Explain the causes for Revolt of 1857 in detail.
Answers
Explanation:
An uprising in several sepoy companies of the Bengal army was sparked by the issue of new gunpowder cartridges for the Enfield rifle in February 1857. Loading the Enfield often required tearing open the greased cartridge with one's teeth, and many sepoys believed that the cartridges were greased with cow and pig fat.
Revolt of 1857
India was under British rule for 200 years. The fight for independence was not easy & certainly not won in a day. Many revolts were won & lost that led to the moment of independence for India. One of the major was the Sepoy Mutiny aka Revolt of 1857 that is also known as the first war of independence and the first rate of freedom fighters of India. In this blog, you will learn about the revolt of 1857, its causes & failures and how it became the harbinger of other Indian National Movements.
Introduction to Revolt of 1857
Revolt of 1857 was first started on May 10, 1857, by sepoy mutiny in Meerut. The revolt lasted for a year but was unsuccessful. The revolution brought many changes that were needed at that moment. A major highlight of this revolt was that it abolished the East India company in India. Central & northern parts of India took part in the revolt of 1857. There were various reasons that bundled up the Indians. It was also known as the Sepoy Mutiny, the Indian Mutiny & the Great Rebellion.
Revolt of 1857 Causes and Effects
The main cause of the Revolt of 1857 was the end of company rule and the establishment of direct rule by the British government in India.
Causes of the Indian Revolt of 1857
The 4 major causes of the sepoy mutiny in 1857 were based on political, economic, military & social causes. Here are all the details.
Political Causes – In the late 1840s, Lord Dalhousie imposed the Doctrine of Lapse. Under this, no ruler will be allowed to adopt any child & only true & natural heir has the right to rule. The political cause was the extension of British policies like the Doctrine of Lapse. If a ruler dies without a male heir & is under east India company it will be annexed.
Economic Causes – The peasants & farmers were affected by the various British reforms. They were forced to pay heavy taxes & the ones that were unable to pay the taxes or loans had to surrender their lands to the Britishers. Constantly Indians have to compete with the British industry machine manufactured goods with Indian handicraft goods.
Military causes – The Indian sepoys were paid less than European sepoys. Indians were considered menial & European sepoys were given much importance in terms of salary, pension & promotion.
Social Causes – East India company abolished Sati pratha, child marriage & encouraged widow remarriage, at that time it was considered as a threat to Indian traditions. Britishers wanted Hindus & the Muslim religion to be converted into Christianity.