War of Independence (1857-1858)

Causes:

There were multiple political, religious, social, military and economical causes for the
War of Independence (1857).

: Political(Factors)

In terms of political, the British East India company wanted to annex all the states of
India such as Jhansi, Satara, Surat, Ramgarh and Oudh. Therefore, they introduced
policies such as the Doctrine of Lapse and Subsidiary alliances. According to the
doctrine of lapse, any princely state under the British East India Company would have its
princely status abolished if the ruler had no male heir or was incompetent. Lord
Dalhousie was the Governor-General of India at the time when this system was
implemented and he was the one who used this policy extensively. This the reason this
policy is associated with him. This policy was taken as a threat by the ruler of many
princely states and the Indians were not ready to accept the systems like this. As a
result, they became concerned about the plans of the British. In a Subsidiary alliance,
the rulers were not allowed to negotiate or make a treaty with any other Indian ruler
without the investigation of officials of East India Company. As a result, the British were
to protect the state from neighboring attacks but the ruler was to pay for the
maintenance of the force. If the ruler failed to make the payment, his territory was to be
annexed by the Company as a penalty.This is also known as “Non-Intervention policy”
and was introduced by Lord Wellesley, the Governor-General from 1798 to 1805. The
Indians were enraged due to these policies and they eventually stood up against the
British. Apart, the British disrespected the Mughals when they shifted the Mughal court
and the Muslims were deeply affiliated with the Mughals because they ruled India for
years. This action of the British offended the Muslims.

:Economical(Factors)

The Indians were overburdened with massive taxes and the per capita income at that
time was also very low. These measures greatly influenced the tenants who stood
against the British. The elevated status which the Indians enjoyed in
the government during the Mughal era was now over and the British denied high ranks
in the government. The industry in the Indian subcontinent was greatly disturbed
because the cheap raw materials were exported to Britain where semi-finished and
finished products were manufactured. The British sold these products to make a
great profit but the sale of local industry in India declined and Britain was not keen to
export its finished products to India. The economic policies brought massive profit to
the British but the locals were adversely affected and their sales, production and overall
trade were influenced. The agricultural sector was also disturbed because the British
did not invest in the advancement of agriculture and many fertile lands became
unproductive as well.

: Religious and Social causes(factors)

The people of India were very sensitive about their religion and they were not ready to
compromise on their faith.When they came across the fact that East India Company
was spreading Christianity in their land, they became furious and opposed these
measures of the British.The ideology of many British to “westernize” the Indian
subcontinent was met with massive criticism and the people Thomas
Babington Macaulay introduced the western concepts to the education in
India.Similarly, many Europeans believed that the Indian subcontinent to follow only one
religion and ideas like this were objected widely. Specifically, Hindu customs such
as Suttee were banned.In Suttee, the widow was burned on the funeral pyre of her
husband in order to show her affection for her. The Governor-General, William Bentinck
abolished this practice on December 4, 1829. This measure was taken as an insult by
many Hindus. For the Muslims women, Purda (Hijab) was discouraged and some
reports say that multiple mosques were also destroyed by the British which made the
Muslims rise in revolt against the British.Socially, the Indians were considered racially
inferior and they were known as “second class citizens” because the Brtish considered
them superior. They believed that it was the duty of the white men to civilize the other
communities and dominate them. This ideology created mistrust between the Britsh
and the natives.

: Military(factor)

The salary of the Indian soldiers in the Brtish army was meagre, and they were denied
higher ranks despite their services.On the other hands, the British soldiers were offered
high ranks, posts and fancy salaries and this disproportion, offended the sepoys.
Moreover, some Hindus were forced to go overseas despite their will.The problem with
this was that a Hindu cast would lose its cast if they travelled overseas but, the British
neglected these facts and adopted a harsh attitude towards the Indian soldiers.A new
rifle was introduced which had fat on it which was to be bitten off by teeth. It was
rumoured that it was made of fats of both cow and pig.In short, loading the rifle often
required tearing open the greased cartridge and many sepoys believed that the
cartridges were greased with cow and pig fat.The problem with this was that cow
is sacred for the Hindus while the pig is forbidden in Islam. Therefore, many soldiers
refused to use this rifle and as a result, the uprising started.

Summary:

• The annexation policies disturbed the local Nawabs (rulers).

• The spread of Christianity was not acceptable to Indians (religious).
• The Indian customs such as Suttee were banned (social).
• The salary of Indian soldiers was very low (military).
• Heavy taxation enraged poor tenants (economical).