THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE

OBJECTIVES OF STUDY:

● -You are required to have complete knowledge, understanding and evaluation of the causes of the
Revolt.
● -Reasons for its failure and its impacts on the Indians in general and the Muslims in particular.
● -You also must have to have an understanding of the constitutional reforms which followed.

● The war of independence was the most serious challenge to British Rule since their arrival in India. It
happened to be in May 1857, when the local soldiers broke into the prison at Meerut cantonment to free
their fellow sepoys who had refused to use the greased cartridges and were in the jail as a punishment. The
British call it ‘Mutiny, Revolt or Uprising’ and the Indians call it the ‘War of Independence’ because the
British were the foreigners who wanted to capture their homeland. This war ended in August 1858. The
British won and the Mughal Empire ended. Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal king was arrested and sent
to “Rangoon Fort” in Burma (Myanmar). His sons were blown up by the cannons and he died in 1862. War
started due to many reasons and failed also due to many. Read the following to know all.

THE CAUSES OF THE INDIAN REVOLT

Political causes:
● Doctrine of Lapse- The EIC was trying to capture the states of Jhansi, Oudh, Tanjore and Sitara
so they introduced the land grabbing potlicies like ‘Doctrine of Lapse’ and many othersby which
Indian lands could be taken by the Company in case of no male heir to the throne of the state or
mismanagement of the land was reported etc. This provoked Nana Sahib, the adopted son of the
Marhatta Peshwa and Rani of Jhansi to fight against the British.
● Mistreatment of the Mughal King- The British declared that the royal family had to move out of
the Red Fort and the successors of the last emperor were not allowed to use the title of emperor any
more. This angered many in India who felt it was the insult to their kings and joined the rebel forces
when revolt started.
● Change of Language- the British replaced the official language of India with English which caused
political, social and cultural concern and people began to suspect the intentions of the British in
future.
● Underrepresentation of Indians- Indians were under-represented in all political affairs including
opportunities of jobs and business and were not satisfied with the British policies
Economic Causes:
● No or Low ranking jobs- the British did not trust Indians very much, neither considered them fit
for high level jobs due to being uneducated. They were kept at lower positions like peons and the
messengers. They were also given low wages as compared to the British employees.
● High taxes- the British imposed heavy taxes on Indians which they could not pay. Some taxes were
imposed on the uncultivated land also which became unbearable for poor Indians. The defaulters
were punished and disgraced often.
● Destruction of Local industry- the factory made superior British goods flowed into the local
markets and the local goods could not compete with the imported ones. The British goods were of
better quality and cheaper as well due to the economy of scale. As a result, the local goods could not
be sold in the Indian markets. Industry suffered and the local artisans became jobless. Poverty and
frustration began to prevail in the lower classes of society.
● Monopoly in Trade- British had full control on the trade because they didn’t have to pay import
duties. Ports were free for them and the Indian markets were flooded with imported goods. Local
goods were produced manually, were expensive and of low quality.

Religious Causes:
● Religious-Christian Missionaries were spreading their faith in India with full support of the British
government. Indians believed that their faith was in danger as many were being lured, bribed or
forced to convert into Christians. The common Indian and the sepoys in the British army were
worried about this.
● Banning Suttee- the British disrespected the Indian religion and culture, they put ban on Suttee, a
Hindu custom which angered the Hindu community. Though it was a cruel and inhuman custom, yet
it was in practice since centuries in India and the British had to have respect for local culture.
● Co-education and banning veil upset the Muslim community.
Social Causes:
● Superiority Complex- the British had no respect for Indian culture which annoyed those who were
concerned, for example some buildings had sign boards which read, “Dogs and Indians are not
allowed”.
● Change of language was also an objectionable move of the British which created suspicion about
the British designs in India.
● Greased Cartridges/Immediate cause:
● The British introduced a new rifle in January 1857, using gun powder packed in paper cartridges. It
was greased from inside with cow and pig fats to keep the powder dry and safe from the damp. It
had to be bitten with teeth before use, so the Indian soldiers were upset on the use of fats of these
two animals because cow was a sacred animal for Hindus and pig was abhorrent to Muslims.
In March, 1857,Mangal Panday, a Hindu sepoy was court-martialled for defying his British officers
and was executed at Barrakpur, Calcutta. Two months later, some sepoys broke into a prison at the
Meerut cantonment to release their fellow men. They sacked the whole camp and killed all
Europeans present in the cantonment area. After this the revolt started in other areas too.
Events of the war of independence

● January 1857: the British introduced a new cartridge containing gunpowder which was greased
from inside with the cow and pig fat.

● March, April at Barrakpur , Kolkata: March 18 57, Mangal Pandey defied his officers and was
hanged to death as a punishment .

