War of Independence

 Introduction
 The Revolt of 1857 which is called “Sepoy Mutiny”, ”Great Revolt” and
the First War of Independence is the watershed in the history of Pre-
Independent and early colonial India.
 Before analysing the causes of war of Independence, it should be
remembered that the soldier alone were not involved in the events of
1857.infact the entire population of India energetically participated in
the war
 The mass uprising of the people of Indo-Pakistan against the British rule
in 1857 was not a spontaneous reaction of alien rule but the eruption of
the volcano of discontent that had kept smouldering for about a century.
The causes of the War of Independence were political, economical,
social, religious and military.

 CAUSES OF WAR OF INDEPENDENCE

 POLITICAL CAUSES

 The English East India Company got strongly implanted in the Sub-
continent after its historic victory over Nawab of Bengal in the Battle of
Plassey fought in 1757.
 They left no stone unturned in wiping out all the traces of Islam and the
Muslims from the country. After defeating the Muslims politically, the
English colonial rulers now started a well organised campaign to defame
the history, culture and religion of the Muslims. The history books which
were prepared and compiled under their patronage presented a distorted
picture of the Muslim history. These books portrayed the Muslims as
barbaric, brutal, wild, uncultured whereas the Hindus were depicted as
innocent and oppressed.
 The main political cause for the great revolt of 1857 was the policy of
Doctrine of Lapse. It was an annexation policy purportedly used by Lord
Dalhousie as per which any princely state or territory under the British
East India Company would automatically be annexed if the ruler died
without a male heir.
Lord Dalhousie further aggravated the situation by issuing a decree
stating that after the death of Bahadur Shah Zafar he would have to
vacate the red ford and would not be allowed to use the title of Emperors
for themselves. As a result their states were annexed when they died
 without issues. Lord Dalhousie annexed many states through Doctrine of
Lapse which created a great sense of insecurity among the princes and
the general public. They became suspicious of the British policies.

 ECONOMIC CAUSES OF THE WAR

 The destruction of local industry, large scale unemployment, monopoly of
trade by the English were some important economic causes of the war.

 Destruction of Local Industry: Due to Industrial Revolution of England

cheaper and superior goods flowed into the markets of the Sub-continent.
The local industry could not compete with the imported stuff and suffered
badly. Millions of people were left jobless. This resulted in frustration
among the lower classes.
 Unemployment: The British did not trust the Indians. As a result they
were not appointed on important jobs and high posts. This policy resulted
in unemployment for the educated classes. The policy of annexation to the
British Empire also left thousands of people jobless.
 Court Fee Stamps: The English Government declared court fee
compulsory to be paid in the form of court stamps. Thus the people were
denied the right of free justice. The general public greatly resented this
action.

 RELIGIOUS CAUSES

 Propagation of Christianity: Although at the outset the English had

shown respect towards all religious yet with the passage of time they
changed their mind and devised ways and means for the propagation of
Christianity in Indo-Pakistan. The Government officials often became vocal
in their intentions to convert the locals to Christianity. Mr. Mangles
chairman of the Directors of the Company while speaking in the House of
Commons said:

“Province has entrusted the extensive empire of Hindustan to England in order

that the banner of Christ should wave triumphant from one end of India to the
other. Every one must exert all his strength that there may be no dilatoriness
on any account in continuing in the country the grand wok of making all
Indians Christians.”

 Anti-religion Laws: The British Government enacted many laws which

wee contradictory to the fundamentals of various religions of Indo-
Pakistan. For example, rape was declared a civil offence. It greatly
aroused the feeling of the Muslims. Similarly the widow remarriage act
offended Hindu religious sentiments. The abolition of the age-old Hindu
custom of Sati produced the dame results.


 
 MILITARY CAUSES
 Disbanded armies of annexed states: The Company annexed many
states to the British Empire under ‘Doctrine of Lapse’ and
misgovernment. The British disbanded the armies of the annexed states
resulting in thousands of unemployed local soldiers. Consequently a
number of families were rendered economically distressed. These policies
created a class which wanted to get rid of the British rule.

