what were the changes in the administration of revolt in 1857
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Changes in Administration: By the Act of Parliament of 1858, the power to govern India was transferred from the East India Company to the British Crown. The authority over India, wielded by the Directors of the Company and the Board of Control, was now to be exercised by a Secretary of State for India aided by a Council.
Under the Act, the government was to be carried on as before by the Governor-General who was given the title of Viceroy or Queen’s personal representative. The Act of 1858 provided that the Governor-General would have an Executive Council whose members were to act as heads of different departments and as his official advisers.
Provincial Administration: The British had divided India for administrative convenience into provinces, three of which- Bengal. Bombay and Madras- were known as Presidencies. The Presidencies were administered by a Governor and his Executive Council of three, who were appointed by the Crown. The other provinces were administered by Lieutenant Governor and Chief Commissioners appointed by the Governor-General.
Local Bodies: Financial difficulties led the Government to further decentralize administration by promoting local government through municipalities and district boards. Local bodies like education, health, sanitation and water supply were transferred to local bodies that would finance them through local taxes. The local bodies consisted of elected non official members, presided over by an elected non-official chairman. However, the local bodies functioned just like departments of the government as the Government retained the right to exercise strict control over the activities of the local bodies.
Changes in the army: The Indian army was carefully re-organised after 1858, most of all to prevent the recurrence of another revolt. Firstly, the domination of the army by its European branch was carefully guaranteed. The proportion of Europeans to Indians in the army was raised. The European troops were kept in key geographical and military positions. The crucial branches of artillery, tanks and armored corps were put exclusively in European hands. The Indians were strictly excluded from the higher posts. Till 1814, no Indian could rise higher than the rank of a subedar. Secondly, the organization of the Indian section of the army was based on the policy of ‘divide and rule’ so as to prevent its chance of uniting again in an anti-British uprising. A new section of army like Punjabis, Gurkhas and Pathans were recruited in large numbers.
Public Services: The Indians were excluded from the bureaucracy. All positions of power and responsibility in the administration were occupied by the members of the Indian Civil Service who were recruited through an annual competitive examination held in London. But the members of the Indians to join the coveted ranks of the I.C.S were negligible compared with that of the English entrants. The Indians suffered from numerous handicaps. The competitive examination was held in far away London. It was conducted through the medium of the alien English language. It was based on classical Greek and Latin learning. The maximum age for entry into the Civil Service was gradually reduced from 23 in 1859 to 19 in 1878.
(a) Divide and Rule; After the Revolt of 1857 the British increasingly continued to follow their policy of divide and rule by turning the princes against the people, province against, caste against caste, group against groups and above all, Hindus against Muslims. Immediately after the revolt their suppressed Muslims, confiscated their lands and property on a large scale, and declared Hindus to be their favorite. After 1870, this policy was reversed and an attempt was made to turn Muslims against the nationalist movement. The Government cleverly used the attraction government service to create a split between the educated Hindus and Muslims.
(b) Government attitudes towards educated Indians: The official used to favor the educated Indians before 1857 but their attitudes changed after the Revolt because some of them have began to use their recently acquired modern knowledge to analyse the imperialistic character of British rule and to put forward demands for Indian participation in administration.
( c) Government attitudes towards the zamindars: After the revolt, the British changed their attitudes towards the zamindars and landlords to use them as a dam against the rise of popular and nationalist movement. The lands of most of the talukdars of Awadh were restored to them. The zamindars and landlords were now hailed as the traditional and ‘natural’ leaders of the Indian people. Their interest and privilege were protected and they, in turn, became the firm supporters of British rule in India.
a) The changes introduced in the administrative set-up of the British territories in India- The most significant result of the uprising of 1857 was the end of East India Company rule and the assumption of the Government of India directly by the Crown. It transferred the power to govern Indian from the East India Company to the British Crown. While the authority over India was earlier in the hand of the Directors of the Company and the Board of control, now the power was to be exercised by the Secretary of State for India, aided by a Council.
(b) India's economic exploitation- The uprising of 1857 end the era of territorial expansion and ushered in the era of economic exploitation. India was turned into a typical colonial economy, exporting raw material and importing finished goods. The salary and allowances of the secretary of state and members of the India Council, the civil servants, and military officers were a large drain on the country's resources.
c) Changes in the Army- the India army was reorganised after 1858, to prevent the reoccurrence of another uprising. The strength of European troops in India was increased. The general principle adopted was that the number of Indians sepoys should not exceed twice that of the European troops.
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