● 8 April, 1857, Mngal Pandey was executed at Barrakpur, Kolkata.

● 6 May at Meerut: 85 Indian soldiers out of 90, refused to use the cartridges and were court-
martialled and jailed for 10 years. Their uniforms were stripped off their bodies in front of civilian
crowd. It sent a wave of annoyance to all who were present or knew it later.

● May 10, the Native sepoys sacked the Meerut cantonment and freed their fellow sepoys from the
prison. They killed few British officers and civilians. The war started.

● 11May, at Dehli, the mutineers reached Dehli and captured it. Bahdur Shah Zafar was proclaimed
the Emperor of India and became the symbol of unity. By September, the English forces recaptured
Dehli, arrested the Mughal Emperor, killed his sons in front of him and sent him to the fort of
Rangoon( present day Yangoon), where he died in 1862.

● June-December, 1857 at Kanpur: Nana Sahib defended the town of Kanpur till December, but
could not match the might and resources of the British. He lost the battle and the British captured
Kanpur.

● March 1858 Lucknow captured: the British captured Lukcknow by fighting with the locals in
March.

● June 1858 at Jhansi:Rani of Jhansi, Lukshmi Bai fought with Great Spirit from March till June
along with Tatya Topi but their velour could not match the superior discipline and resources of the
British and lost to them by 18 June.

Main areas of the war

● Meerut , Dehli, Kanpur , Luknow , Allahabad and Jhansi were the main areas of the war. Meerut
and Dehli were captured by the sepoys, Kanpur, Jhansi and Gawaliar were saved by Rani of Jhansi
and Tantya Topi and Wajid Ali Shah resisted in Luknow. The rest of India was calm and quiet.
Why did the War of Independence fail?

Weaknesses of the Mughals

i- Mughal king was already under the protection of the British so could not oppose them openly
ii- The Mughal army was not fully trained, disciplined and well equipped
iii- True freedom fighters were lesser in numbers, majority of the people were opportunists,
fulfilling their vested interests, looting and plundering
iv- Local rulers were not interested in restoring the Mughal Empire, only few fought but could not
resist for long, some were killed like Rani of Jhansi and some ran for life like Nana Sahib and
Tantya Topi.
v- Lack of support to Bakht Khan from Mughal family, who was leading the rebel forces
vi- Mughals had no naval force and no contacts with the outer world to seek diplomatic and
military help.
vii- Many educated people were not in favour of this uprising like Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and
wanted the British to continue ruling India for an indefinite time.

Strengths of the British

i- The British were resourceful and more focused. They had full control over the
revenue of India
ii- They had disciplined army, superior weapons and single objective
iii- They had superior military leadership, perfect planning and abundance of resources like
transportation and ammunition supplies
iv- They had already won the support of many local rulers who were either neutral or in their
favour, e.g. Punjab remained aloof from the whole venture and Kashmir sent 2000 troops to
help them.
v- They had a strong navy that had surrounded the whole Indian coastal line.
vi- They had better diplomatic skills to win support of the local rulers or to make them stay
neutral.
 Consequences of the War of Independence

After the war was over, the British began to punish all those who they thought were involved in the war.
Many were executed and transported to unknown places for further investigations.

For mutineers in general, of course the consequences were horrible. The British government wanted to
clean up India of all those who were part of the revolt in one way or the other. They arrested all the
suspects; Hindus and Muslims and hanged them at different places. Many were transported to unknown
places for further investigations.

For Muslims, the British were harsh and hostile.

Muslims were the main target of British whose crime was to be Muslims because they believed that
Muslims, who had been ruling India for the last 1000 years, were the prime suspects of the war, so took
harsh measures to deal with them.

● They were thrown out of good posts, disarmed and degraded and their political and social
status was also damaged.
● Their children were disallowed to get a good education and they were also denied religious
freedom.
● They were disarmed and reduced to poverty so that they could not think of revolting against the
British in future.
● Their economic, social and cultural downfall was the primary objective of the British
● They supported Hindus against the Muslims knowing their natural differences against
each other.
● Therefore, Muslims were living at the mercy of the British and the Hindus.

For Hindus, the British had a soft corner

● They favoured the Hindus by giving them jobs and good education in India.
● Hindus were more trustworthy people than Muslims.It was not surprising that the British were good with
them because the Hindus also welcomed them as their new masters along with their culture.
● The British wanted to please them in order to keep the Muslims under threat. It worked well for
British rule till the beginning of the Twentieth century.
● The wave of nationalism began to take shape
Despite the fact that the British favoured Hindus in all walks of life against the Muslims, they did not feel
very happy with the British way of ruling. A wave of nationalism began to rise in both the Hindus and
Muslims. First they remained loyal to the British but later realized that the British had enslaved them for
their benefits. By the end of 19th century, a radical group began to demand that the British should leave
India. This was quite worrying for the British and they decided to support Muslims to counter the Hindu
extremists. Therefore, in the beginning of 20th century, Muslims formed their own political association and
the struggle for Independence started. Finally Pakistan and India came into being as two separate states in
the sub-continent.