 Dearth of English troops: In the middle of the 19th century most of the
British troops were stationed in Punjab where they wee deployed during
and after the conquest of Punjab. Similarly the Crimean War had ended in
1856 but the English troops had not returned yet. Eventually the number
of troops in Bengal and central parts of the country was very small but the
ratio of the Indian troops had increased in the Company Army which tilted
the balance in favour of the natives and they were encouraged to launch
the War of Independence.

 Greased cartridges: The use of greased cartridges proved as the

immediate cause of the war. It was rumoured that the cartridges were
greased with the fat of the cow or pig. This situation agitated the religious
feeling of both the Muslim and Hindu soldiers and created widespread
discontent among the native soldiers. Keeping with their religious beliefs
they refused to use these cartridges.

 The immediate cause

The immediate cause was the introduction of Enfield rifles. There
was a rumor that the cartridges to be used for the rifles were
greased with the fat of cows and pigs. This sparked off the Mutiny. 

 OUTBREAK
 In April 1857, some soldiers stationed at Meerut cantonment refused to
use these cartridges. Instead of settling the whole dispute peacefully, the
Company sentenced the rebel soldiers to ten years of rigorous
imprisonment. The remaining soldiers of the regiment then also joined the
rebellion and by May 1857, the whole city was engulfed in the flames of
this rebellion.
 The mutinous soldiers marched towards Delhi and on reaching there on
May 11, declared their support for the government of Bahadur Shah Zafar
The flames of this rebellion soon reached Lucknow and Kanpur. General
Bakht Khan, Rani Jhansi, Tantia Topi. Nana Sahib and Ahmad Ullah Shah
displayed unprecedented gallantry on their respective fronts. However,
the Company successfully put down the rebellion with the help of the
Sikhs, the Gorkhas and other loyalist factions.
 CAUSES OF FAILURE OF WAR
The war of independence of 1857 failed to achieve its immediate political
objectives. Following were the causes of this failure.

 Lack of Leadership and Discipline: The freedom fighters fought mostly

in independent groups at different places led by leaders of their particular
regions. There was no leader who could single handed lead all the groups.
The revolutionaries lacked discipline. Thus their efforts could not get the
required momentum.

 Lack of unity: There was no unity among the freedom fighters. They
fought independent of one another. As a result they could not assemble
their resources against a common enemy. They were defeated at different
places. On the other hand the British fought the war of their survival with
dedication and purpose.

Lack of Resources: The freedom fighter lacked resources of all types. They
were short of equipment and food-stuffs. They had to face well equipped and
well-organized enemy The Mughal Emperor had no treasury to support the
war.

 Return of British troops from Crimea: The War of Crimea ended in

1856. The British troops fighting there were free to return to the sub-
continent. The War of Independence started in 1857. In the beginning the
Company had to depend on the few soldiers present in the country. But
soon afterwards the surplus troops from Crimea poured into Indo-
Pakistan. These troops were experienced and equipped with latest
weapons. The balance of war tilted in favour of the English. The freedom
fighters fighting without formidable resources could not avoid the
inevitable defeat for long.

RESULTS
The War of Independence 1857 despite its failure changed the entire political,
social and economic outlook of the sub-continent. The British were forced to
revive their policy. Some important effects of the war were as under.

 Immediately after the war, through the Queen’s Proclamation of 1858, the
crown took over the control of Indo-Pakistan from the English East India
Company. Lord Canning the last Governor General of the East India
Company became the first Viceroy of the British Government in India.
Consequently the Indians were placed on equality with the subjects of the
British crown.

 The British Government abolished the Doctrine of Lapse the rules of the
states the right to adopt their heirs.

 The policy of annexations was totally abandoned. Rulers of the sates were
guaranteed that there would be no more annexations.
 The memory of this war kept alive the hatred for the English in the hearts
of the Indians. RC. Majumdar has very rightly observed that the memory
of the war and not the war itself, did more damage to the cause of the
British rule. After their failure in the War of Independence, the Muslims of
India, entered a new-phase of their history