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UPSC » UPSC CSE Study Materials » Modern Indian History » The 1857 Revolt

The 1857 Revolt

The revolt of 1857 was the first independent war that was organized and widespread all over the British India Region against British rule in India.

Table of Content
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The revolt of 1857 was organized by multiple revolts against the British East India Company that was formed in different parts of India as well as it. In the initial period, the revolt of 1857 was started against the torture and the regulation of unjust rule for the common people as well as small traders of the British India region. In the contemporary time, the Indian Mutiny was formed which was a great rebellion against British rule in India. The principal reason for the revolt of 1857 was the expansion of different British policies that seemed to torture the tribal people and the farmers by collecting an excessive rate of land revenue from them.  

The revolt of 1857: Overview

The revolt of 1857 was the ultimate result of the application of the typical British technique “Doctrine of Lapse” which was planned by Lord Dalhousie in the late 18th century. As per this technique, the British rulers reduced the power of native rulers of the British India region like Zamindars and Avitaja category people. The rapid spread of Western Civilisation in the Indian continent was also another reason for the revolt of 1857. 

The immediate cause of the revolt of 1857

  • The Portfolio system was another significant typical British technique that related to the Indian Councils Act to suppress the power of the native rulers of India
  • The immediate cause of the revolt of 1857 included the method of using the new gunpowder cartridges that were brought for the Enfield rifle in the Sepoy Mutiny and the rumour was spread that greased cartridges were made from cow or pig fat. Therefore, both Hindu and Muslim Sepoy did not want to use gunpowder cartridges of the Enfield rifle in the Sepoy Mutiny
  • Another immediate cause of the revolt of 1857 was the annexation of Oudh. In 1856, the British East India Company captured Oudh which was later renamed Awadh, and in that annexation, the Indian sepoys had lost their perquisites and the rapidly increasing land revenue system in the Indian continent.
  • Mangal Pandey was one of the most important leaders of this revolt who led the revolt At Barrackpore as the Indian sepoy refused to obey the guidance of Lt. Baugh.

The leaders of the 1857 revolt

Leaders 

Their role in the 1857 revolt

Mangal Pandey

He was the leader of the 1857 revolt at the initial stage that occurred in Barrackpore. Mangal Pandey was in the 34th Bengal Native Infantry as a sepoy who rebelled against the officers of the British East India Company for the mutiny. 

Bahadur Shah II and General Bakht Khan

These two leaders led the 1857 revolt in the central region of India like Delhi. The main revolt against colonialism was against British rule. General Bakht Khan was one of the commanders in chief of Indian rebel forces in the initial period of the “Anti-British Indian Mutiny”.  

Nana Sahib and Tantia Tope

Both leaders of the Bengal Sepoy mutiny led the Indian troops against the East India Company. They did not have proper military training but they collected a lot of sepoys to form a rebellion against colonialism against British rule.  

Rani Laxmibai

She was the first and most important leader of the 1857 revolt that was mainly formed in Jhansi. She proposed a stiff resistance against the invading British forces and held a later nationalist in the British India region. Rani Laxmibai wanted to get recognition for her adopted son Damodar Rao from the British East India Company. 

Conclusion 

During the late 18th Century, the “Hindu law of inheritance” was greatly suffered and widespread Christianity was seen in the British India region. British rulers prepared a plan for the transformation of religion from Hinduism to Christianity. Different western methods were applied in the field of education for the application of British culture into the culture of India. Excessive land revenue collection by the British rulers was the principal cause and most of the time the farmers along with the small traders were not able to collect the revenue. For that purpose, the common people revolted against British rule in India. 

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Who was declared the leader of the 1857 revolt?

 There was great confusion in the context of “who was declared the leader of the 1857 revolt” and the an...Read full

What was the main cause of the revolt of 1857?

 The main cause of the revolt of 1857 was the torture and reduction of freedom of the common people in the British ...Read full

What was the historical background of the revolt of 1857?

 The revolt of 1857 was the first rebellion in the British India Region that took a massive formation all ov...Read full

What was the effect of the revolt of 1857 on contemporary society?

The principal impact of this revolt was the “Government of India Act, 1858” ...Read full

 There was great confusion in the context of “who was declared the leader of the 1857 revolt” and the answer to this question was Mangal Pandey. Apart from that, Begum Hazrat Mahal, Hakim Ahsanullah Birjis Qadir, Nana Sahib, and Ahmadullah were also important leaders of this revolt. In the Bundelkhand region, Rani Laxmi Bai had led this revolt and Raja Pratap Singh led the Kullu region revolt.

 The main cause of the revolt of 1857 was the torture and reduction of freedom of the common people in the British India Region. After the regulation of different techniques and policies by the British East India Company, the native rulers along with farmers or small traders lost their rights over their property and the rapid growth of the land-revenue-collection system influenced the people to revolt against British rule.

 The revolt of 1857 was the first rebellion in the British India Region that took a massive formation all over India. It was primarily with a few sepoys in the Barrackpore under the leadership of Mangal Pandey but a few times, the revolt spread through the British Indian region. The British East India Company started to rule over India and collected revenue from the native rulers.

 

The principal impact of this revolt was the “Government of India Act, 1858” that had a great impact on abolishing the power of the British East India Company over Bengal. The British technique “Doctrine of Lapse” was completely abolished in India. 

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