● The INC was the first political association of the Indians, established in 1885, 28years after
the War of Independence.
● The AIML was the political party of the Muslims, established in 1906, after 49 years of British
and Hindu oppression.
● The Indians learnt new ways of life, the old monarchies were forgotten and democratic system of
government was being introduced in India.
● The Hindu Muslim unity was achieved and perished a number of times, testing the possibility
of living together as one nation which gave way to the Two-Nation Theory.
● Political struggle started which ended at independence in 1947.
● The Muslims got rid of the British as well as the Hindus and Pakistan emerged as the
largest Muslim state in the world.
● It was, no doubt, a blessing for the Mluslims of India.

A PART QUESTIONS:
1: What was the war of Independence 1857?
The last and powerful, yet an untimely and unplanned attempt of all Indians to get rid of the British
hegemony is known as the war of Independence 1857. The British call it Indian Revolt and the Indians, the
freedom struggle. This war started from Meerut cantonment in May 1857, when Indian soldiers broke into
the prison to release their fellow seepoys from the jail who had been punished for refusing to use the
greased cartridges. First, the Indians took control of some areas but soon the British re-captured them. At
the end, the British Raj was established in India in August 1858.
Q.2: What was the importance of the war of Independence 1857?
It was important for Indians and the British both. The British realized their strengths and the Indians
their weaknesses. It enabled the British to take effective measures to consolidate their rule in India and the
Indians began to look forward to learning modern knowledge and the English language as a respectable
means of survival under the British Raj. New ways of life opened to them and development began to take
place. The freedom struggle began and the Indians learnt modern ways of politics from the British which
enabled them to achieve independence in 1947.

Q.3: Describe the issue of Greased Cartridges.

In January 1857 the British introduced the Greased Cartridges for a new riffle. These Cartridges
contained gun powder & were coated from inside with the cow and pig fats. Cow and the Pig were both
special ones for Indians. Pig is considered as the dirtiest of all the animals and Islam does not approve of
Muslims to use its meat, blood, or even its rearing or trading is not allowed in Islam where as cow is the
sacred animal for Hindus. They worship and consider it as their mother. It hurt their sentiments and they
refused to use the cartridges. They were jailed and executed. It was how this issue became the immediate
cause of the War of Independence.

Q.4: Who was Mangal Pandey?

Mangal Panday was a Hindu sepoy. When he came to know that “greased cartridges' ' were actually
coated in cow and pig fats, he refused to use them and defied his officers. He was Court Martialled and then
executed on 8th April 1857 at Barrakpur, Calcutta, but he set an example for others to disobey the wrong
and insulting orders of the British officers and paved the way for the War of Independence 1857.
 Q.5: Who was Rani of Jhansi?
She was one of the bravest leaders of the war of Independence. Her real name was Luxmibai and
she was the female ruler (Rani) of the state of ‘Jhansi’. When the Revolt started at Meeruth, she preferred to
fight for the defense rather than surrender to the British. She was a fierce fighter on the battlefield. She
captured Gawaliar from the British but died fighting with the British Army dressed up as a man.

Q.6: Who was Lord Dalhousie?

Lord Dalhousie was the Governor General of India between 1848 and 1856. He was an ambitious leader
and a good administrator who made policies to gain for the British, as much lands of India as possible. He
annexed the provinces of Sindh, Punjab and Oudh in 1843, 1849 and 1856 respectively. He took the
decision to oust the Royal family from the Red fort of Delhi. He was the creator of the ‘Doctrine of Lapse’
His policies annoyed the Indians because he deprived them of their basic human rights in their own
homeland. He was the master mind of the ‘land grabbing’ policy of the British.
Q.7: Describe how war of Independence started in 1857.

