The Sepoy Rebellion

2293 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The advent of British rule in India

The British economic interest in India was the main factor behind its presence in the subcontinent due to the raw material and market that the region provided.1 To protect their interests, the British East India Company recruited and maintained troops from the local population called the Sepoys.1 Through their various actions in the past, they had assisted the British to conquer territories; thus, the region became a British protectorate rather than their colony. The relationship between the British and the Indian Sepoys was amicable back in the 18th and early 19th century as they worked together. However, tensions began arising due to various factors which ultimately led to the historical rebellion. Dissatisfactions began arising on both …show more content…

It started in Meerut then spread to Delhi, Cawnpore, Jhansi, Indore, Punjab, Jaunpur and Arrah. The incident occurred on a Sunday when the British soldiers were off duty to attend church services and rest. The Indian soldiers had planned to rescue their jailed countrymen who were brought to court after refusing to use their fire arms whose cartridges were believed to have been made from beef tallow, as the use of material was against their religious and cultural beliefs.The rebellion was a factor in the end of the East India Company rule since the mutiny was a reaction of their poor leadership. The British government decided to dissolve the East India Company rule and establish a direct connection. Since the actions of the Company were responsible for the rebellion and all the atrocities that took place, the British government decided to rule the territories directly.1 This move allowed the British government to offer better leadership that was far much better than the Company’s …show more content…

However, the rebellion changed their approach on how to retain their control over areas that participated in the mutiny. Instead of losing the areas, the British decided to establish a firmer control over the land and colonized it directly instead of using the rajahs of the area. This came as a surprise to the locals who expected opposite results due to the resistance against British rule. The minimal links that existed between the British government and the area were strengthened so naturally a political and trade system that matched with the British style was

Show More
Related

  • Thesis Introduction: The Batavian Revolt and the Sepoy Rebellion

    1298 Words  | 3 Pages

    Much like chapter two, chapter four provides an overview of the East India Company's Bengali sepoy regiments. Chapter five addresses the major causes of the Sepoy Rebellion, and summarizes its events and participants. Chapter six provides a short historiographical review of three Indian texts on the Sepoy Rebellion, exposing the reader to Indian interpretations of the events. Finally, part three consists of chapter seven, which is a comparison of the major similarities and differences of Batavian Revolt and Sepoy Rebellion, and serves to highlight key aspects of both.

    Read More

  • British Imperialism in India and China

    740 Words  | 2 Pages

    These improvements and benefits from British rule eventually led to Indian nationalism. The exposure to European ideas caused an Indian nationalist movement, the people dreamed of ending Imperial rule.

    Read More

  • Indian Caste System Dbq

    895 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • 1837 Rebellion

    836 Words  | 2 Pages

    Short term consequences would lead to long term benefits as the attempts of a rebellion in 1837 demonstrated. The efforts of Upper and Lower Canada were “two parallel, separate movements”1 attempting to reform the broken political system in which the British government reigned supreme. This was a system where the French-Canadians were denied real power and control over their own government; where all the real power lies in the British governors. While the French aims to regain power over their economy and culture, the British would continue to deny them their wish while hoping to assimilate the French-Canadian culture altogether.2 At this point, assimilation was a very real threat seeing how the French were overpowered by the British both in terms of hierarchy and in terms of numbers. In the state of affairs, two prominent groups were in clear opposition: the Patriotes, lead by Papineau, were French-Canadians who put their efforts in hopes for, whom strives for, a government where the French majority (as it was in Lower Canada) could have a say in regards to colonial affairs.3 On the contrary, The Chateau Clique was composed of elites that would make up the Legislative Council, leaving the Legislative Assembly that composed of French-Canadians powerless. The injustice of the system was bound to fuel the Patriotes’ motivation in bringing a reformation of government. This was one of 3 equally important factors that would result in the the rebellions in Lower Canada: “a desire to develop democratic political institutions, an exploitation of the colony’s economy, and the creation of a colonial identity” 4

    Read More

  • The Impact of Sepoy Revolution on India's Movement

    1597 Words  | 4 Pages

    This investigation seeks to discover whether or not the Sepoy revolution in 1857 had a sufficient impact on India’s rise to independence and separation from the British Empire. The Sepoy revolution was a revolution of the Sepoy soldiers in 1857, and complete independence from the British Empire was not achieved by Indians until 1947. Therefore, did the Sepoy revolution catalyze their rise to independence, or was independence inevitable? The impact of the Sepoy Revolution will be found by looking at the effects of the Sepoy revolution and determining whether or not they were key factors in the rise to independence. A variety of sources will be used.

    Read More

  • What Role Did Religion Play In The Colonial Experience

    740 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mind changing, Decision making It could be possible that the rulers ultimately knew they where benefiting only themselves. The way that great Britain taxed, estricted trade and made colonist change to there choices of religion, effected the peoples chance to be enlightened. There were different acts that played a large role in the colonial experience. Taxing and stopping the peoples right to be enlightened just made people want to be secluded and on their own or in other words independent.

