Revolt of 1857: Companies Response and Aftermath

The 1857 Rebellion was unexpected by the East India Company and it was on a much larger scale than they had anticipated. Due to the rebellion, the British realized that there was a possibility that they could lose their control of India. Hence they had to take quick steps before the situation got out of hand. As an extension of the same, the East India Company came in strong to quash the rebellion and further, the British Crown got involved and changed a lot of the policies to try and keep the Indians under their rule.

This article is divided into two parts; 

First, ‘The company fights back’ details what the East India company did as a response to the rebellion to re-establish their authority.

Furthermore, ‘The Aftermath’ has details of the policy changes that occurred in the aftermath of the rebellion once India was again under the British’s control.

THE COMPANY FIGHTS BACK

The scale of the 1857 uprising was unexpected by the East India Company. Taken aback, the company decided to give its all to end the revolt. Reinforcements were brought in from Britain as new laws were passed so that people who indulged in the rebellion could be convicted quickly. 

Delhi was reclaimed by the British by September 1857 and the last Mughal ruler Bahadur Shah Zafar was sentenced to life imprisonment with his wife, Begum Zinat Mahal. Bahadur Shah Zafar took his last breath in prison in November 1862. Other rulers in different parts of India faced similar fates. Rani Lakshmibai was killed in June 1858 and Lucknow was captured by the British. Rani Avantibai, although victorious at Kheri first on being surrounded by the British, embraced death. Tantia Tope initially managed to escape to the jungles in central India and continued to oppose the British through a guerrilla war with the support of tribal and peasant leaders. However, he was captured and killed by the British in April 1859. Hundreds of rebels, Nawabs, Rajas, and sepoys were tried and hanged.

Even after the British reclaimed Delhi, the rebellion did not die. Instead, one was inspired by the victories against the British which started waning in light of the defeats.

On the other hand, the British started offering rewards for loyal landholders and promised that they could continue to have the same rights over their properties as they had earlier. Furthermore, it was announced that the landholders that had rebelled but had not killed any whites, their claims to their lands and rights would not be denied, provided they submitted to the British. These were tactics that the British were using to earn the people’s loyalties.

THE AFTERMATH

By the end of 1859, the British had regained control over India. However, post the revolt, one thing was clear, the existing policies used to rule India needed to be changed. Some of the crucial changes that the British brought in the aftermath of the rebellion were as follows:-

1. A new act was passed by the British parliament in 1858 that transferred the powers regarding the management of Indian affairs to the British Parliament. Secretary of state for India was appointed from the British cabinet and given the powers relating to all matters regarding the Governance of India. The title of Governor-General of India was changed to Viceroy i.e. a representative of the British Crown. Instead of the company, the British Crown would directly be managing the Indian affairs. This was done to ensure better and more responsible management.
2. This was the end of the annexation policy. All the country rulers were assured that their territories would remain theirs and could be passed down to the heirs including adopted sons. However, they were to acknowledge the British Queen as Sovereign. This meant that now the rulers could continue to hold their kingdoms, they were all subordinate to the British Crown.
3. In an attempt to break the unity that had given rise to the rebellion, the British decided that in the Indian army, the number of Indian soldiers was to be reduced and the number of European soldiers was to be increased. Furthermore, it was also decided that more army people will be recruited from the Pathans, Sikhs and Gurkhas instead of from Central India, South India, Bihar and Awadh.
4. Blaming the Mughal rulers and in turn the Muslims, for the rebellion in large part, they were treated with malevolence and suspicion. Moreover, their lands and properties were seized on a large scale.
5. Customary, religious and social practices of Indians were decided to be respected.
6. New policies for the protection of Zamindars and Landlords as well as to protect their rights over their lands, were passed.

 CONCLUSION

Post the 1857 revolt, the British used a two-prong approach as an immediate response. They first hit back hard, ensuring that the rebellion could be quashed at its very core. This created fear amongst Indians when it came to even considering rebellion. Secondly, they offered different incentives to the Indian landholders to win their loyalty to maintain control over the Indians and ensure that there were no more rebellions in the future. 

Post that in the aftermath, the British Crown took over the governance of India, bringing it under more control of the British Queen. It made different policy changes to ensure that the Indians could be kept happy enough not to incite rebellion and ensure that they could be kept from getting back into formations that could lead to rebellion.