1857 REVOLT

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 A PROJECT ON
• UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF :-
“1857 • MRS.MAMTA PATRA MA’AM
• SUBMITTED BY:-
REVOLT”
FOR THE PARTIAL • POOJA RANI BEHERA
FULFILLMENT OF • DEEPIKA KUMARI YADAV
“ XIi HISTORY • SHASHIKANT TIWARI
PROJECT 2022-2023”
• KANIKA DAS
• SHEETAL GOND
 INTRODUCTION:-
• From 1757-1857 British conquests and made rapid expansion of their
dominion in India.
• The ruling classes were dispossessed of their powers.
• the company’s Indian soldiers were discontent with their low pay.
• By 1857 conditions were ripe and a mass uprising started which accumulated
in the FIRST WAR OF INDEPENDENCE.
• The revolt began on May 10,1857 at Merrut as a sepoy mutiny.
• The war was initiated by sepoys in the Bengal presidency against the British
officers
POLITICAL CAUSE:-
1.POLICY OF EXPANSION:-
The battle of Plassey (June 1757) , the East India company’s territorial power increased rapidly .
The British tried to expand their political power by four ways:-
(a) By outright war:-the battle of buxar(1764) established the British as masters of Bengal , Bihar
and odisha .
(b) Subsidiary alliance:- it was introduced by lord Wellesley.
It was an agreement between the British east india company and the Indian princely state .
By which the state loss their sovereignty to the British.
(c)Doctrine of Lapse:- lord Dalhousie annexed many Indian states by using the doctrine of lapse.
According to doctrine , if any Indian ruler dies without leaving a male heir, his kingdom would
automatically pass over to the British.
(d)On the pretext of alleged misrule:-in 1856, lord Dalhousie annexed awadh on the pretext of
alleged misrule.
By saying the awadh was misgoverned and British rule was needed to ensure proper administration.
2.DISRESPECT SHOWN TO BAHADUR SHAH:-

 In 1849 lord Dalhousie announced that successors of bahadur shah,

would not be permitted to use red fort as their palace.
 In 1856, lord canning announced that after the death of bahadur shah,
his successors not allowed to use the imperial titles with their names.

 3.TREATMENT GIVEN TO NANA SAHEB:-

 Nana Saheb was the adopted son of Baji Rao II , the last peshwa.
 The British refused to grant nana Saheb the pension they were paying to Baji Rao II.
 Nana saheb was forced to live at Kanpur , far away from his family seat at poona .
 This was widely resented in the maratha region.

4.ABSENTEE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE BRITISH:-

 India was being ruled by the British government from England , at a distance of thousands of
miles.
 Absentee sovereignty of the British rule was resented by the Indians.
SOCIO-RELIGIOUS CAUSE
1.INTERFEPERE WITH SOCIAL CUSTOMS:-
 Some social customs were introduced to improved the condition of people.
 People’s feelings were not taken into consideration.
 ABOLITION OF SATI-1829, WIDOW REMARRIAGE ACT-1856.
 Western education for girls were not welcome by people of India .

2.APPREHENSIONS ABOUT MODERN INNOVATIONS:-

 People were afraid about modern innovations like railway and telegraphs.
 Rumors were there that telegraph poles were there to hang people who were against
the British rule.
 In railway the higher castes and lower castes were made sit side by side.
 People believed that British does to defy their caste and religion.
3.POLICY OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION:-

The British considered themselves racially superior to Indians .