The local soldiers were deeply hurt by the introduction of the greased cartridges and refused to use them.
The sepoys were court martialed, maltreated and were given death sentences and long prisons. On 2 nd of
May 1857, their fellow sepoys attacked the jail at Meerut cantonment and freed the imprisoned soldiers.
They killed all English officers, soldiers and families present at the garrison. It was the beginning of the
War. They then marched towards Dehli and captured other areas on the way. Some local rulers supported
the rebels and the Revolt started.
Q.8: What happened at the battle of Kanpur? (J2011/P1/2a) [4]

Date 5-25 June

At Kanpur, the troops got rebellious and killed their British officers. They were led by Nana sahib who was against the
British as the British had stopped his pension. A british force managed to fight with rebellions for some time but they
surrendered on the promise that they would not be hurt. However, they were attacked by the forces of Nana Sahib who
killed almost every soldier, women and children. Four soldiers and hundred women and children survived who were
taken as prisoners. When the British captured the city, these British were also killed. In retaliation, the British also
massacred the people of Kanpur but they could not arrest Nana sahib.
B PART QUESTIONS
Q.1: Explain three reasons for the war of Independence in 1857.
[J 2000 Q1 (b)] [7]
HINTS: Land grabbing and annexation
programs annoyed the local
Social reasons, Indians were considered as
rulers and landlords.
an inferior race by the British and they
The Issue of Cartridge triggered the uprising at
were converting them into Christians.
Meerut.

SUGGESTED ANSWER:
The war of Independence started because the Indians were deeply hurt by the British attitude that
they considered them as inferior as dogs. Indians were not allowed in many buildings under British use
but to add more insult some contained the instructions which read “dogs and Indians are not allowed”.
They considered themselves as a superior race that had the right to rule the locals. The British enjoyed the
immunity in India from being charged by the court of law against certain crimes if they were
committed against Indians, even murder.

Lord Dalhousie took charge of India as Governor General in 1848 and began to grab Indian Lands
under various schemes. ‘Doctrine of Lapse’ was the most important of all under which local kingdoms had
to be annexed by the British if their rulers did not have their own male heirs. Apart from this, important
provinces like Sindh, Punjab and Oudh were also annexed by the British in 1843, 1849 and 1856
respectively which angered a large number of Indians and they supported the revolt in1857. The Greased
Cartridges issue was the most important and the immediate reason for the war. The British introduced a
new rifle. For this the gunpowder was packed in a cartridge which was coated from inside in the Cow and
Pig fats. When the local soldiers came to know that cow & Pig fats were used in them, they refused to use
them. They were court martialed and were sentenced to long imprisonments and executions which finally
caused the war.
Q.2: Why did the war of Independence of 1857 fail?
[J 2002 Q2 (b), N 2007 Q2 (b), N 2009 Q1 (b)] [7]
HINTS:

(i) Disunity and lack of coordination in the

freedom fighters.
(ii) Lack of planning, funds and absence of common
goal.
(iii) Better discipline and equipment of the
British and support from some local
rulers.

SUGGESTED ANSWERS:
The war of Independence failed on account of various reasons. Most important was disunity and lack of
coordination in the commanders of the liberation army. Since whole India was not at war with the British,
only Delhi Meerut Gawaliar, Ahmadabad and Lucknow with surrounding areas were involved. Proper
coordination and timings were not observed which caused failure. Another reason for the failure was the
lack of planning and resources, weak leadership of the last Mughal Emperor and acute shortage of resources
caused great problems for the rebels. There was no common goal for which the Indians were fighting;
many people joined the revolt for their personal interests. Looting, plundering and quenching the thirst of
their personal rivalries were also seen as evidence to the fact that Indians were not fighting for the freedom
from the British, there were other objectives also.
Superior discipline of the British army and modern weapons were also remarkable facts. The Indians
were using their traditional weapons and were not the trained soldiers. They had joined out of their
emotions or other interests. Many local rules sided with the British like Kashmir sent 2000 troops to help
the British and Punjab was not involved in the war. These all facts put the British in better position and the
war of Independence failed to achieve its objectives.
Q.3: Why did the Indians not achieve independence in 1857? [7]
(N2011/P1/2b)
The Indians could not achieve independence in 1857 because they were weaker than the British. The
British had superior army which was well disciplined, well trained and well equipped with modern
weapons. The local rebel forces comprised of some opportunist elements and some sepoys who had
rebelled against the British army due to greased cartridge issue. Their goals were not common but they
were fighting for their vested interests. Some had joined the freedom army for looting and plundering and
the others to quench the thurst of their old rivalries. Punjab were disinterested in this war and Kashmir sent
2000 troops to help the British army.
There was lack of military leadership and coordination in the local army because the royal family had no
consensus on this war, secondly the princes were afraid that in case of victory, who will take the throne
and/Or what will happen if lost. Therefore, old Bahadur Shah was not able to command the freedom
fighters effectively.

