“What was the Most Important Factor Leading to the Indian Mutiny of 1857?”
Shariq Khan
Word Count:
Plan of Investigation:
This investigation is to determine what caused the Indian Mutiny of 1857. In order to determine the origin, the investigation will evaluate the various factors which have been proposed as to why the Indians mutinied. The factors which will be assessed include the British East India Company’s expansionist economic policies, cultural and religious clashes including British evangelism, and comparatively poor treatment of Indian Sepoys within the British army. Interviews and modern analysis from British and South Asian sources on the subject will be assessed. An interview with Dr. Hassan and “Raj: the Making and Unmaking of British India” a book by James Lawrence will be evaluated for their limitations and values with respect to their origins and purposes. Finally, an analysis will be done to assess the most important cause of the rebellion. This investigation will not assess forces outside of India (such as in Britain) for their relevance and importance to the mutiny.
Summary of Evidence:
There had been a history of smaller mutinies of Indian soldiers against the British army. There were at least 4 in the previous half century. Two of these rebellions were caused by Sepoys being asked to perform tasks which they considered to be for lower castes. Evangelism was practiced by the British East India Company in all of their colonies, including India. Indians believed that the British were trying to convert them to Christianity. The British outlawed child marriage and other religious practices#. Beginning in 1856, many officers started to force Sepoys# to listen to Christian sermons.
In 1857, the Sepoys we...
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The “Sepoy Rebellion”/the first Indian war of independence did not start from one crucial event that may have triggered it all. This rebellion/war was a product of many small and big situations adding up. When the British East India Company first took over, they started with restricting the Indian ocean trade, which was a heavily relied on, as a source of income and goods in India. This restriction largely impacted and made a new economic structure. With the Indian trade restricted, the British benefited. The British Production system was able to flourish because they were able to use the Indian trade routes to export their goods. Most people living in India, at
...ary units of the imperial Roman army, as auxiliary units were integrally involved in the Batavian Revolt. Chapter three examines the Batavian Revolt itself, summarizing the events of the revolt and providing analysis. Part two focuses on the Sepoy Rebellion, and consists of chapters four, five, and six. Much like chapter two, chapter four provides an overview of the East India Company's Bengali sepoy regiments. Chapter five addresses the major causes of the Sepoy Rebellion, and summarizes its events and participants. Chapter six provides a short historiographical review of three Indian texts on the Sepoy Rebellion, exposing the reader to Indian interpretations of the events. Finally, part three consists of chapter seven, which is a comparison of the major similarities and differences of Batavian Revolt and Sepoy Rebellion, and serves to highlight key aspects of both.
This exchange of European control sparked a two year long “Great Rebellion,” an attempt made by Indians to end the Raj — or British Imperialism. With the help of Indian princes and many other local leaders, the British controlled over 300 million Indians (Insert Internal Citation Here). The Raj was solely used a...
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James, Lawrence. Raj: The Making and Unmaking of British India. New York: St. Martin's, 1998. Print.
Thousands of years ago, Indian society developed into a complex system based on different classes. This system was known as the Caste System. It separated Indians into different castes based on what class were born into. As thousands of years went by, this system grew larger and became further complex (Wadley 189). This system caused frustration for the Indian citizens because they were receiving inequality. Not only did the inequality and separation of the Indian society frustrate the citizens of India, but the imperialism Britain had upon them as well. In the early 20th century, Indian nationalists wanted to take a stand against the British rule and make India independent. The British created unfair laws that created a nationalist movement
3. Morris, Richard B. The Indian Wars. United States: Lerner Publications Corp., 2000. P. 2-36. Print.
The Sepoy Rebellion or the Indian Mutiny of 1857 rattled the British. Most of the Indian army was Hindu and they were taught that they will be defiled if they eat any part of a cow or pig. The Sepoy Rebellion was caused by the removal of the Muslim king of Oudh, Christianity being forced upon Muslims and Hindus, and the new rifle cartridges.
Yadav, Sanjay. “The Indian Mutiny Of 1857: Why Britain Succeeded And The Rebels Failed” Journal of Asian History 28, no.2 (1994): 136-153.
As a direct result of the Sepoy Mutiny, the Indian presence in the British army was reduced to almost a half of what it had been. Also whereas before Indian regiments had been allowed to exist separately, they were now incorporated to be part of larger British regiments. High caste Hindus and Brahmins were stereotyped as dishonest, because of their role as provokers and their nationalist sympathies. The opposite can be said of such groups as the Sikhs, who were portrayed as model citizens and soldiers.
Khan, Yasmin. The Great Partition: The Making of India and Pakistan. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press, 2007.
The mutiny, regarded by many as India's first War of Independence, was to have important consequences and the structure of British India was to be re-organised extensively. Increasingly, India came under direct Crown rule as the British East India Company was dispossessed of its functions and, in 1877, Queen Victoria was crowned Empress. Despite the severity of European reprisal as each territory had been regained and its subsequent defensive proposals of military alteration, a measure of conciliation had been introduced to administrative policy. Integration of the higher castes and princes was now considered important, land policy was revised and plans for radical social change were shelved.
The decision to grant independence to India was not the logical culmination of errors in policy, neither was it as a consequence of a mass revolution forcing the British out of India, but rather, the decision was undertaken voluntarily. Patrick French argues that: “The British left India because they lost control over crucial areas of the administration, and lacked the will and the financial or military ability to recover that control”.
Ikram, S. M. Modern Muslim India and the Birth of Pakistan, 1858-1951. Lahore: Sh. M. Ashraf, 1965. Print.