The War of Independence (1857)

      WAR OF INDEPENDENCE (1857)

India’s First War of Independence (1857-58), also referred to as the Sepoy Mutiny, Uprising of 1857 or Great Rebellion, and was an uprising against British rule in India, which had its roots in a variety of political, social, economic and religious factors that had built up over time. A few specific areas such as Meerut, Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow and Jhansi were the centers of resistance. The resistance disintegrated primarily due to lack of leadership and unity on the part of the Indians. It was a remarkable event in Indian history, marking the formal start of the British Raj in India as well as the initial stirrings of the struggle for independence from colonialism.

Causes of War:

The War of Independence broke out due to a variety of factors some longstanding and some more immediate. One important cause was the Doctrine of Lapse introduced in 1852, under which the British could take over kingdoms that did not have a direct male heir. The Governor General, Lord Dalhousie, was able to annex several prominent states such as Awadh using this doctrine. Then there were reforms such as replacement of Sanskrit and Persian with English as the language of official use in 1834 and the abolishment of sati, which along with the work of missionaries lead to fears that social and religious values were under threat.

Disgruntlement amongst the Bengal Army, which was recruited from Northern India particularly Awadh, also formed a basis for the uprising. As the East India Company expanded its territory, soldiers from the Bengal Army were now expected to serve in far-away territories or overseas, something that they were previously exempted from due to religious reasons. There were also issues related to the basis for promotion and low salary that served as causes for discontent in army. The immediate cause of the war was the introduction of the infield rifle in January 1857 which used greased cartridges apparently coated in cow and pig fat that lead to dissent amongst the Indian troops. The British eventually sought to recall the cartridges but it was too late, as troop uprisings had already begun.

            In 1857, British faced a serious challenge to their rule in India. This war is called war of Independence. There are many causes for this war which are:

Political:

As British extended their control they introduced many ways of grabbing land like the use of Doctrine of Lapse was introduced by Lord Dalhousie was very unpopular. The mistreatment of Mughal Emperor was also another cause and when Lord Dalhousie moved the capital from Delhi. It angered many people. English was replaced by Persian as an official language.

Religious and Social:

As the rule of British grew so did its culture. The British thought that they were Superior Culture and Disrespected the Indian culture they also did not get mixed with the Indians as they thought that Indians are uneducated and uncivilized people. This arrogant attitude and the introduction of new ways of life with railways, roads and telegraph were not accepted to many Indians. Indians thought that their religion was threat by foreigners. Christian monks had started the preaching of Christianity in the schools, offices in all over the sub-continent. These monks insulted the religion of the Indians. This angered many Indians.

Economic:

We know better that how British merchants traded with India which was very profitable for them. The British imposed high taxes on Indians and the tax collectors were corrupt and kept some money for themselves. The resentment grew when the British filled Indian market with cheap mass produced goods and many families were unable to sell their goods. The natives of sub-continent could not export their goods to Europe or any other country but the goods of British could be imported, thus this made most of the Indians poor. British also made the salary of their army (Infantry) low.

Military:

There were many Indian soldiers in the British army but not even a single one of Indian was made an officer. The British used their army to fight other countries and this was not accepted to Indians who wanted to leave their mother land. They were also rumors that The Indians were forced to convert into Christianity before they could be made the Officers.

The Events of 1857:

●      In January 1857 the British announced that they would introduce a new rifle with a paper cartridge covered with grease to keep the powder dry and before the cartridge would be loaded the end had to be bitten off. However a rumor spread that the grease was made up of Cow and pigs fat. The Sepoys were so angry that they refused to use the new rifle.

●      In March a Sepoy named Mangal Pandey defied his British officer and was executed.

●      In May Sepoys of Meerut refused to touch the new cartridge so they were put to prison but their fellow Sepoys freed them and killed all the British then the soldiers marched to Delhi and captured it. The Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar won the support of Hindus and Muslims. The War spread and British lost control of Mathura, Kanpur, Jhansi and Allahabad as well as Delhi and Lucknow. This area is now known as Uttar Pardesh. However British proved to be too powerful and quickly regained the areas they had lost.

●      In September Delhi was regained and Bahadur Shah Zafar was put into life time prison. In august 1858 the war was officially over.

