Social and Religious Causes of the Revolt of 1857 PDF

;I Social and Religious Causes h~scnlniei,1 nf I hv p('op l1 ,1g,1in., t , Tlw llritish l'llll:-idl'tnl 1lwmsL lves as superior 1 lki tish cnnqul...

;I Social and Religious Causes h~scnlniei,1 nf I hv p('op l1 ,1g,1in., t , Tlw llritish l'llll:-idl'tnl 1lwmsL lves as superior 1 lki tish cnnqul~l and adm ini,.,tr,1tion t11 tlw llldi.ms. The~· described th e Hindus since hunclreLPyears. ,,s b,,rb,,ri,ms ,ind thL' Muslim s as cru el and The revolt bega n on 29 March intnkr,mt. µ 857, when a yo un g se poy, Man gn l (Ja ndc y attacked his. (It ThL' British officers often assa ulted and officers nt BDrrnckpore. He was , : "':\ insulted the Indians publicly and were let off '1a ng8d-.to ~t!D th. On 9 May 1857, "'-.'iJ. with little ~)r no punishment. 85 se poys of the 3rd Cava lry Regim ent refused to · The ~l,ristian Missionaries tried to convert. use the greased ca rtridges and were Sfntensed ;o. th,e lh Of RF VOi J /\s the news of the rrvn ll ,, ~pren d, sepoy rcginwn ls of nlh l' r. s1a1ko1 pl t1 cc~ also join ed in. Thl'y W L'l"L' I ~oo n lollowcd by zamindnrs, loc,il Lahore Ju11u09ur chiefs, leaders and pensa nt·s. Phfflour Ferozepur The main centres of th e revo lt.... _, Satmranpur I were : Rohlak ( Meeru t A I J// 1 A Delhi.i Bulandshphr i Morada Bareilly ' ( Allga,ti FalBhgam Sitapur Balralcll ,.,,,, J was the Malnpurt 6 Nawtoganf Gonda ~ Lucknow 4 Faizabad ( lead er Naslrabad / Kane_ur Sulla'ft' of th e /;-,-rt ~unpu~ I Jhans7·.,, Partapgam r /.,, ~ re bels. BJl..h1 k.h,111.,-' f 4 Dlnapl.r { Nowgong · naras Nlmach ·7 -d t Kanpur: Nana Saheb, the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II led ( ) J Sagar / J' '\_ 1 the rebels t; _. Mhow j __.,,,,.. ,, ~ and expelled r~ _.J ((. ~ """"' ( ,.A -centre Main the- - , s of- Revolt th e British ) ~ - -- ~,.)._ A Other centres of the Revolt garrison from.._\ c- '--./' j -j "\,. ~ I Kanpur. He Ind ia ~o me important centre s of the Revolt in North declared Nana 'iaheb himself as the Peshwa and t.}hana..Jani (i,aktntl B~ ok recognised Bahadur up arms agamst the Shah as his king. The British. She was commanders of his joined by Tantia Tope troops were Tantia from Kanpur. Tope and Azimullah. n areilly: Khan Lucknow : Birjis (!Jah adur Khaiywas R,in i I 11.. ,h rni R ii roadlr\vas proclaim ed Birji~ Qadir the lead er oftne as the new Nawab of Revolt. Lucknow. He was the son of the deposed Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. f Bihar_J Kurt war Singh, Birjis too, acce pted the Raja of Jagdishpur Bahadur Shah as his led the rebe ls at Arrah in Bihar. Emperor. His mother Begum Hazrat Mahal M"ancfla : - Ran i I. led the rebels against Ava ntib ai Lod hi of~ the British. She was Ramgarh led the revolt accompanied by in the Mandla region of Be1;um llaaa t \laha l Maulvi Ahmadullah. Madhya Pradesh. She took up arms against 3nd After 61 When People Rebel : 1857  a; tl11· l~11ll:-. h \\'lh\ h,,d l clkl' l11l\\ ' I lw1 --. 1.111- ~ht' 1lw ( 'l1i l' i ( 'n 11 1111 1 ,.., if! 1H' r, kd ·"' ,,rmv 111 tour thou sand s11ldi1·1 s ,11 ,,1111 :-. I Sir I ll n ry l ,Llw n·nci· Ii.id 10 tlw Hritbh. ~l'ck rdu gv with hi. , rJmil y , F1i&1b1d~ ·' J\ n1c1ulvi fron1 Fai zab ad,.ind sold i er s in s id e th e t l'n cy. The rl' w Is sieg · ed Ahmndu\b 1 Shah gathered a huge number Rcsid the Resid ency.i nd kill ed mos t 1 1 1 supporters and came to Luck now to fight of th e Briti sh. Sir Henry L1gL1inst the Briti sh. He prophesied that the ru Ic of the B1itish would soon come to an end. Lawrence and Genera I O'Nei·1 Bakht Khan was a soldier from Bareilly. He were also murd ered. Durin g 11 ~lllYl'l'L kd in rl'cnpluring Kanpur in Bui , lhc n vol t f,1il1·d within c.J y1·M r1 nd w,i. i11'1'l'111b\'1 IK5H. BL'gum l-fow11 Mahc1I and Nonc1 mercilessly surpresc.;( d by !he Brit ,..,h in all 1t.., mdir,r s.,lwb l'~caped lu Nepal. Tonl'ia 'lbpe joined the centres. hH'l'L'S oi Rnni Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi. The main ca uses of the failure of the revolt w( rr· JhJnsi was recaptured by Sir Hugh Rose in The revolt was localized. Neither did it spread April 1858. Rani Lakshmi Bai and Tantia marche d in all parts of the country nor did it get the towards Gwalior. Gwalior was also taken over by support from all classes of people.The armiec, the British in June 1858. The Rani died fighting of Bombay and Madras remain ed loyal to the bravely. Tantia Tope was arrested and hanged in British. Many Indian rulers helped the British April 1859. Khan Bahadur Khan, Bakht Khan and in suppressing the revolt. Th e edu cated Kunwar Singh also died after putting up a