Q.4: Why did the British take tough measures against the Muslims after the war of Independence? [7]

SUGGESTED ANSWER
The British took harsh measures against the Muslims because they considered them the prime
suspects of the war. The British were really surprised by the uprising because it was unexpected and
untimely effort on the Indian’s part. They suspected the Muslims most for this uprising because they had
been ruling India for the last 1000 years. Therefore, once the war was over, they took tough measures
against Muslims so that they could not create such a trouble again. They needed no proof to punish them,
only being Muslim was enough crime. They were deposed from key posts, deprived of their lands and
basic rights as citizens and were disarmed as well despite the fact that all Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs were
at the forefront of the uprising.
Another reason for harsh treatment of Muslims had a political reason behind. Hindus were 75 – 80% of the
sub-continent and had welcomed the British education as well as their leadership quite earlier. Now, they
wanted to please the Hindu majority by ignoring Muslim interests in all walks of life. Their scheme was no
doubt successful and Hindus welcomed them as their new Masters. They carried out their duties under the
British control and Muslims suffered till the advent of the 20th century.
Q.5: Why was the war of Independence of 1857 a blessing for Muslims of the sub-continents?

SUGGESTED ANSWER:

The war of Independence came as blessings for Muslims because they began to unite due to harsh
treatment of the British. The British thought they were the main culprits of the war and discriminated
against them in all walks of life. Muslims were deposed from high posts, their children were denied good
education and they were reduced to a poor and helpless minority in India. They began to realize their
weaknesses of the past being ignorant, selfish and lazy, awoke their conscience. They forgot their
differences and came closer to each other to take the shape of a nation. Some prominent leaders like Sir
Syed Ahmed Khan took special notice of their position and tried to bridge the differences with the British.
It helped to create a sense of nationalism in the Muslims.

In the beginning of the twentieth century, the relations improved and the Muslims began to organize
politically. Growing influence of the Indian National Congress forced the British to support Muslims
in order to counter it. The political journey of the Muslims was marked by the partition of Bengal,
Muslims felt confident and AIML was founded in the following year. It was the beginning of the struggle
for the achievement of the Muslim homeland, Pakistan. Muslims had learnt a lot to settle down with the
British and were now ready to launch political campaigns for their better and respectable future in India.
This strength eventually turned into Pakistan Movement and under the dynamic leadership of Quaid-e-
Azam they achieved their own Muslim homeland Pakistan in 1947. It was all due to the great uprising. We
can say that there would be no Pakistan in 1947, if there was no war of Independence in 1857.
Therefore, the War of Independence was a blessing for Muslims.
 C PART QUESTIONS:
Q.1: Was the introduction of Doctrine of lapse in 1852 the most important reason for the War of
Independence in 1857? Explain your answer.
[J 2001 Q1 (c)] [14]
HINTS: -Explain two more causes of the war.
-Explain the negative impact of Doctrine of Lapse. .
-Conclusion giving your judgment

SUGGESTED ANSWER:
War of independence of 1857 did not break out in a day or two. There are many long term and short term
causes which forced the Indians to take up arms against the British. Doctrine of Lapse was one of the long
term causes of the war. In 1852, Lord Dalhousie introduced many policies in order to gain control over the
Indian lands. It was the most important that disheartened the Indian rulers and created annoyance.
According to this Doctrine, British would annex the local states if their rulers failed to produce their own
male heirs. It was not a fair rule because if not a male, a female child can also be a successor of her father’s
property. It was considered as an unfair mean to grab the lands of local rulers and to colorize India. This
policy hurt the Indian ruling elite and they felt deprived, so supported the mutiny.
Annexation of Sindh, Punjab and Oudh one after the other worried the Indians. They were in no doubt as
to what game were the British going to play against them.
They captured Sindh in 1843 for no reasons, Punjab in 1849 and Oudh in 1856. In most cases their actions
were not justified in the light of humanity because they were power drunk and had decided to get complete
hold of the sub-continent. Despite the fact that the rulers of their areas had maintained good relations with
the British, they violated all rules of Justice and didn’t even care about the public opinion. Thus war of
Independence became their last attempt to save their authority over their lands.
However, a short term and even the most immediate cause was the introduction of greased Cartridges. In
January 1857, the British introduced a new riffle and for it new cartridges were also introduced
containing gun powder to be used in that weapon. These cartridges were coated from inside with a kind of
fat in order to keep the powder dry. It was rumored that cow and pig fat was used in them. These animals
have special status to Hindus and Muslims respectively. The cow is a sacred animal for Hindus and the pig
is the most unclean of all animals for Muslim which they cannot even touch. Therefore, the sepoys
refused to obey the orders of their British officers regarding the use of these cartridges. On April 8, Mangal
Pandey, a loyal sepoy refused to use the cartridge and was executed, many were imprisoned also at
Barakpur. On May 10, at Meerut cantonment, some sepoys broke into the jail and released their fellow
soldiers. During their mission they killed all their British officers and even British civilians as well. It was
the beginning of the War of independence.
Therefore, the Greased cartridges issue was the most important cause of the War of Independence. Had
it not happened, the Indians might have tolerated the rest of violations as they had compromised with the
British to a greater extend and many important figures like Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, who was the supporter
of the British rule in India and was against the ‘untimely war’ against them.
 Q.2: “The War of Independence of 1857 achieved nothing”. Give reason why you might agree
and disagree with this statement. [N 2002 Q1(c)] [14]

HINTS:
Agree:Indians lost their lands and power, lives and prestige.
Disagree:
Sense of nationalism began to grow which
organized Indians politically to achieve freedom
from the British.
Conclusion giving both views of the War of Independence.