Reasons for Failure of War of Independence 1857

1. Lack of Unity:

Although the whole Indian nation faced resentment against the British but the aims were different. The Muslim wanted to regain control and again set up the Mughal Empire. There was no general plan or a Leader. The princes did not want the Imperial power once again. There was no sense of patriotism and India was too dived for such a feeling. The only uniting force was Islam but the other groups opposed them which were Hindus and Sikhs as they did not want the rule of Muslim once again on the India. These were the reasons as British considered this as “Muslim Revolt”.

2. British Strength:

The most powerful country of that time and because of Industrial Resolution they had High tech weapons. The British army was well trained and was much disciplined and they were provided with large weapons and Funds by the British government. The Perhaps the major reason for the failure of this uprising was the strength of the British. The Britain was Indians were still fighting with each other and in the mean time the British use it clever techniques and weapons to crush the rebellion furthermore it had the support of some loyal states like Kashmir who sent 2000 troops to support the British win the war.

THE EFFECTS OF WAR

The failure of the war conformed the British masters of India. The war did not loosen control but rather tightened it. The East India Company was abolished and the Britain took full control of the Indians affairs. In 1877 the Queen Victoria was given the title as Empress of India and the Mughal royal family decade away. There were very cruel acts in the war as in the town of Cawnpore the Indians had murdered several British women and children to avenge their deaths the British killed anyone who was sympathetic to Indians.

They also introduced Viceroy who was known responsible for all the acts in the country. He had over thousand civil servants to help him administer the country. These ranged from highly paid judge to lowly paid junior administer. After the War the British stopped funding Muslim schools and because Muslims still were not ready to accept the British rule so they did not go in the British schools and became uneducated. This was not the case with Sikhs and Hindus and they became friendly with the British and very quickly learned to speak English. After 1857 British did not trust the Indians and thus they were not taken in the army and the British did not allow Indians to have their own weapons and thus making the further rebellions less effective. The Control of the British in India was now unchallenged.

            The scale of the punishments handed out by the British "Army of Retribution" were considered largely appropriate and justified in a Britain shocked by reports of atrocities carried out against British and European civilians, and local Christians by the rebels.

            Bahadur Shah was tried for treason by a military commission assembled at Delhi, and exiled to Rangoon where he died in 1862, bringing the Mughal dynasty to an end. In 1877 Queen Victoria took the title of “Empress of India” on the advice of Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli.

            The rebellion saw the end of the East India Company's rule in India. In August, by the Government of India Act 1858, the company was formally dissolved and its ruling powers over India were transferred to the British Crown. A new British government department, the India Office, was created to handle the governance of India, and its head, the Secretary of State for India, was entrusted with formulating Indian policy. The Governor-General of India gained a new title, Viceroy of India, and implemented the policies devised by the India Office. Some former East India Company territories, such as the Straits Settlements, became colonies in their own right. The British colonial administration embarked on a program of reform, trying to integrate Indian higher castes and rulers into the government and abolishing attempts at Westernisation. The Viceroy stopped land grabs, decreed religious tolerance and admitted Indians into civil service, albeit mainly as subordinates.

            Essentially the old East India Company bureaucracy remained, though there was a major shift in attitudes. In looking for the causes of the Mutiny the authorities alighted on two things: religion and the economy. On religion it was felt that there had been too much interference with indigenous traditions, both Hindu and Muslim. On the economy it was now believed that the previous attempts by the Company to introduce free market competition had undermined traditional power structures and bonds of loyalty placing the peasantry at the mercy of merchants and money-lenders. In consequence the new British Raj was constructed in part around a conservative agenda, based on a preservation of tradition and hierarchy.

            On a political level it was also felt that the previous lack of consultation between rulers and ruled had been yet another significant factor in contributing to the uprising. In consequence, Indians were drawn into government at a local level. Though this was on a limited scale, a crucial precedent had been set, with the creation of a new 'white collar' Indian elite, further stimulated by the opening of universities at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras, a result of the Indian Universities Act. So, alongside the values of traditional and ancient India, a new professional middle class was starting to arise, in no way bound by the values of the past. Their ambition can only have been stimulated by Victoria's Proclamation of November 1858, in which it is expressly stated that "We hold ourselves bound to the natives of our Indian territories by the same obligations of duty which bind us to our other subjects...it is our further will that... our subjects of whatever race or creed, be freely and impartially admitted to offices in our service, the duties of which they may be qualified by their education, ability and integrity, duly to discharge."