CHAP 1 – FIRST WAR OF INDEPENDENCE
CHAPTER 1 – THE FIRST WAR OF INDEPENDENCE, 1857
Syllabus
The Indian National Movement (1857-1917) The First War of Independence, 1857
• Causes (Political, socio-religious, economic and military) and
• Consequences will be tested.
❖ Causes of the First War of Independence:
1) Political Causes:
i. Policy of Expansion:
• By outright wars: The British fought wars to expand their territorial
power in India & to safeguard their economic and political interest.
The Battle of Buxar
The Anglo Mysore wars
Third Anglo Maratha War
Second Anglo Sikh War
• By Subsidiary Alliance: Lord Wellesley introduced it. Subsidiary
Alliance was an agreement between the East India Company and the
Indian Princely States by virtue of which these states lost their
sovereignty to the British.
• By Doctrine of Lapse: Introduced by Lord Dalhousie. According to
this doctrine, if an Indian ruler died without a male heir his kingdom
would ‘lapse’, that is it would come under the Company’s territory in
India.
• On the Pretext of Alleged Misrule: In 1856, Lord Dalhousie annexed
Awadh on the pretext of alleged misrule. He declared that Awadh
was being misgoverned and British rule was needed to ensure proper
administration.
ii. Disrespect shown to Bahadur Shah:
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CHAP 1 – FIRST WAR OF INDEPENDENCE
• Lord Dalhousie announced that the successors of Bahadur Shah
would not be allowed to use the Red Fort as their palace.
• In 1856, Lord Canning announced that after the death of Bahadur
Shah, his successors would not be allowed to use the imperial titles
with their names.
iii. Treatment given to Nana Saheb: The British refused to grant Nana
Saheb the pension they were paying to Peshwa Bajirao II.
iv. Absentee Sovereignty of the British: Absentee Sovereignty meant that
the rulers were not present in the country but ruled from their own
country which was far away.
2) Socio-religious Causes:
i. Interference with Social Customs: Abolition of Sati system in 1829 &
Introduction of Widow Remarriage Act in 1856 was disliked by the
Indians.
ii. Apprehensions about Modern Innovations: Introduction of railways and
erection of telegraph poles were not liked by the Indians. They believed
that the British had introduced such practices to defy their caste and
religion.
iii. Policy of racial discrimination: The British officers believed that they
were superior to Indians and followed a policy of contempt (hatred)
towards the Indians.
iv. Corruption in Administration: The police and petty officials were
corrupt.
v. Oppression of the Poor: The complex judicial system enabled the rich to
oppress the poor.
vi. Activities of Missionaries: After 1813 there was an increase in both the
activities and number of Christian missionaries. Indians thought that the
government was supporting the Christian missionaries who would
convert them to Christianity.
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CHAP 1 – FIRST WAR OF INDEPENDENCE
vii. Fears regarding Western Education: People started suspecting that the
aim of western education was not to promote literature and science but
to encourage their children to become Christians.
viii. Taxing religious places: The British started the official policy of taxing
lands belonging to temples and mosques, which was not liked by the
Indians
ix. Law of Property: A convert from Hinduism to another religion could
inherit the property of his father.
3) Economic Causes:
i. Exploitation of Economic resources: Agricultural India was made an
economic colony to serve the interests of industrial England.
ii. Drain of Wealth: The transfer of wealth from India to England for which
India got no proportionate economic return, is called the Drain of
Wealth.
iii. Decay of Cottage Industries and Handicrafts: Thousands of artisans and
craftsmen lost their source of livelihood because of the decay of cottage
and handicraft industries.
iv. Economic Decline of Peasantry: The British doubled the land revenue in
Bengal. Because of the increase in the land revenue many peasants
either became indebted or had to sell their land.
v. Growing unemployment: Due to annexation of native states thousands
of soldiers and officials in administrator military and judicial post
became unemployed.
vi. Inhuman treatment of Indigo Cultivators: Indigo trade was highly
profitable to the British, but the conditions under which the peasants
had to work were inhuman.
vii. Poverty and Famine: There were 12 major and numerous minor famines
between 1765 and 1857 because of drought, bad administration & other
natural calamities.
viii. Decline of Landed Aristocracy:20,000 estates were confiscated when
the landlords could not produce evidences like the title deeds
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CHAP 1 – FIRST WAR OF INDEPENDENCE
4) Military Causes:
i. Ill-treatment of Indian Soldiers: Despite being as efficient as the British
soldiers, Indian soldiers were poorly paid, badly housed and ill-fed.
ii. General Service Enlistment Act: As per this Act Indian soldiers could be
sent overseas on duty.
iii. Larger proportion of Indians in the British Army: The ratio of British
troops to Indian soldiers in the East India Company’s army was one in
four thousand
iv. Bleak Prospects of Promotions: All high positions were reserved for
British irrespective of their performance.
v. Deprivation of Allowances:
vi. Bhatta (foreign service allowance) & The Post Office Act of 1854 were
withdrawn
vii. Faulty distribution of Troops: There were no British soldiers in
strategically important places like Allahabad and Delhi
viii. Poor performance of British Troops: The British army suffered major
reverses in the First Afghan War (1838 – 42), in the Punjab Wars (1845 –
49) and the Crimean War (1853 -56).
ix. Lower Salaries: British soldiers were paid eight times more salary than
the Indian soldiers
5) Immediate Cause: The British replaced the old-fashioned musket (Brown
Bess), in 1856 by the new ‘Enfield rifles. There was a rumour in the Bengal
regiment that the cartridges were greased with the fat of cows and pigs.
Cow was sacred to Hindus and pig was a taboo to Muslims. So, both felt
that the British were trying to defy their religion.
❖ Consequences of the Frist War of Independence:
1) End of the Company’s Rule: The power to govern India (Administration of
India) was transferred from the East India Company to the British crown by
the Government of India Act of 1858.
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CHAP 1 – FIRST WAR OF INDEPENDENCE
2) Queen Victoria’s Proclamation: The Queen’s proclamation incorporating
the transfer of governance from East India Company to the British crown
was made public at Allahabad, on November 1st, 1858 by Lord Canning, the
1st Viceroy of India.
3) End of Mughal and Peshwas: The Mughal dynasty came to an end with the
death of Bahadur Shah & the office of the Peshwa came to an end when
Nana Saheb, the last Peshwa fled to Nepal.
4) Relations with Princely States: The Policy of Annexation and the Doctrine
of Lapse were abandoned.
5) Policy of Divide and Rule: The British turned the princes against the people,
province against province, caste against caste and Hindus against Muslims.
6) Racial Antagonism: Some Railway compartments, parks, hotels, clubs, etc,
were reserved for Europeans only.
7) Foreign Policy: India’s foreign policy was to serve the interests of the British
Government
8) Increased Racial Bitterness: the British dubbed all Indians as unworthy of
trust and subjected to insults and humiliation.
9) Religious changes: The British would follow a policy of non-intervention in
social and religious matters of Indians.
10) Changes in the army: European troops were kept in key geographical and
military positions like Delhi and Allahabad.
11) Economic exploitation: The era of territorial expansion ended and an era of
economic exploitation began. India became a British colony, exporting raw
material and importing the finished goods.
12) Rise of Nationalism: The sacrifices made by Nana Saheb, Rani of Jhansi and
Mangal Pandey were a source of inspiration for the future freedom
fighters.
13) Widening of the gulf Between Hindus and Muslims: After the uprising of
1857, the gulf between Hindus and Muslims widened because of the British
policy of divide and rule.
[Date] 5
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