How did the political factors lead to the 1st war of Indian independence
Answers
The revolt of 1857 has a extraordinary place in the history of India. This event is known by different names such as, “the Sepoy Mutiny”, “The Indian rebellion” and the “First war of Indian Independence”. This was the first joint revolt against the British. It was the end result of the already simmering discontent of Indians against the policies of East India Company. The British historians called it “Sepoy Mutiny”, whereas the nationalists termed it as the “First war of Indian Independence”.
Causes of 1857 Revolt
POLITICAL CAUSES
The imperialist policy of the East India Company was an important factor. The Company interfered in the internal matters of Indian States and followed the policy of divide and rule. The subsidiary alliance and the Doctrine of Lapse of Dalhousie angered Indian Princes. The policy of Doctrine of Lapse was applied not only to Princes but also big Zamindars. Because of all these reasons Kings, Princes, their courtiers and disbanded soldiers and tenants were enraged with the British.
ADMINISTRATIVE CAUSES
The British introduced a new system of administration by which they replaced the traditional system. So many local administration personnel became unemployed and so turned against the British. The introduction of “Rule of Law” and “Equality before Law” was looked upon with suspicion by the traditional Hindus and Muslims, who were governed by the laws of Dharmshastras and Shariyat. Indians were not allowed to get higher jobs in the administration, and the salaries paid to them were far less than those of their English counter-parts. This was against the policy of equality before law which the Britishers professed.
ECONOMIC CAUSES
The East India Company followed a policy of exploiting India economically. They utilized the sources and wealth of India for their own ends. After Industrial Revolution imports from England augmented. The British created monopoly on trade in their favour. They converted India into a supplier of raw materials and a market for their finished goods. This resulted in unemployment of Indian artisans and craftsmen. Thus traditional handicrafts suffered. The land revenue policies of the British were detrimental to the farmers.
SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS CAUSES
The British considered that they belonged to a superior race and used to humiliate the Indians. They passed the Social Reforms Act which developed suspicion in the minds of both Hindus and Muslims. Because Hindus and Muslims thought that Sati, child marriage, animal and human sacrifices and purdah were part of their religion, so they were unhappy with the British.
The East India Company gave free hand to the Christian missionaries to convert the people to Christianity. These missionaries were active in schools, hospitals, prisons and market places, in the spread of Christianity. They were intolerant towards Hinduism and Islam and openly critical of these religions. The spread of English education and culture through missionaries and convents alarmed the Indians who were now anxious about the survival for their religions. The religious preachers like Mullahs, Moulvies and Pandits played an notable role in spreading hatred against the British.
MILITARY CAUSES
Indian soldiers in the British army were looked down upon by their English officers. They were paid low salaries and not promoted above the rank of subedar. According to the General Service Enlistment Act of 1856, Indian soldiers could be posted anywhere overseas in the British Empire. This was against their religious belief. Hindus believed that crossing the sea was a sin. The Indian sepoys were more in number than the British soldiers which gave a sense of self-confidence to the Indians. There were more than 75000 soldiers in the British army from “Awadh”. These soldiers were enraged when Awadh was annexed to the British Empire on the grounds of maladministration by Nawab Wajid Ali.
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 rumour 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.