Educated Indians were not given appointment to high posts.
In civil services they could rise to the post of sardar ,in military – subedar.
4.FEARING REGARDING WESTERN EDUCATION:-
In 1829, the Bengal govt. established an English class in the Calcutta madrasa, which
was a Muslim institution.
English classes were introduced in Banaras Sanskrit college also.
Shifting on emphasis from oriental learning to western education was not welcomed
by the people.
They saw western education encouraging their children to become Christians and
Discouraging the traditional Hindu and Islamic studies.
5.TAXING RELIGIOUS PLACES:-
Religious sentiments of the Indians were hurt by policy of taxing lands belongs to
temples and mosques.
 ECONOMIC CAUSE
1.EXPLOITATION OF ECONOMIC CAUSES:-
Agricultural India was made an economic colony to serve British industries.
India was forced to export raw materials.
India was made to accept readymade British goods either duty-free or
At nominal duty rates .
Export of raw materials and food grains deprived India of her agricultural surplus and
raised the prices of raw materials.
2.DRAIN OF WEALTH:-
 The transfer of wealth from India to England for which India got no
proportionate economic return is called drain of wealth.
The drain included the salaries , income, purchase of military goods and etc.
 3.ECONOMIC DECLINE OF PEASANTRY:-
The peasants were discontent with the official land revenue policy.
The peasantry bore the heavy burden of taxes to provide money for trade of the company.
In Bengal , the land revenue was doubled the amount collected under the Mughals.
The traditional zamindars were replaced by merchants and moneylenders.
4.GROWING UNEMPLOYMENT:-
The traditional rulers had given financial support to scholars, preachers and men of arts.
The coming of British led to decline of such rulers .
When the native states were annexed to the British dominion, thousands of the soldiers
and officers of administrative become unemployed.
Because British polices excluded Indians from high posts.
MILITIARY CAUSES:-
1.ILL-TREATMENT OF INDIAN SOLDIERS:-
The East India Company established in India with the help of Indian soldiers.
Indian soldiers were as efficient as their British counterparts, they were poorly
paid, ill-fed and badly housed
British military forbade Indian sepoys from wearing caste or sectarian marks,
beards or turbans.
2.GENERAL SERVICE ENLISTMENT ACT :-
The British parliament passed the General Service Enlistment act in 1856.
Lord Canning brought the General Service Enlistment Act.
As , per this act, Indian soldiers could be sent overseas on duty.
The brahmin soldiers saw this a danger to their caste because it was taboo for a
brahmin to cross the seas.
 3.DEPRIVATION OF ALLOWANCE:-
The sepoys were required serve in areas away from their homes without ,
Extra payments and additional Bhatta (foriegn service allowance).
The Post Office Act of 1854 withdrew the privilege of free postage enjoyed by sepoys.
4.DISCRIMINATION IN PROMOTION:-
All the high post in employment are reserved for british .
The indian soldiers high position in the armies of native prince could not rise above
the rank of subedars.
5.LOWER SALARIES:-
The wages of the indian soldiers were inadequate to support their families.
On the other hand, the british soldiers received more than 8th times the salary of the
indian soldiers.
 IMMEDIATE CAUSE:-
In 1856, the British decided to replace the musket by the new ‘Enfield riffle’.
The loading process of the riffle involved biting off the top of the cartridge
with the teeth.
In January 1857, there was rumor in the Bengal regiments that the greased
cartridges had the fat of cow or pig.
The introduction of such cartridges was to defile Hindu and Muslims religion.
Because cow is sacred to Hindus and the pig is a taboo to Muslims.
So , the refused to used it and revolt started when they forced to use it.
Beginning of the uprising :-
On February 26, 1857, the 19th Native Infantry at Berhampur in
Bengal, refused to use the cartridges.
The sepoys feared loss of their castes and religion if they accepted
the cartridges.
As a result, Mangal Pandey, a sepoy, led an attack on the Adjutant of
the Barrackpore on March 29, 1857.
Mangal Pandey was executed after a court-martial.
DRAWBACKS OF 1857 REVOLT:-
1.Lack of planning and co-ordination.
2.The movement had no common goal before it expect for the anti-foreign sentiments.
3.The British Empire had far superior resources in terms of men, money and materials.
4.Some of the rulers of the Indian states and the big zamindars refused to join the
revolt.
5.The moment did not have nationwide dimension.
It couldn’t spread much to South India and most of Eastern or Western.
6.The uprising supposed to begin on May 31, 1857 .
 But due to greased cartridges incidents it began much before the fixed date. So , the
whole plan remained dis organized.
COSEQUENCES OF 1857 REVOLT
1.END OF THE OF THE COMPANYS RULE:-
End of the rule of the Eas