War of Independence

• 1857- series of uprising to throw off shakles of British dominance

• British call it the Indian Mutiny / Muslim Revolt
• Indians call it War of Indepenece
Social and Educational:

Action:
• British considered their own culture superior and felt its their duty to spread it
• Warren Hasting oversaw the construction of roads, bridges and canals. Courts were established
• Minute on Education: Edward Macaulay’s modern approach with English medium schools to spread English
education and western ideas. Co-education
• Anglicization – westernization : replacement of Persian by English as official language
• Introduction of railways and telegraph

Reason for WOI:

• Muslims – shunned western education, did not include religious education, alternate to maktabs , co-education not
acceptable
• New services viewed with suspicious
• Sense of “white supermacy” apparent in many British fuelled anger amongst locals
Religious:

Action:
• 1795: British banned Female infanticide, declared it murder
• 1803: controlling Thugees - in central and upper India, group of armed robbers, looting and murdering on pretext
of serving a Goddess, they had a ritual way of murdering this victims
• 1833 – Christians missionaries were sent to India to set up school where they also taught western ideas and
religion and expected locals to give up their religion and convert
• Suttee: Christian missionaries outlawed the practice first in Bengal and then the rest of the country

Reason for WOI:

• Threat for religion of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs
• Resented intervention in religion and old tradations
Economic:
Action:
• High taxes- Britain making profits
• Destruction of textile industry – taxes on local goods made British good cheaper
• Period of plunder -1800, all export of cotton cloth from India stopped, only raw cotton was
shipped,made into finished product and sold to India.
• Drain of wealth – Exorbitant salaries of EIC, Revenue collected from local people, bought goods
that were then shipped out of India to Britain (raw material out of India)
Reason for WOI:
•Indians being exploited – Indian merchants suffered who relied on making and selling cloth, Lack of
investment , English textile industry flourished while Indian industry collapsed, farmers forced to
grow more jute and cotton.
•Some corrupt tax collectors kept money for themselves
Political :

Action:
• Doctrine of lapse
• Royal family from the Red Fort moved to obscure Qutub Sahib
• Charter Act of 1833 – Indians can be part of civil service by passing exams, which were in English
• 1835 – English replaced Persian as official language

Reason for WOI:

• Seizure of Oudh misusing DOL proved that British were greedy land grabbers
• Disrespect of Mughal emperor
• Lack of opportunities for locals in civil service
Military:

• Action:
• Soliders, and sepoys Indians with British officers
• Sepoys salaries low
• Rumors of focred conversian to Christianity
• Solider sent to fight in Afghanistan
• Introduction of new rifle with a cartridge covered in grease

• Reason for WOI:

• Resentment as Indians couldn’t obtain higher ranking army position
• Sepoys resentment
• Hindus didn’t want to leave “Mother India”
• Cartridge covered with pig and cow fat – Indians refused to use it
 Causes of the WOI

Political Religious & Social Economic Military

Seizure of Oudh Threat for religion of Indians being exploited • Resentment as
misusing DOL proved Muslims, Hindus and – found it difficult to pay Indians couldn’t
that British were greedy Sikhs high taxes obtain higher ranking
land grabbers army position
• Sepoys resentment

Disrespect of Mughal Indians considered Some corrupt tax Hindus didn’t want to
emperor inferior race, collectors kept money leave “Mother India”
for themselves

Lack of opportunities for New ways of life Cartridge covered with

locals in civil service unacceptable to the pig and cow fat – Indians
Indians refused to use it