SUGGESTED ANSWER:
War of Independence broke out in 1857 as an accident when Indian sepoys refused to use the
greased cartridges because they were coated in the cow and pig fat. It was not a planned war neither was
it timely. Many moderate Muslims, including Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, were of the opinion that it was an
untimely and undesired attempt against the British. They were in full mood to control India because they
had been preparing for it since a long time under the nose of Mughal rulers as well as the local chiefs. On
the other side, the locals had been on a compromising end and not strong enough to fight the British.
Therefore, they lost to the British on all fronts. One year of this discoordinated struggle added insult to the
injury and India became the British colony. Most of Hindu and Muslim rulers were deprived of their
properties. Some supported them for their interests and the rest of them became British slaves. The British
executed hundreds of thousands of the Indians for the sake of their discipline and many disappeared from
the face of the earth in the name of liberty and independence. The Muslim community paid
the highest price for this venture. It was a terrible experience for them as they were considered the prime
suspects of the war. They were discriminated against in economic, political and social spheres of life
and were deprived of their basic rights as human beings as well. Their children were denied good
education in schools and good jobs in the offices. Therefore, the Indians achieved nothing out of this
war except losing whatever they possessed in the name of honour and authority, wealth and
properties.
However, it was not such a bad experience if we look into it with a positive approach. The
war of independence achieved much more than Indians could have expected otherwise. The failure of the
war of Independence brought them closer to each other. A sense of nationalism began to grow in the
Indians and Hindu Muslim unity was achieved. No doubt, it perished later, but both the nations became
aware of their political rights. Political parties were formed and rather than the street fights, the
constitutional struggle for Independence began. Modern education and love for technological
advancement grew. Indians accepted the British education system in India which helped them in their
struggle for independence. New schools, colleges and universities were opened in India and the Indians
were introduced to the new world of science and technology. However, it was not until the twentieth
century that the Indians began to reap the benefit of English rule. The British, unlike the Mughals, ruled
India more effectively and efficiently. Law and order was restored and religious liberties were given as
long as they did not threaten their rule. Though not very effective, Indians participated in the local
government bodies to rule over the vast Indian territories. People were introduced with the new system of
government as Democracy and the old Monarchies were forgotten along with old, unfair and inhuman
practices like Suttee. For all these reasons we can say that War of Independence proved instrumental for
Indians to realize their right of freedom and helped to achieve it in 1947. Though it took a long time, yet it
was possible for the Indians to get rid of the foreign rule. The Muslims got a double bonus; the
independence from both the British and the Hindus and their own Homeland which was their dream.
Q.3: The War of independence of 1857 was caused by the greased cartridges incident only” Give reasons
why you might agree and disagree with this statement. [J 2003 Q1 (c)] [14]
HINTS:
Agree:
● Explain the cartridge issue in detail
highlighting its importance as an
immediate cause of the War.
Disagree:
● Give at least two more effective & deep
seated reasons for the war of
Independence.
Conclusion:
● War of Independence was not the result of
a single factor. Many were the reasons
which resulted into war but greased
cartridges issue was the most immediate
one.