    Read More

  • Sepoy Rebellion Dbq

    898 Words  | 2 Pages

    Such case is true, for our textbook, and document 1. Both clearly state the rebellion was triggered off of the cartridges used to seal the new rifles. The full story that is written in these documents is that the rebellion was caused because the British started bringing over a new and improved rifle for the Sepoys. This may have been a good thing if amplification of rumors. A rumor that the sealant for the new rifles were made of cow and pig fat became popular. Since most of the Sepoys were either Hindu or Muslim, this offended their religion. The Hindu's sacred animal was the cow, and the Muslims did not eat pork. Because of this, both of these religious groups found these rumors to be extremely offensive, and are said to have revolted because of this. This issue with the cartridge may have had a small impact on the start of the rebellion, but it is hard to believe that this was the sole situation that caused the entire

    Read More

  • The Effects of British Imperialism in India

    1031 Words  | 3 Pages

    One could approach this topic from two points of view; the British and the Indian. One could choose either party and find very different opinions. When British colonizers first arrived in India, they slowly gained more and more control in India through many ways, the most prominent being trade and commerce. At first, they managed India’s government by pulling the string behind the curtain. However, soon they had acquired complete rule over India, converting it into a true British colony. The British considered Indian civilization to be inferior and implemented their western ways overriding ancient Indian customs. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that British imperialism in India resulted in both positive as well as negative reforms in political, economic and social aspects of its new colony.

    Read More

  • The Indian Mutiny of 1857-1858: Causes and Consequences

    439 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Causes for the Rebellion of 1837-1838

    1071 Words  | 3 Pages

    The rebellions of Upper and Lower Canada were in the interests of self-government but were doomed to failure from their beginning. Each of these two colonies encountered a great deal of problems right from the institution of the Constitution Act of 1791 and the problems continually got worse until the only choice to some seem to be rebellion. There were several problems that lead to the rebellions of 1837-38. In Lower Canada there was the agricultural crisis that caused a large number of starvations, to the French and English political and social problems within the colony. There were several different reasons that caused the rebellion in Upper Canada but these caused were mainly rooted in the idea of Anti- Americanism that was held within the Family Compact. Both rebellions had valid causes and noble intentions but they lacked the most necessary part for a rebellion to succeed in its intentions, the support of the people. Without support these two rebellions could never succeed.

    Read More

  • Imperialism in Asia

    1275 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the 1600's the English took advantage of the crumbling Mughals. In 1757, Robert Clive led an unquestionable victory against the Indian Forces at the Battle of Plassey. After that battle, the East India Company was the leading force in India. Eventually, the company governed directly or indirectly areas that included modern day Bangladesh, most of southern India and almost all of the land along the Ganges River in the north. Until the 19th century, the East India Company ruled with little to no interference from Britain. The company had even established their own army. The company staffed its army with British and Indian Soldiers, or Sepoy, with the Sepoys eventually out numbering the British soldiers ten to one. Mountstuart Elphinstone, the governor of Bombay referred to the Sepoy army as “a delicate and dangerous machine, which a little mismanagement may easily turn against us.” (British Imperialism in India.)

    Read More

  • Japanese Imperialism Essay

    1089 Words  | 3 Pages

    Its monarchy has led them to success with nationalism and patriotism, and even some of their own thought that ruling over more countries (particularly India) would make them “the greatest power in the world” (Roberts, p. 225). They were interested in imperializing and having control over others, to spread their beliefs and government across the seas. All they needed was “food, raw materials and cash” while they supplied “minerals and capital and sold services” and traded their goods with Europe (Roberts, p. 50). Trading with other countries and having to rely on Britain for large goods further pushed them as a clutch for some countries to continue their own rule. Queen Victoria, who ruled over Britain, believed that they could not be defeated; the thought of it did not even exist, which brought forth a very arrogant political party. They believed that to follow their type of rule will guarantee results of overall success and power against other countries (Roberts, p. 108). For example, the British antagonized the Egyptians by decreasing employment rates and raising taxes without the possibility of Egyptians becoming part of their own office. With the lack of the people representing themselves, the power of a foreign nation continued to dominate and further influence the colony’s

    Read More

  • The Sepoy Mutiny

    459 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • British Imperialism in India

    1693 Words  | 4 Pages

    There is no doubt that British imperialism had a large impact on India. India, having previously been an group of independent and semi-independent princedoms and territories, underwent great change under British administration. Originally intended to consolidate their hold on India by establishing a population that spoke the same language as their rulers, the British decision in the 1830s to educate Indians in a Western fashion, with English as the language of instruction, was the beginning of a chain of events, including a rise in Indian nationalism, that led to Indian resentment of British imperialism and ultimately to the loss of British control over India.

    Read More

  • Indian Nationalism and Indian Independence

    3241 Words  | 7 Pages

    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...

    Read More

More about The Sepoy Rebellion

Open Document