Paragon Convent School

Sector 24b Chandigarh

Class 8 (History)

Lesson 5 (The Uprising Of 1857)

B.SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

1. What were the military causes for the Revolt of 1857?

* The Indian sepoys were not satisfied with the policies of the British.
Their wages were low in comparison to those of British soldiers and
they did not get equal opportunities of promotion. Service allowance
was discontinued. They couldn't use caste marks. Every new recruit
had to serve overseas.

2. How did Awadh get involved in the uprising?

* At Awadh, the Revolt was led by Begum Hazrat Mahal wife of the
deposed ruler Wajid Ali Shah. Lucknow became centre of Revolt for
more than eight months. Sepoys, peasants, talukdars and chiefs
supported her in the revolt.

3. Briefly discuss the immediate cause of the revolt.

* A new rifle was introduced in the army in 1856. This had a cartridge
with a greased paper, which the sepoys had to bite off before loading
the rifle. The grease was rumoured to be coated with fat of cows and
pigs which was against the belief of both Hindus and Muslims. This
news spread like wild fire and sepoys all over the country were
prepared to defy the orders of the British.

4. Name the five main centres of the revolt and their leaders.

* The five main centres of revolt-

Kanpur led by Nana Sahib.

Awadh (Lucknow)by Begum Hazrat Mahal.

Bareilly, led by Khan Bahadur Khan. Jhansi-Rani Lakshmi Bai.

Arrah-Kunwar Singh.

C. LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS.

1. What were the social and economic causes that led to the uprising
of 1857?

* The British practiced the policy of racial discrimination against the

Indians. Indians were given subordinate positions in all the services.
Indians could not travel in first class coaches in a train. Besides, the
reforms introduced by the British alarmed the orthodox Indians. Sati
was declared illegal and a law regarding widow remarriage was
introduced. Women were encouraged to taken up western learning.

The economic policies of the British were not in favour of the Indians.
Land revenue policies introduced by the British made the peasants life
tough. Peasants lost their lands to money lenders. Old zamindars
were replaced by a new class, which did not care about the peasantry.
Indian artisans and craftsmen and suffered because cheaper machine-
made goods from Britain entered India. They were not taxed, while
Indian goods were. Traditional Indian handicraft industry was ruined.

2. Write a note on the nature of revolt of 1857.

* The British termed the revolt of 1857 as sepoy mutiny. It was also
called the first war of independence. Some called it a mutiny of
soldiers because it happened due to the use of greased cartridges. The
Revolt did not occur suddenly. Masses were not happy after the
British conquest of Bengal in 1763. They were dissatisfied with the
economic, political and social policies of the British. This resulted in
resentment and discontent which led to the outbreak of Revolt. It is
also called a National Revolt because both Hindus and Muslims united
against the common enemy.

3. How did the British suppress the uprising?

* The British were unnerved by the size of the revolt. They wanted
every territory back. Troops were placed under the command of Lord
Canning's best commanders- Hugh Rose, Outram, Havelock, etc.
People were massacred and villages were burnt to suppress the
revolt. Fierce battles were fought in the Ridge, Chandni Chowk,
Kashmiri Gate etc. Bahadur Shah Zafar and his family took shelter in
Humayun's Tomb. He was declared guilty of treason, murder and
rebellion and exiled to Rangoon. Tantya Tope was captured and killed.
The British announced awards to the loyal landlords to win their
support further.
4. Why did the uprising of 1857 fail?

* The uprisinging failed for the following reasons.

The whole of India was not affected by the Revolt. Rajasthan, Assam,
Orissa, Bengal and South India remained unaffected. Princely states
like Hyderabad, Rajput rulers and rolling chiefs did not support the
revolt.

In Bengal, Bombay and Madras orders were given to shoot any one
suspected of supporting the rebellion.

The British were supported by a strong government in England and a

well developed administrative setup in India, while the Indian military
techniques were outdated and the rebel leaders did not consolidate
their claims. There was no centralised leadership and most revolts
were restricted to small areas.

S5. Discuss the effects of the Uprising.

* A massive change was seen after the revolt in August 1858.The

British Parliament passed a new act and transferred the powers of
East India Company to the British Crown. A member of the British
cabinet was appointed. A Governor General, now, the viceroy was
appointed who was answerable to the Crown. In 1858, a
proclamation assured the Indian princess that no further relaxation
would be made, they were awarded titles and their traditional rights
were recognised. Number of European soldiers was increased and
they begin to follow the divide and rule policy. Strategic military
positions were handed over to British soldiers.