brave. Indian middle class also did not support the front. revolt. The upper class Indian s and rich Rani Avantibai initially defeated the British in merchants also had friendly relations with Kheri. Later, she embraced death when she was · the British. surrounded by the British on all sides. Alarn1ed by the widespread rebellion and · i? ,'t iib W iii -- to prevent such incidents in future, the British f~ dan you think of some strategies the tried their best to appease the Indians. Landlords rt' Indians could have adopted to bring the who had remained loyal, were rewarded back result of the revolt in their favour ? Discuss. by granting them their rights over the lands. The gh, the rebels put up a brave front, yet rebels were asked to submit to the British and thus, Althou save their life and lands. their resources could not match the resources of the Company. The British armies were very well organised and had modem techniques of warfare. The rebels lacked proper leaders hip. The leaders of the respective areas of the revolt fought for their personal gains and not for the whole country. They failed to lead their armies in an effective manner. Rebel~' Massacre in Delhi, 1858 The rebels lacked experience, ideology and The rebels who did not submit were blown off management. They had no idea how to protect the captured states. So, they were by tying them to the mouth of cannons. People soon re-captured by the British. were brutally killed. Numerous persons including : rebels, sepoys, nawabs and rajas were hanged. Multidisci 11... ,a, 1 ""'" oach IMPACT OF THE REVOLT Cneck Your Progress The British brought about many changes in their administrative set up once they regained their If you are the Director of a Company, what control over the Indian provinces. steps will you take to ensure the loyalty of your employees ? The reforms introduced by the British were as under : FAILURE OF THE REVOLT The Gover nmen t of India Act, 1858 The Revolt of 1857 was not just an uprising was passed. The powers of the East India of the soldiers. It was a mass rebellion and got Company were transferred to the British support from all sections of the common people. Crown. A British member was appointed 63 When People Rebel : 1857 and After  as the Secreta1y of State for India. He was The Indian Council Act of 1861 was passed. made responsible for all the matters related lt aimed at associating more Indians in the to the governance of India. The Secretary act of legislation so that the rulers would be was to be assisted by an Advisory Council of : aware of the feelings and sentimen ts of the 15 members. This council was to be called the. people. Indian Council. : The The British believed that the Muslims Governor-General of India was now ; also supported the revolt against Briti sh. given th e title of 'Viceroy'. He was to be a Therefore, land and property of Muslims was personal representative of the Crown. confiscated on a large scale. The respect, dignity and honour of the native The British realised the importance of princes was acknowledged. The ruling chiefs traditions and religions in the lives of the were restored their territorial rights. They Indians. Therefore, it was decided to give due cou_ld now pass their property and titles to respect to the Indian traditions, customs and therr successors including adopted sons. The religious beliefs. Indian chiefs had to accept the British Queen as their Sovereign Paramount. In order to win the support and loyalty of the landlords, new policies were framed for the The Indian Civil Service Act of 1861 protection of their rights over land. was passed to encourage the entry of more Indians in the covenanted services. For this,., Clieck Your Progres} ""uw,t:ui;t: Application an annual exam was to be held in London. The Revolt of 1857 came as a big blow to As the Indian sepoys were responsible for the the sovereignty of the British. In the wake outbreak of the revolt, the Indian Army was of the effects of the revolt, analyse the now thoroughly reorganised. The number lessons the British derived from it. of Indian soldiers in the army were reduced and the strength of European soldiers was The Revolt of 1857 clearly indicated the increased. All Indian artillery units were might, strength and determination of the Indians. disbanded. All superior posts in the Army It succeeded in sowing the seeds of Indi an and Artillery were now reserved for the nationalism. It served as a source of inspiratio n Europeans. More soldiers were now recruited for future generations. In true respect, it was the from the Gurkha, Sikh and Pathan regiments. 