SUGGESTED ANSWER:
The greased cartridges incident was the most unfortunate and mysterious one which caused the
Indian Revolt in 1857. It was unfortunate because it caused great loss to the lives, properties and the
honour of Indians and the mysterious one because why did the intelligent and the wise British
command issued such controversial cartridges. They knew about the sentiments of Indian soldiers about
these two animals i.e. the cow and the Pig. Come what may, the Indians would not use the cartridges
made up of cow and the Pig fat. Whatever the reasons, this issue became serious. The sepoys refused to
touch these cartridges so they were court martialled, imprisonment and even sentenced to death. It was in
May 1857 that the British imprisoned the Indian soldiers at Meerut cantonment, the next day, their
colleagues attacked the prison, released them out and killed all white people in the cantonment area
including civilians, ladies and children. After this they marched towards Dehli, declared Bahadur Shah
Zafar their Emperor and decided to fight till they throw the British out of India. Thus, greased cartridge
incident became the main cause of initiating the war of Independence.
However, we may disagree also with the fact that greased cartridge was the only factor that caused the
war. Because the War of Independence was not a personal rift between two small groups. It was a massive
revolt against the most powerful and most resourceful European power. There were other deep seated
reasons which led the Indians to rise against the British.
One of the major causes of the war was British attitude towards Indians. They always considered Indians
as an inferior race and did not respect their cultural and religious values. This attitude and discrimination
was obvious in the courts of law as well as in the government and military departments. The British had
great privilege in all domains of legal and social life. Continuous humiliation by the foreign rulers in
addition to the meager means of living became vital concerns of Indians.
Economicinjustice prevailed everywhere; there was a great difference in the salaries of English and the
local soldiers. Due to the Industrial Revolution in England, Indian artisans became jobless and
unemployed. Nobility and landlords were afraid because the English Government was snatching their
lands. Rajas and Maharjas were also uneasy because their states were being annexed under one charge or
the other. Under such uncertain conditions the War of independence became a way out of their insecurity
and deprivation.
In my opinion greased cartridge incident was the most immediate one to start the war but not the only one
factor. There were other factors also which became the leading reasons for the war of Independence 1857.
Q.4:“Lack of Unity & coordination was the main reason for the failure of the War of
Independence by 1858”. Do you agree give reasons for you answer? [J 2010 Q.1 (C)]
HINTS:
(i) Explain consequences of disunity and
lack of coordination among the
freedom fighters.
(ii) Conclusion endorsing the given factor
as the main factor leading the war of
Independence to failure.

SUGGESTED ANSWER:
The war of Independence failed due to lack of unity and coordination among the Indians. It was not
a planned war. The Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar did not have any army at his command neither he
had any power or authority as ruler. He was old, weak and dependent on the British for even his own bread
and butter. When Indian soldiers broke into the prison at Meerut cantonment in order to release their fellow
sepoys, the fight broke out and they killed all white people living in the area. It was not a small matter that
British would ignore; the sepoys continued fighting and marched towards Delhi. They declared the so called
Mughal Emperor as their leader and others also joined them. This is how it became the war of
Independence. It was not the fight of the whole sub-continent, only Delhi, Meerut, Allahabad, Jhansi,
Lukhnow, kawnpur and the surrounding areas were involved in the war but due to lack of unity and
coordination, the commanders did not know exactly what was happening in other areas. Bahadue Shah
Zafar was commanding the forces at Dehli and its surroundings. Tantia Topi led cawnpur and Rani of
Jhansi headed the rebel forces at Jhansi. These people had neither close communication with each other nor
they shared one single objective. They were fighting for different aims. Disunity among Indians was
obviously seen from the fact that many Indian states supported the British during that war. Kashmir sent
2000 troops to help the British forces against the liberation army and the Punjab remained aloof from it.
 The strength of the British was another major factor which led to the failure of the war of
Independence. The British had a well equipped army with superb discipline and excellent military
command. They had modern weapons and artillery with strong navy as well. On the other hand, the Indians
were a group of rebels who were fighting in the false hope of throwing the British out with conventional
weapons under the command of local nawabs who were trying to save their own states only.

Q.5: “The establishment of English as the official language of the sub-continent in 1834 was the main
reason for the War of independence of 1857”. Do you agree or disagree? Give reason for your
answer. [J 2007 Q2 (C)] [14]
HINTS:

(i) Explain the consequences of English as national

language.
(ii) At least two other reasons for the war of
Independence to be explained.
(iii) Conclusion to be given, highlighting most
important reason.
However, it was not the main cause of the war, some social and political reasons had deeper effect on the
people. For example, Indians were not considered equal to the British. They were considered as inferior race
and were treated unfairly in all fields of life. They were not given high positions in the civil and military
administration and were also paid low salaries as compared to their British counter parts. Lord Dalhousie
introduced Doctrine of lapse in 1852 in order to grab Indian lands. The local rulers of the princely states
were very upset because the British government was taking their states and properties under the so called
‘rules’. In fact after the annexation program started Indians were in no doubt as to what was the intention of
the British. Therefore, it created in them, a sense of insecurity and deprivation which caused great uprising in
1857.
Till 1857, there did not seem any planning or possibility of such an armed conflict with the British. It was
only in January when British government introduced a new riffle which used new cartridges. These
cartridges were coated in cow and pig fat and the sepoys refused to use them. On this issue many soldiers
were sentenced to death, many were imprisoned and even transported to un known places. At Meerut
cantonment, near Delhi, many Indian Sepoys were imprisoned and their fellow Indian soldiers attacked the
jail, released their countrymen and killed
all British officers and civilians in the town. It was in fact the beginning of the war of Independence.

