5. What was the cause of the Assam rebellion?
a. Vast tracts of tribal land were acquired under
the Wasteland Regulation Act by the British
for the cultivation of tea.
b. The tribal groups who were displaced were
employed as highly paid employees in the tea
estates.
c. The British forced the locals to grow indigo on
their land.
d. None of the above
Answers
Answer:
Immediate Reason of Revolt of 1857
The immediate factor was the introduction of the ‘Enfield’ rifle. The cartridge had to be bitten off before loading it into the gun. Indian sepoys believed that the cartridge was greased with either pig fat or made from cow fat. This was against the Hindu and Muslim sentiments and religious ideologies. Thus they were reluctant to use the ‘Enfield’ rifle. This was a flashpoint to enrage the soldiers against the Britishers. This was believed to be the immediate factor for the revolt of 1857.
Causes of Revolt of 1857
The revolt of 1857 was initiated due to various factors which are stated below:
Religious & Social Causes – racism or racial discrimination was believed to be a major reason for the revolt of 1857 wherein Indians were exploited and were kept away from mixing with Europeans. The whites also started interfering in the religious and cultural affairs of Indians and tortured them as well.
To know more about the Social causes for revolt of 1857, refer to the linked article.
Political Causes – The British expansion had led to the propagation of unjust policies that led to the loss of power of the Nawabs and Zamindars residing at various places of India. The introduction of unfair policies like the policy of Trade and Commerce, the policy of indirect subordination (subsidiary alliance), the policy of war and annexation, the policy of direct subordination (doctrine of lapse), the policy of misgovernance (through which Awadh was annexed) greatly hampered the interests of the rulers of the native states, and they one by one became victims of British expansionism. Therefore, those rulers, who lost their states to the British, were naturally against the British and took sides against them during the revolt.
Economic Factors -There were various reforms in the taxation and revenue system that affected the peasants’ heavily. British Government had imposed and introduced various administrative policies to expand their territory.
The major policies are listed below:
Permanent Settlement in Bengal
Mahalwari settlement in Central India & Ryotwari settlement in southern India
To more about such important land revenue systems, check the linked article.
Military Factors – The Indian soldiers faced a lot of discrimination from the British officials with respect to their salaries, pensions, promotions. Indians were subjugated in the military while their European counterparts faced no such discrimination. This led to discontent and was a major military factor that resulted in the revolt of 1857.