THE

REVOLT
OF 1857
By the first half of the nineteenth century ,
the East India Company had brought
major portions of India under its control.
100 years after the battle of Plassey,
anger against the unjust and oppressive
British government took the form of a
Revolt that shook the very foundation of
British Rule in India.
 THE SANNAYASI AND FAKIR REVOLTS-
The first resistance to British misrule and exploitation came from the Bengal
peasants. It extended for 40 years from 1763 to 1800. It started in Dacca but
spread like wildfire in the districts of Bagura , Malda , Rangpur , Dinajpur ,
Mymansingh , Faridpur and Cooch Behar. The revolt was led by the likes of
Bhawani Pathak , Devi Chaudharani , Majnu Shah , Chirag Ali and Musa Shah.

 THE FARAIZI MOVEMENT-

The Faraizi Movement occupies a significant place in the history of peasant
revolts in India. It left a deep influence on the Muslims of Bengal and continued
from 1818 to 1906. This movement drew strength from the poor Muslim
peasants. The main leaders were Hazi Shariyat Ullah and Dudu Mian.
 THE BARASAT UPRISING-
In Bengal, the Wahabi Movement found its leader in Mir Nishar Ali or Titu Mir. He
declared end of British rule in extensive parts of Barasat and proclaimed himself as
Badshah. He strated raising taxes of Taki and Gobardanga. He built a bamboo
fortress at Narkel Beria village and set up his headquarters there.

 THE SANTHAL REVOLT-

The Santhals were a hardworking , peace loving and simple community , living
mainly off agriculture in the dense forests of Bankura , Midnapur , Birbhum ,
Manbhum , Choto Nagpur and Palamou. The permanent settlement system
brought these lands under the company’s revenue control. Two brothers , Siddhu
and Kanu , rose against these dreadful activities and on 30th June 1855 , 10,000
Santhals assembled at the Bhagnadehi fields and pledged to establish a free
Santhal state.
1. Economic causes
The most important cause of popular discontent was the British policy of
economically exploiting India. This hurt all sections of society. The peasants
suffered due to high revenue demands and the strict revenue collection policy.

2. Political Causes
The British policy of territorial annexations led to the displacement of a large
number of rulers and chiefs. The vigorous application of the policies of Subsidiary
Alliance and Doctrine of Lapse angered the ruling sections of the society. Rani
Lakshmi Bai and Nana Sahib became bitter enemies of the British and led to the
revolt in their respective territories.
3. Social Causes
The social reforms introduced by the British were looked upon with suspicion by
the conservative sections of the Indian society. Reforms such as abolition of
‘sati’, legalization of widow remarriage and western education to women were
looked upon as examples of interference in the social customs of the country.

4. Religious Causes
A major cause of the outbreak of the revolt was the fear among the people that
the British government was determined to destroy their religion and convert
Indians to Christianity.
5. Military cause
The Indian sepoys were looked upon as inferior beings and treated with
contempt by their British officers. They were paid much less than the British
soldiers. All avenues of the promotion were closed to them as all the higher
army posts were reserved for the British.

6. Immediate cause
Discontent and resentment against British rule had been growing among the
Indians for a long time. By AD 1857, the stage was set for a massive revolt.
Only a spark was needed to set the country ablaze. That spark was provided by
as small a thing as a rifle cartridge.
The rebels proclaimed the dethroned emperor Bahadur Shah 2 as
their leader but he was the leader only in name.

Nana Saheb led the revolt at Kanpur, Begum Hazrat Mahal at

Oudh, Rani Lakshmi Bai at Jhansi and Kunwar Singh at Bihar.

Nana Saheb
 The main
centres of the
great revolt
were Delhi,
Lucknow,
Kanpur, Jhansi,
Bareilley and
Bihar.
 The Vernacular Act-
During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the "Gagging Act” had been passed by
Lord Canning which sought to regulate the establishment of printing presses
and to restrain the mad of printed mater. All presses had to have a license from
the government with distinction between publications in English and other
regional languages. The Act also held that no printed material shall impugn the
motives of the British Raj, tending to bring it hatred and contempt and exciting
unlawful resistance to its orders.
Government of India Act(1858)-
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 forced the British Government to pass the Act.
The Act was followed a few months later by Queen Victoria's proclamation
to the "Princes, Chiefs, and People of India," which, among other things,
stated, ""We hold ourselves bound to the natives of our Indian territories by
the same obligation of duty which bind us to all our other subjects."

 General Service Enlistment Act-

A major cause of resentment that arose ten months prior to the outbreak of
the rebellion was the General Service Enlistment Act of 25 July 1856. As
noted above, men of the Bengal Army had been exempted from overseas
service. Specifically, they were enlisted only for service in territories to which
they could march.
CHAPATI MOVEMENT
It was believed that the scheme of passing on chapatis or unleavened bread
over the country far and wide, as a means of spreading awareness of an
impending all-out war against the British and a signal to all concerned to be in
a state of preparedness, was devised as the revolt began.
But no one knew for sure and the British officials were in a tizzy
over thechapatis that were arriving everywhere, without any overt sign or
script and delivered by messengers who were only bidding as instructed by
another equally cipher delivery man. As harmless as it might look, the freckled
brown, round chapati — an eternal Indian culinary favourite — caused fear
and loathing among the British officers in 1857.
THANK YOU

By: Manavi binani

Mahak jain
Dhwani thakrar
Rishika gupta