In my opinion, greased cartridges were the main factor leading to the Revolt. It was the most important and
immediate cause of the war of independence 1857.
Q.6: Religions factors were more important factors than any other in causing the war of
Independence of 1857-58. Do you Agree? Explain your answer. [N 2008 Q1 (C)]

HINTS:

(i) Explain religious causes like spreading Christianity

banning suttee and veil.
(ii) Explain economic and one other factor of the war.
(iii) Conclusion giving most important cause of the
war.

SUGGESTED ANSWER:
Religion has been one of the most powerful factors of man’s life since beginning. The people of the sub-
continent were in practice of two major faiths Hinduism and Islam and had their rich cultures. When the
British came to India, they began to influence the Indian culture. For the purpose they brought Christian
missionaries into India and began to spread Christianity. All major races living in India including Hindus,
Muslims and Sikhs felt threatened by the introduction of missionaries and believed that they would
eliminate their religions. Therefore, an extreme dislike had developed in the society against the British.

Another religious factor which became a reason for the war of Independence was abandonment of
suttee and reservations about veil or (parda). Suttee was an old Hindu custom in which a widow had to burn
herself alive on the funeral pyre of her dead husband. This custom was in practice in the high class Hindus
and Brahmans being custodian of the Hindu religion, posed a bitter threat againt the ban on it. similarly veil
was observed by Muslim women as a
commandment of Allah Almighty. For certain reasons it was not allowed which created anger and fear in
Muslims
 However, there were other causes of the war as well. Economic condition of local sepoys and other
government servants were not impressive as that of the British. General public also suffered because of the
Industrial revolution in England. English goods sold cheaper in the sub- continent and the Indian artisans
faced very odd circumstances because they could not complete the British goods in cost and quality. As a
result their small industries closed. On the other hand, British used to engage Indian lands for the
cultivation of only “Raw Materials” for their industry in England and did not bother to grow food crops for
the local population. Therefore, millions of Indians died in famines caused by the selfishness of the British.
When all these atrocities, injustices and exploitation came into the notice of masses, a general discontent
and disapproval grew for the British rulers, therefore, the Revolt became inevitable. Land grabbing policies
of the British also became a vital cause of the war of independence. When Lord Dalhousie began to annex
Indian lands under various excuses including “Doctrine of Laps” under this doctrine any Indian ruler who
failed to produce his own male heir, British Govt. would annex his state.

So I can say that religious factors were one of the main causes for the war of Independence but not
the most important ones. There were economic and political factors which are more responsible for the war
of independence then the religious ones.

Q.9: The War of Independence was a blessing in disguise for the Muslim of the sub-
continent”, do you agree? Explain your Answer. [New Question]
OR
The War of Independence 1857 led to the establishment of Pakistan in 1947”, explain if
you agree or disagree.

HINTS:
(i) Crushing defeat, humiliation and insult moved the Muslim community to gather.
(ii) Nationalism was born and political struggle began which resulted at the creation of Pakistan.
(iii) Conclusion, summing up the long term benefit of the war.
SUGGESTED ANSWER:

The war of Independence of 1857 had two types of impacts on the Muslims, short term impacts and long
term impacts. Short term impact was not less than a nightmare. They were declared the prime suspects of
the war and were subject to economic, political and social discrimination. They were removed from key
positions and their status as ruling elite of the past decreased rapidly in the society. Hindus were insightful
enough to bridge their differences immediately after the war and became the camp followers of the British
but Muslims suffered in all walks of life because the British thought that they were Muslims only who
initiated the war and would definitely try to regain their position in future. For these reasons, they took all
possible measures to keep Muslims, weak, illiterate and disarmed, therefore the defeat in the war together
with humiliation and insult left Muslims at the mercy of the British. This particular condition forced
Muslims to become united and think about the future.
In the beginning of the 2th century, both Muslims and the British realized the importance of each other.
They removed the tension between them which existed since 1857. A new wave of nationalism began to
grow in Muslims and they formed their own political party “All India Muslim League” in 1906. It was the
time when British Government was looking forward to rule India smoothly. For the purpose, they allowed
Muslims to organize politically so that they could play their role in the system that British were going to
introduce in India in future.
All India Muslim League developed the idea of self rule in India and later the Quaid-e-Azam and Allama
Iqbal realized the idea of a separate homeland for Muslims. Imperial rule of the British, a narrow
mindedness of Hindu leaders and the congress rule of 1937 – 39 taught Muslims that ‘Pakistan’ was the
only solution of the problems of the Indian Muslims. So it became a reality under the leadership of dynamic
Quaid-e-Azam in 1947.
It can, therefore, be said that the War of Independence was a blessing in disguise because it was the War
and the War only which enabled the Muslims to think about having their own homeland in the sub-
continent. Pakistan would not have come into being if there had been no war of independence.