepoys of Meerut.

• On 10 May 1857, these rebel soldiers killed their British officers, and set free their imprisoned comrades and elevated the flag of revolt.

• This was the official beginning of the ‘Great Revolt’.

• The soldiers then marched to Delhi. On 11 May 1857, they reached Delhi. Here, they met the local infantry.

• The rebels took custody of Delhi and declared the Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar as the emperor of India.