Question

What were the social causes of revolt of 1857 in Meerut by British

Answer 1

SOCIAL CAUSES :

• Racial discrimination was the prime factor. Indians suffered badly in the hands of the Europeans. There was visible racial exploitation wherein Indians were not allowed to mix with the Europeans. There was discrimination that was also carried out in public places. This generated gross discontentment against the domination of the whites in India.

• The British were also circumspect about interfering in the religious and cultural affairs of Indians. And that if there was to be any interference in their religious and cultural affairs, then that would generate widespread revolts against the British rule and the newly established British rule would be uprooted very easily.

• Until 1800, the British were thus not keen to interfere in the social and religious affairs of Indians. But, at the beginning of the 19th Century, the British began to support their bid of social reforms by the methods of legislation.

• Thus, it can be summarized that Indians began to doubt the objectives of the British since the advent of these legislations. Some glaring examples of this period are the 1813 Charter Act which conservative Indians viewed as an imposition of Christianity over them. Therefore, they sharply reacted.

• At the same time, when some of the social legislations were passed, like, the abolition of Sati, 1829 was passed by Lord William Bentinck (which was implemented across all presidencies across British India), Prohibition of child marriage, widow remarriage, etc. were all understood by Indians as a bid to impose Christianity over them.

• Therefore, in the first half of the 19th Century, the British proposal of social reform through the means of legislation- although it was directed towards the acceptability of British rule over India, conservative sections viewed this as an imposition of Christianity over them.

Thus, social factors contributed largely to the revolt which was expressed in 1857.