INDIAN REVOLT OF

1857
Bakhtiar Hussain Rizvi (36)
Hassan Ashraf (07)
Mujtaba Hussain Naqvi (44)
Hammad Khan (47)
 INTRODUCTION:
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in
India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India
Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on
behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10
May 1857 in the form of a mutiny of sepoys of the
Company's army in the garrison town of Meerut, 40 mi
(64 km) northeast of Delhi. It then erupted into other
mutinies and civilian rebellions chiefly in the upper
Gangetic plain and central India,though incidents of revolt
also occurred farther north and east.The rebellion posed a
military threat to British power in that region,and was
contained only with the rebels' defeat in Gwalior on 20
June 1858.On 1 November 1858, the British granted
amnesty to all rebels not involved in murder, though they
did not declare the hostilities to have formally ended until
8 July 1859. Its name is contested, and it is variously
described as the Sepoy Mutiny, the Indian Mutiny, the
Great Rebellion, the Revolt of 1857, the Indian
Insurrection, and the First War of Independence.
 Causes Indian Mutiny or
Indian Rebellion of 1857
Indian Mutiny, or Sepoy Mutiny or Indian Rebellion of 1857, (1857–
58) Widespread rebellion against British rule in India begun by
Indian troops (sepoys) in the service of the English East India
Company.
The rebellion began when sepoys refused to use new rifle cartridges,
which were thought to be lubricated with grease containing a mixture
of pigs’ and cows’ lard and thus religiously impure for Muslims and
Hindus. The soldiers were shackled and imprisoned, but their
outraged comrades shot their British officers and marched on Delhi.
The ensuing fighting was ferocious on both sides and ended in defeat
for the Indian troops.
The immediate result was that the East India Company was
abolished in favour of direct rule of India by the British government;
in addition, the British government began a policy of consultation
with Indians. British-imposed social measures that had antagonized
Hindu society (e.g., a proposed bill that would remove legal
obstacles to the remarriage of Hindu women) were also halted.
Causes Of Failure Of Indian Rebellion:

There were several religious, social, political and economic causes which had set into motion an
atmosphere of general hatred towards the foreign government The immediate factor which led to the
outburst of the rebellion was the rumour about the cartilage of the Enfield Rifle being made out of
cow and pig fat. The revolt started in Meerut, and from there spread like a fire engulfing almost all of
North India.
There were local leaders but the revolt lacked a National level leader who could unite all the forces
and use them effectively to the enemy's detriment. As opposed to this, the British troops were well
organised and managed by talented leaders such as Havelock, Outram and Campbell. The Indian
side was poorly trained and not well armed, whereas the highly disciplined British troops were armed
to the teeth with weapons.
Secondly, Indian leaders did not have a common foresight or plan as to what they would do after the
revolt ended. They had not placed much thought on how they would run the government after the
Britishers were ousted. The rebellion was limited to North India. The Presidencies of Bengal,
Bombay and Madras did not take part in the revolt and neither did the Sikh soldiers. As a result of all
these factors, the revolt of 1857 was easily suppressed.
Causes Of Failure Of Indian Rebellion:

 Note - The main causes of the failure of

the Revolt of 1857 firstly the lack of
unity, planning and efficient leadership
on the Indian side and secondly the
organisational and military superiority of
the English side who was led by very
able and experienced generals.
 Consequences of The Revolt Of 1857
The revolt of 1857 left a deep mark on the
history of Modern India. British policy changed
after the revolt of 1857. The revolt of 1857
played a key role in shaping the Indian Empire
during the early nineteenth century. The display
of unity among the masses and revolting led the
British to rethink their very existence in India
and their way of working. There are mainly five
significant consequences of the revolt of 1857.
These consequences will be covered here.
 The main five consequences of the revolt of 1857
The main consequences of the revolt of 1857 include:

 The British crown took over as the rule of East India company ended 
 New structure for the Indian government 

 Indian army reconstruction

 The policy of annexation ended

 Beginning of the divide and rule policy

 The British crown took over as the
rule of East India company ended :

The revolt of 1857 caused the transfer of powers from the hands
of the East India Company to the crown of England. This was
achieved under the better government of India act of 1858.
Under this act, India came into direct control under the crown,
which started acting through a state secretary. The secretary was
directly responsible to the British crown. An Indian council
consisting of 15 members was created, out of which at least nine
should have served India for at least ten years. The state secretary
presided over this council. However, the central administration
continued to remain in the hands of the governor-general. The
governor-general also became the viceroy to the queen of
England.
 New structure for the Indian
government
Under the better government act, the home
government in India has to exercise the crown’s
power. The Indian council was formed by 15
members, of which nine should have been serving
India for at least ten years. This consisted of the
state secretary, assisted by the Indian council. The
court of directors elected the other six members of
the Indian council. In 1907, two Indians were also
selected as part of the Indian council. With this, the
framing of a new government with different rules
began in India.
 Indian army reconstruction
The 1857 revolt instilled fear in the minds of the
British government. They no longer assumed that
Indian people would stand by the British
government when the need arose. The British
elements in the Indian army were improvised to
ensure loyalty and support from the military.
Hence, the number of Indian soldiers in the Indian
army was drastically reduced from a total of
2,38,000 in 1857 to a total of 1,40,000 in 1863.
Simultaneously, the number of England soldiers
increased from 45,000 to 65,000.
 The policy of annexation ended

The revolt of 1857 made the British government

realize the importance of the princely states and
hence wanted to gain their support. Also, the
British were suspicious of the Russian invasion of
India under the ongoing circumstances. They felt
the need to unite the princely states and use them
during times of need. Hence, the policy of
annexation of the princely states was given up. 
 Beginning of the divide and rule policy
After the revolt of 1857, the British realized
that the unity amongst the Indians could be
dangerous for their existence and hence started
the policy of divide and rule between different
castes and classes. The Muslims were made to
fight against the Hindus, and the upper caste
Hindus were made to fight with the lower
caste Hindus. This led to a division of the
country’s people and deteriorated unity.
 Conclusion

The revolt of 1857 was a turning point in the history

of India. Although it was suppressed, it gave the
national leaders of our country a way to push
Britishers away from us. Many leaders like Mangal
Pandey and Bahadur Shah Zafar lost their lives to
the revolt. After the revolt, Britishers had to
consider revising their policies because they grew
suspicious of the loyalty of Indian soldiers and other
men. The army was reorganized, the Indian
government was given a new structure, and the
annexation of princely states was given up.