History VIII: The War of Independence (1857-58) PDF Notes

The War of Independence (1857-58) Background War of Independence 1857, was the last event fought and served by Indian Muslims and Hindus together. After it both the nations started thinking on separate lines due to defeat in this war. Hence if they had gained victory in it they might start livin...

The War of Independence (1857-58) Background War of Independence 1857, was the last event fought and served by Indian Muslims and Hindus together. After it both the nations started thinking on separate lines due to defeat in this war. Hence if they had gained victory in it they might start living together again. But the history has to take a new turn. War of Independence 1857: The main causes of War of Independence may be enumerated as follows: Causes of Independence War: It is now an admitted fact that the mass uprising of the people of Indo-Pakistan against the British rule in 1857 was not a spontaneous reaction of alien rule but the emption of the volcano of discontent which had kept smoldering for about a century. The causes of the War of Independence were political, economic, religious, social and military. (A). Political Causes: The English East India Company got strongly implanted in the Sub-Continent after its historic victory over Nawab of Bengal in the Battle of Plassey fought in 1757. Soon after wards in 1764 the British recorded another important triumph (victory) in the Battle of Buxar. They annexed many states. Doctrine of Lapse: Lord Dalhousie applied Doctrine of Lapse for the expansion of the British Empire. According to this doctrine the rulers of the states were not allowed to adopt sons. As a result their states were annexed when they died. Annoyance of Rules of States: Lord Dalhousie left no stone unturned for the expansion of the English territory. He annexed states on the grounds of Doctrine of Lapse and misgovernment. As such the rulers of the affected states like Sindh, Punjab, Jhansi and Oudh became sworn enemies of the Company. (B). Economic Causes of War: The new agrarian policy of the British, destruction of local industry, permanent settlements, large scale unemployment, monopoly of trade by the English and the Stamp Act were some important economic causes of the war. New Agrarian Policy: In the agrarian the Zamindars were asked to provide documentary proof of their holdings. They were deprived of their lands when they failed to furnish documentary proof of their ancestral estates. In addition the rate of taxes on the lands was increased. This class was in the front rank when the war of Independence broke out in 1857. Unemployment: The British did not trust the Indians. As a result they were not appointed on important jobs. This policy resulted in unemployment for the educated classes. (C). Religious Causes: Propagation of Christianity: Although at the outset the English had shown respect towards all religions yet with the passage of time they changed their mind and devised ways and means for the propagation of Christianity in Indo-Pakistan. Inventions In the first half of the 19th century the British introduced in Indo- Pakistan many inventions like railway, post and telegraph. Moreover they made English as medium of education. These inventions made the Indians suspicious of the intentions of the British. (D). Military Causes Disbanded armies of annexed states: The British disbanded the armies of the annexed states. This action left thousands of the local soldiers unemployed. Death of English Troops: It is estimated that before the start of the war of Independence there were 3, 11,000 native troops as against 40,000 European troops. This ratio tilted the balance in favor of the natives. As a result they were encouraged to launch the war of Independence. Greased Cartridge: They use of greased cartridge proved as the immediate cause of the war of Independence. It was rumored that the cartridges were greased with the fat of the cow or pig. This situation agitated the religious feelings of both the Muslims and Hindu Soldiers.  EVENTS OF THE WAR 1857-58 Events of Independence War are 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 is also given names as Indian Rebellion, Indian Mutiny as well as Indian Revolt. The main causes of the War were political, social, economic, military and religious. 