Question

Conclusion on the revolt if 1857 about 200 words

Answer 1

The Revolt of 1857 was a result of discontent which was prevailing inside every Indian for Colonialism. The East India Company ruled India for a period of over 200 years but it was for the first time when someone revolted against this oppression in 1857.The British Expansionist Policies and unjust laws (Heavy taxation, evictions, discriminatory tariff policy against Indian products), Economic Exploitation ( farmers were forced to grow crops like Cotton and Indigo which served as raw materials for European Industries and these farmers were paid excessively low rates for their work) , Military Discrimination between Indian and British soldiers (they were paid low as compared to British counterparts, no rising in position above the rank of Subedar and were racially discriminated) , Social Reforms ( Reforms like Sati, legalization of widow remarriage, extension of western education  to woman were looked upon as examples of interfe[highlight]Others say that the Revolt of 1857 was a result of discontent which was prevailing inside every Indian for Colonialism. Hence in the social customs and tradition) and Political Dominations ( Policies like Subsidiary Alliance and Doctrine of Lapse angered the ruling section of the society. Also, Annexation of Awadh on the grounds of misgovernment and further actions led to become the political causes of this revolt where leaders like Nana Sahib and Rani Lakshmi Bai were active participants). Due to such broader array of causes, historians believed that this Revolt should be known as First War of Independence as it included different sections of the society.  In India, the term “First War of Independence” was first popularized by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in his 1909 book The History of the War of Indian Independence. 
Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, insisted on using the term “First War of Independence” to refer to the event, and the terminology was adopted by the Government of India. This revolt was basically the mother of the events which took place in the history leading to the achievement of Independence finally after 90 years of struggle. Due to the anger which was inside the hearts of people because of the steps taken by the East India Company, the revolt saw the participation of a large number of individuals ranging from the Kings and Queens of different states to the peasants and soldiers. Many people said that the outburst should be known as Sepoy Mutiny but this theory was challenged by Benjamin Disraeli, the conservative leader, in July 1857. He said: “The decline and fall of empires are not affairs of greased cartridges. Such results are occasioned by adequate causes and by the accumulation of adequate causes“. Then he enquired: “Is it a military mutiny or is it, a national revolt?” That marked the beginning of the phase where this revolt was looked from a different point of view resulting in this name of India’s first war of Independence. People started looking and examining the entire terminology and came to different conclusions. V.D. Savarkar, in his book, The Indian War of Independence of 1857, gave a nationalist interpretation to the uprising, asserted that the revolt of 1857 was the “Indian War of Independence”. Savarkar’s views were supported by S.B. Chaudhary, who in his writings demonstrated that 1857 was a “rising of the people.” In fact, the historiographic tradition in India soon accepted this line of argument.