The Revolt Of 1857
Causes:
The revolt was a product of character and policies of colonial rule.
- Economic causes—heavy taxation under new revenue settlement, summary evictions, discriminatory tariff policy against Indian products, destruction of traditional handicrafts industry, and absence of concomitant industrialization on modern lines that hit peasants, artisans and small zamindars.
- Political causes—a greedy policy of aggrandizement, the absentee sovereign character of British rule, and British interference in socio-religious affairs of the Indian public.
- Military causes—discontent among sepoys for economic, psychological and religious reasons, coupled with a long history of revolts. Restrictions on wearing caste and sectarian marks and secret rumors of proselytizing activities of the chaplains were interpreted by Indian sepoys as interference in their religious affairs.
- Influence of outside wars – The revolt of 1857 coincided with certain outside events in which the British suffered serious losses— the First Afghan War (1838-42) and the Crimean Wars (1854-56).
These had obvious psychological repercussions. The British were seen to be not so strong and it was felt that they could be defeated.
Causes for failure:
- Limited territorial and social base
- Crucial support of certain sections of the Indian public to British authorities
- Lack of resources as compared to those of the British
- Lack of coordination and a central leadership
- Lack of a coherent ideology and a political perspective
Consequences:
- Crown took over the Company rule in India. Queen’s Proclamation altered administration; Army reorganized; Racial hatred deepened etc.
- The earlier reformist zeal of self-confident Victorian liberalism evaporated as many liberals in Britain began to believe that Indians were beyond reform. Thus the era of reforms came to an end. The conservative reaction in England made the British Empire in India more autocratic; it began to deny the aspirations of the educated Indians for sharing power. In the long term, this new British attitude proved counter-productive for the Empire, as this caused frustrations in the educated Indian middle classes and gave rise to modern nationalism very soon.
- While British territorial conquest was at an end, a period of systematic economic loot by the British began. The Indian economy was fully exploited without fear.
Suppression of Revolt of 1857:
- The British captured Delhi on September 20, 1857, after prolonged and bitter fighting. John Nicholson, the leader of the siege, was badly wounded and later succumbed to his injuries.
Bahadur Shah was taken, prisoner. The royal princes were captured and butchered on the spot, publicly shot at point-blank range by Lieutenant Hudson himself. The emperor was exiled to Rangoon where he died in 1862.
- With the fall of Delhi, the focal point of the revolt disappeared.
- Military operations for the recapture of Kanpur were closely associated with the recovery of Lucknow. Sir Colin Campbell occupied Kanpur on December 6, 1857.
Nana Saheb, defeated at Kanpur, escaped to Nepal in early 1859, never to be heard of again. His close associate Tantia Tope escaped into the jungles of central India but was captured while asleep in April 1859 and put to death.
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The Rani of Jhansi had died on the battlefield earlier in June 1858. Jhansi was recaptured by Sir Hugh Rose.
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By 1859, Kunwar Singh, Bakht Khan, Khan Bahadur Khan of Bareilly, Rao Sahib (brother of Nana Saheb) and Maulvi Ahmadullah were all dead, while the Begum of Awadh was compelled to hide in Nepal.
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At Benaras, a rebellion had been organized which was mercilessly suppressed by Colonel Neill, who put to death all suspected rebels and even disorderly sepoys.
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By the end of 1859, British authority over India was fully re-established.