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. This war was not spread throughout India but it was limited to few areas mainly Meerut, Delhi, Kanpur, Luck now etc. Disputed Cartridges: In January 1857 the British announced that they were introducing a new rifle with a paper cartridge covered in grease to keep the powder dry. Before the cartridge could be loaded, the end had to be bitten off. However, it was rumored the grease on the cartridge was made from the fat of both cows and pigs. The sepoys were so angered by this that they refused to use the new cartridges. In March a sepoy named Mangal Pandey defied his British officers and When his officers ordered to arrest him, he shot the major. Consequently he was executed. But the real trouble began two months later. Meerut Rebellion: On April 24, 1857 sepoys in Meerut refused to use the new cartridges. It was treated as army rebellion and they were court martialed and put into prison, but their fellow soldiers broke into prison and freed them. Meerut was sacked and British officers and other Europeans were put to death. Then the soldiers marched to Delhi and captured it. The Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar became unifying symbol for the uprising, winning the support of both Muslim and Hindu. Meerut: On 6th May, 1857 A.D. 85 out of 90 Indian soldiers at Meerut refused to bite the greased cartridges with their teeth. These 85 soldiers were court-martialed and imprisoned for 10 years. They were stripped off their uniforms in the presence of the entire Indian crowd. It was too much of a disgrace and this incident sent a wave of indignation. On 10th May 1857, the Indian soldiers at Meerut broke into open revolt. They released their companions and murdered a few European officers. On the night of 10th May the mutineers marched to Delhi and reached there on 11th May. Kanpur: At Kanpur the struggle for Independence was led by Nana Sahib. A number of British fell into his hands and he showed great kindness to them. But when he heard about in human attitude of Indians toward British, he became very furious and killed all the British. General Havelock captured Kanpur after defeating Nana Sahib in a hotly contested battle on June 17, 1857. Later on Nana Sahib, with the help of Tantya Tope, recaptured Kanpur in November, 1857 but not for a long time and British defeated them once again in a fierce war from December 1 to 6, 1857. Lucknow: The struggle for independence at Lucknow was led by Nawab, Wajid Ali Shah. The Chief Commissioner, Sir Henry Lawrence, sought refuge with 1000 English and 700 Indian soldiers inside the Residency. The Indians did not make any concession and killed most of the Englishmen. Jhansi: The leader of the revolutionaries in Central India was Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi. General Sir Huge Rose attacked Jhansi in March 1858 but the brave Rani Laxmi Bai kept the British General unnerved for quite some time. A fierce battle was fought between the British and the revolutionaries under Rani Laxmi Bai and Tantya Tope from June 11 to June 1 8, 1 858 A. D  Immediate Causes The British introduced new Enfield rifles. To operate these rifles the cover of the cartridges had to be torn with the teeth to load the cartridge into the rifle. There was a rumors that the cartridges were smeared with the fat of cow and pig. Cow was sacred to Hindus and pig was prohibited for Muslims. The Indian soldiers felt that the British were deliberately trying to spoil their religion. Therefore the Indian soldiers refused to use the rifles. But the British forced them to do so and threatened the Indian soldiers to use them. This resulted in massive revolt against the British. Causes of Failure The war of independence of 1857 failed to achieve its immediate political objectives. Following were the causes of this failure. Lack of Leadership and Discipline: The freedom fighters fought mostly in independent groups at different places led by leaders of their particular regions. There was no leader who could single handed lead all the groups. The revolutionaries lacked discipline. Thus their efforts could not get the required momentum. Lack of unity: There was no unity among the freedom fighters. They fought independent of one another. As a result they could not assemble their resources against a common enemy. They were defeated at different places. On the other hand the British fought the war of their survival with dedication and purpose. Lack of Resources: The freedom fighter lacked resources of all types. They were short of equipment and food-stuffs. They had to face well equipped and well-organized enemy. The Mughal Emperor had no treasury to support the war. Lack of Popular Support: The War of Independence never assumed the shape of a concerted national struggle. It lacked popular support. Although it spread to various parts of the country yet some places did not take part in the war. Superior Technology of English troops: The British troops fought with latest weapons. They had the backing of the latest technology. There were also led by capable and experienced generals. Non-cooperation of the rulers of the State: The rulers of different states of Indo-Pakistan did not come to help the freedom fighters. Thus the War remained confined to a few centers. Reasons of failure: No planning Lack of unity British strength This unplanned uprising The Muslims were united The British had deadly was very easy to be under Bahadur Shah II weapons proper plans and defeated because the but Hindus were not experienced general to British had proper plans willing to restore the deal with the uprising. on how to deal with the Mughal Empire. situations.