'First War of Indian Independence'. IMPORTANT OATES -.1856 ;JAtroduction of 'Enfield rifle' for the India n (isss: ~ ~ern ~e~t of India Act was passe d. soldi ers. 29.._Mar. 18S7] Mangal Pandey attacked his officers GJ861 : d1an C1V1l Servi ce Act was Passe d. at Barrackpore. 1861 : dian Coun cil Act was passed. { 10 May 1si : The rebels reached Delhi and 1862 : 8'mperor Bahadur Shah Zafar died in a jail at proclaimed Baha dur Shah Zafar as their Emperor. Rangoon. Social Scien ce- ClfiM J1 :: 8 64  ~ MLt!ny :An _open rebellion by a group of soldiers ~ le\rolt : A rebellion of general people..,. or sailors against their authoritie s. [ :-Thugs ) People who live by plunder. Pe~sion : Payment made by the state to people or c;;s~i': A practice in which a widow threw herself on theu dependents in lieu of their seIVices to the State. the funeral pyre of her husband. '9JiMMfaiM R-ev_o_lt_ o_f_1_8_5_7____ ___J [r----- t ' Causes ' I l Main Centres & Leaders Causes for Failure Impact Political Governm ent of India Act -Annexation of states by different policies. Khan of 1858 -Princes were denied the right to succession. -Kanpur - Nana -Powers of the East India -Some princes lost their royal titles. \__Saheb Company transferred to -Adopte d princes were denied pensions. Lucknow - the British Crown. -The British hurt Muslim feelings by Begum Hazrat -Creatio n of 15 member declaring that Bahadur Shah would be Mahal Indian council. the last Mughal Emperor. -Jhansi - Rani -Govern or General given ~ dministrative Lakshmi Bai the title of Viceroy. I - AIi high civil ana military posts were - Bareilly - Khan ndian Civil Service Act of reserved for the British. Bahadur Khan 1861 -Chance s of promotion of Indians were -Bihar - Kunwar -Annual exam to be held L few and negligible. Singh -Mandia - Rani in London. -Reorganisation of the ~ llftary - The British introduced new laws that Avatibai Lodhi. Indian Army. created unrest among the sepoys. -Faizabad - -Numbe r of Indian soldiers -Sepoys supported the peasantry in Ahmadullah were decreased. revolt. l Shah -All high posts reserved for the British. f Econom ic ( -Revolt was -All Indian artillery units -Both zamindars and peasants were localised. dissatisfied with the British Revenue were banned. -Rebels lacked Policy Indian Council Act 1861 proper resources -Large tracts of land were confiscated. -More Indians in and did not -Decline of Indian handicrafts & legislation. have modern -Confiscation of land & industries. Socia) &~e_llji ous "J techniques of warfare.. property of Muslims. -The British had a superiority complex. -Respec t for Indian - Lack of proper -Looked down upon Hindus & Muslims. traditions. leadership. -Conde mned their modes of worship -Rights of landlords -Lack of - Levied taxes on temples & mosques. over their lands were experience, -Immediate Cause: The gyeased cartridge was recognised. ideology and supposed to be made of fat of cows and pigs. __management............:s"'l When People Rebel : 1857 and After  EXERCISES I. OBJECJIVE TYPE QUESTIONS A. Choose the correct answer. IJj,j,ii§ ·lt!M I!¥foiat1 Problem Solving 1. The Ve/lore Mutiny occurred in (a) 1824 (b) 1806 (c) 1857 (d) 1850 2. T/Je 'First War of Indian Independence'was the HoTs I (a) Waghera Rising (b) Santhal Rising (c) Revolt of 1857 (d) Mutiny at Vellore 3. The adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II was (a) Tantia Tope (b) Nana Saheb (c) Kunwar Singh (d) Bakht Khan 4. Birjis Qadir was declared the Nawab of (a) Mysore (b) Camatic (c) Kanpur (d) Awadh 5. Sir Hugh Rose succeeded in recapturing (a) Jhansi (b) Kanpur (c) Delhi (d) Lucknow 6. The Indian Civil Service Act was passed in (a) 1857 (b) 1860 (c) 1861 (d) 1870 7. The immediate cause of the Revolt was (a) exploitation of Zamindars (b) high revenue demand (c) low salary of Indians (d) Enfield Rifle B. Mark the option that matches Column A with Column B. Problem Solving Column A Column B 1. Delhi (i) Begum Hazrat Mahal 2. Jhansi (ii) Kunwar Singh 3. Lucknow (iii) Nana Saheb 4. Arrah (iv) Bahadur Shah Zafar 5. Kanpur (v) Rani Lakshmi Bai (a) l.-(1), 2.-(iz), 3.- (iil), 4.-(iv), 5.-(v) (b) 1.-(iv), 2.-(v), 3.-(i), 4. -(i,), 5.-(ii,) (c) 1.-(v), 2.-(iv), 3.-(1), 4.-(ii,), 5.-(ii) (d) 1.-(v), 2.-(iv), 3.-(iii), 4.-(ii), 5.-(1) C. State True or False Conceptual Learning Problem Solving 1. The British denied pension to Nana Saheb. 2. The Thugs mainly lived by plunder. 3. Indian handicrafts flourished under the British. 4. High posts in civil and military were reserved for the Indians. 5. The missionaries attempted to convert Indians to Christianity. Social Science- UlfiM:tJ ::8 66 o. Assertion Reason MU®'ffl C an d th