The Indian Mutiny of 1857-1858: Causes and Consequences Under the administration of the Marquess of Dalhousie (Governor-General 1848-56), the last of the independent Indian states, including the wealthy Muslim state of Oudh, were annexed by the British. To consolidate this new territory, some degree of Westernisation was introduced: an Indian railway and road system was developed and the first three Indian universities were founded, creating a tier of higher-caste men educated according to the
By the year 1857 the British had established complete political control of India. As Western education was introduced and missionaries eroded Hindu society resentment among Indian people grew and it was joined by unease among the old governing class when the British decided to formally abolish the Mughal Empire. The mutiny of the Sepoy (native troops in the British army) began on May 10, 1857, when Indian soldiers who had been placed in irons for refusing to accept new cartridges were rescued by
the East India Company. In 1818, the British controlled most of the Indian subcontinent and began imposing their ideas and ways for its residents, including different succession laws that allowed the British to take over a state with no successor ad gain its land and armies, new taxes, and monopolistic control of industry. The British also collaborated with Indian officials to increase their influence in the region. “The Indian independence movement was a mass-based movement that encompassed various
What was more arguably revolutionary about the 1857 mutiny were the actions directed at the socio-economic situation of India at the time. All the scholarship maintains that the EIC had a very deep impact on the economic and social life’s of everyday Indian people during its tenure, in particular its affect on the people of the annexed regions. The Hindu Patriot of Calcutta reported that “there is not a single native of India who does not feel the full weight of the grievances imposed upon him by
Revolution of 1857 illustrates both the bias interred in colonial history and Western assumptions about Indian society. Appearing in The London Quarterly Review, the first article characterizes the revolt as a barbaric mutiny against modernity and order. The second source, written by V. D. Savarkar, argues that the Revolution of 1857 unified India against dictatorial colonial rule and heralded the future struggle for Indian independence. The London Quarterly Review IX, published in October of 1857, is emblematic
How did Britain’s relationship with India change as a result of the 1857 Rebellion? (Word Count: After the arrival of Lord William Bentinck in 1828 at Calacutta, this began the “unprecedented era of reform and innovation in India” that was led by the British Empire . During the early stages of this era, Britain passed many reforms and policies that made considerable refinements towards India’s the educational and administrative system, through doctrines of liberalism and evangelicalism .
HOW SHOULD THE INDIAN MUTINY BE CHARACTERISED? SHOULD IT BE SEEN AS A POST PACIFICATION REVOLT, A NATIONALIST UPRISING, OR AS A WAR OF INDEPENDENCE? Any discussion on the reasons behind the Indian mutiny needs to be preceded by what the mutiny actually was. While mutinies and revolts were not uncommon in India at this time, they were usually largely uncoordinated. The mutiny of 1857 however, was different. Here was a major convergence of various strands of resistance, and an expansion of scale
The Indian Mutiny and the Taiping Rebellion are both indigenous reactions to globalization; however, each rebellion differs in its’ method and purpose. During the 19th Century globalization was on the center stage. Western nations were expanding aggressively and industrial goods and ships were reaching every part of the world. Great Britain was at the helm of this conquest. It had taken control of India and was also becoming a heavy influence in Asia, especially China. While Britain’s main motivation
This investigation seeks to discover whether or not the Sepoy revolution in 1857 had a sufficient impact on India’s rise to independence and separation from the British Empire. The Sepoy revolution was a revolution of the Sepoy soldiers in 1857, and complete independence from the British Empire was not achieved by Indians until 1947. Therefore, did the Sepoy revolution catalyze their rise to independence, or was independence inevitable? The impact of the Sepoy Revolution will be found by looking
The 1857 uprising marks India’s initial war of independence. The revolt is attributed to the efforts of disgruntled sepoys, Muslim elites that were dissatisfied with British rule, and the organization of a number of Indian leaders. The main reason for the war is that the Indians were dissatisfied with British efforts to erode their traditions, especially following the introduction of Christianization. Indians intended to get back what they to Great Britain. Though the Indians thought that