“What was the Most Important Factor Leading to the Indian Mutiny of 1857?”
Shariq Khan
Word Count:
Plan of Investigation:
This investigation is to determine what caused the Indian Mutiny of 1857. In order to determine the origin, the investigation will evaluate the various factors which have been proposed as to why the Indians mutinied. The factors which will be assessed include the British East India Company’s expansionist economic policies, cultural and religious clashes including British evangelism, and comparatively poor treatment of Indian Sepoys within the British army. Interviews and modern analysis from British and South Asian sources on the subject will be assessed. An interview with Dr. Hassan and “Raj: the Making and Unmaking of British India” a book by James Lawrence will be evaluated for their limitations and values with respect to their origins and purposes. Finally, an analysis will be done to assess the most important cause of the rebellion. This investigation will not assess forces outside of India (such as in Britain) for their relevance and importance to the mutiny.
Summary of Evidence:
There had been a history of smaller mutinies of Indian soldiers against the British army. There were at least 4 in the previous half century. Two of these rebellions were caused by Sepoys being asked to perform tasks which they considered to be for lower castes. Evangelism was practiced by the British East India Company in all of their colonies, including India. Indians believed that the British were trying to convert them to Christianity. The British outlawed child marriage and other religious practices#. Beginning in 1856, many officers started to force Sepoys# to listen to Christian sermons.
In 1857, the Sepoys we...
... middle of paper ...
...lic Broadcasting Service. Web. 26 Feb. 2011. .
Inglis, Julia Selina. "The Siege of Lucknow: a Diary." Digital Library Server at Penn Libraries. University of Pennsylvania, 1892. Web. 11 Jan. 2011. .
James, Lawrence. "The Mutiny: 1857-59." Raj: the Making and Unmaking of British India. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 1997. 233-98. Print.
Khan, Iqtidar Alam. "The Gwalior Contingent in 1857-58: A Study of the Organisation and Ideology of the Sepoy Rebel." Social Scientist 26.1/4 (1998): 53-75. JSTOR. Web. 11 Jan. 2011. .
"Lucknow - Indian Mutiny (1857-1858)." 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards Regimental Comrades Association. 08 Feb. 2003. Web. 11 Jan. 2011. .
The “Sepoy Rebellion”/the first Indian war of independence did not start from one crucial event that may have triggered it all. This rebellion/war was a product of many small and big situations adding up. When the British East India Company first took over, they started with restricting the Indian ocean trade, which was a heavily relied on, as a source of income and goods in India. This restriction largely impacted and made a new economic structure. With the Indian trade restricted, the British benefited. The British Production system was able to flourish because they were able to use the Indian trade routes to export their goods. Most people living in India, at
Evaluate the relative importance of three of the following as factors prompting Americans to rebel in 1776.
Even in the Indian history during 18th century Mir Jafar was the head of army. However his ambitions were much higher and better quality of life and income, Jafar conspired for the throne of Bengal, and he joined hands with the British forces during the decisive Battle of Plassey. The battle was fought between the East India Company forces, led by Robert Clive, and the Indian force led by Nawab Sira-ud-Dowla of Oudh, which was result of tension and suspicions between the two sides. Though the Indian force greatly outnumbered the British, Mir Jafar’s actions ensured British victory. He and his large troop sat idly by as the battle waged, and without his help, the British force was able to defeat the Nawab’s men and gain full control of the Indian
Not only did the inequality and separation of the Indian society frustrate the citizens of India, but the imperialism Britain had upon them as well. In the early 20th century, Indian nationalists wanted to take a stand against the British rule and make India independent. The British created unfair laws that created a nationalist movement in India to regain their freedom. He believed that there should not be a Caste System because of one’s birth.
Khan, Syed Ahmed. "The Causes of the Indian Revolt." In Meridians: Sources in World History., edited by Mark Kishlansky, New York: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2010.
The Indian Mutiny began as a revolt in 1857, it was also known as the Sepoy Mutiny. It was a series of anti-British uprisings that successfully demonstrated a unification of spirit. The indigenous people of India resented the burdens of domination by the British. The Indians tolerated the British in the beginning largely because the British did not infringe on the Indians’ traditional cultural practices. Some of the British even inter-married with the Indians. As time moved on the British began to impose itself on the Indians. The most significant incident that sparked the Indian Mutiny was the British not respecting the Indian religious and cultural practices. “A series of incidents bega...
The mutiny lasted thirteen months: from the rising of Meerut on 10 May 1857 to the fall of Gwalior on 20 June 1858.The sepoys were quickly joined by large numbers of civilians supporting the reinstatement of both a Moghul and a Maratha emperor and by landlords, particularly those of Oudh, penalised by the new administration and its policy of exporting raw materials for manufacture in Britain. Historians agree that the mutiny was characterised by violent reprisals on either side but, at least in British historical tradition, the most significant events are the massacres at Meerut, Cawnpore and Lucknow; post-mutiny literature dwelling on the fate of women and children especially.
1 Moore, Robin J., "Imperial India, 1858-1914", in Porter, Andrew, Oxford History of the British Empire: The Nineteenth Century, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2001a, p.422-446,
... Thus, in August 1947, under the supervision of Earl Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India, two new countries Pakistan and India were born. Till today, Pakistan and India celebrated their independence days on 14 August and 15 August respectively as a reminder of their citizen’s struggle for independence. Thus, it is seen that nationalism, racial factors and cultural divisions played a key role both in the colonization and in the independence of the Indian subcontinent. The British wanted to colonize the Indian subcontinent for wealth and for spreading Western culture, and indeed their presence had a great influence on the Indian’s perspective on culture and social structure.
Ikram, S. M. Modern Muslim India and the Birth of Pakistan, 1858-1951. Lahore: Sh. M. Ashraf, 1965. Print.
There is a distinct difference between popular Indian nationalism, that is the nation believing in a state independent of Britain, and Indian nationalist movements, for example the Muslim League or the Hindu revivalist movement. These movements fought for independence but were far more religiously orientated and were fighting in their own interests. Although Indian nationalism initially found expression in the Mutiny of 1857, its deve...
After its “raj” for three centuries (1757-1947), in 1947, the British power was “transferred” to the two dominions, India and Pakistan. The former land was as the successor state of British India and Pakistan a second successor state. The price of the independence was the partition of continental India on the idea of communal majority principle of the “two-nation” theory theorized by the Muslim League. The partition of British India was a turning point because it left many questions unanswered and many conflicts unresolved. One question left elusive was, “Why did indepen...
Khan, Yasmin. The Great Partition: The Making of India and Pakistan. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press, 2007.
As a direct result of the Sepoy Mutiny, the Indian presence in the British army was reduced to almost a half of what it had been. Also whereas before Indian regiments had been allowed to exist separately, they were now incorporated to be part of larger British regiments. High caste Hindus and Brahmins were stereotyped as dishonest, because of their role as provokers and their nationalist sympathies. The opposite can be said of such groups as the Sikhs, who were portrayed as model citizens and soldiers.
Indian independence was a long struggle after a number of brokered deals had previously failed. Lead by Gandhi and his non-violence approach to change, brokered a deal with the British to leave India in exchange for India’s support for Britain in World ...