Page 1 Class 10th History

REVOLT OF 1857

INDIA STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM

The revolt of 1857 was a significant event in the history of India. It changed the course of India in history. It marked the end of the cast India Companys era and the beginning of the direct British rule in India. The revolt began at Meerut on 10 May 1857, with the uprising of Indian sepoys of the British armies in India: the cartridges incident sparked of this revolt. This revolt was inspired by noble ides of Nationalism and independence. That is why the Indian Historian calls it the first war of independence. CAUSES OF THE REVOLT The revolt of 1857 was a result of man u cause viz; political, social, economic, religious and military. The following were the causes of there revolt.
i) Political causes : The British followed the policy of Annexation of Territories . Lord Dolhouse

applied the doctrine of Lapse widely. According to this doctrine, he took over all the territories whose rules had died without leaving any natural male heir. This led to annexation of Jhansi, Avadh.
ii) Economic cause : As a result of Industrial revolution, the English flooded the Indian markets with

cheap products. It affected the Indian market badly. The British made huge profits at the expense of the people of India. Customs duty was imposed on Indian goods being exported to England and this ruined Indian business. Heavy taxes were being levied on the Indian people were thus compelled to rise in a revolt.
iii) Social causes :The reforms made by the British were not taken well by the people . Prohibition

OF practice of sati, legalizing widow remarriage, forbidding infanticide and polygamy, the Indian looked upon spread of western education and civilization with suspicion. The Christains talked ill about Indian customs. The Indians couldnt tolerant it and became angry with the British.
iv) Religious causes : The British Missionaries tried to convert Indian people by promising privileges.

The reforms introduced buy Lord Beatnik like stoppage of child marriage and the people as interference in religion took abolishing of sati system.
v) Military causes : The Indian soldiers in the British Army were not treated with par their British

counterparts. The India soldiers were paid low salaries. this shook their loyalty to the British , the discipline becomes loose. The Indians were not given higher posts in the army. This led to discontentment among the soldiers. They were looking for an opportunity to revolt.
vi) The Immediate causes : The immediate cause of the revolt was the cartridges incident. The

cartridges for the newly introduced rifle were greased with fat and had to be bitten with teeth before being fitted to the rifle. The rumour that the cartridges were greased with the fat of cows and pigs soon spread and many Indian soldiers refused to use them. But the English pressed for its use, the Indian soldiers rose in a revolt. MAIN CAUSES OF THE REVOLT The revolt of 1857 started at Meerut on May 10, 1857. Indian soldiers of the British Army started it. The soldiers then marched to Delhi. The revolt they spread to Avadh, the Rohlkand, the doab, Bundelkhan, central India and large parts of Bihar. The main centers of the revolt were Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Bareilly and Jhansi. MAIN LEADERS OF THE REVOLT

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The revolt was started by Mangal Pandey at meerut. The other leaders involved in the revolt were Bahadur shah Zafar (Delhi); Bakht Khan (Barreilly) Knawar ingh (Arrah); Nan Saheb (Kanpur); Begum Hazrat Mahal (Luknow); Luxmi Bhai (Jhansi); Tantia Tope (Central India) FAILURE OF REVOLT OF 1857 The British ruthlessly crushed the revolt of 1857. Thus, the revolt of 1857 failed. Certain basic weaknesses led to its failure. The main reasons of failure of 1857 were: i) The rising was not widespread. It was not embraced by every part of India. Some parts of Northern India and East Bengal did not take part in the revolt. ii) The revolt lacked unity. All the groups and classes of India society did not join it. The Sikhs, the Rajputs, the Nizam and many others rulers and the Zamindars sided with the British.
iii) The revolutionaries lacked resources both in money and men. The British Govt. The other hand

poured immense supply of men, money and arms in India.

iv) The British controlled the postal and telegraphic system .they stood them in good stead in

suppressing the revolt.

v) The revolution started much before the fixed date. The result was that the whole plant remained

disorganized and the British got sufficient time to organize their forces. vi) With the fall of Delhi, the central point of the revolt disappeared. The Mughal emperor had neither the wisdom nor the courage to organize the revolt. RESULTS OF REVOLT The revolt of 1857 marked a turning point in the history of India. The rule of the British East India Company came to an end and the control passed to the British crown. Queen Victoria was proclaimed the empress of India. The viceroys replaced the governor-general .the British government promised no it to annex any more Indian states. The Indian rulers were given the authority to declare their adopted sons as their legal heirs. The Indians were given an assurance that they would not be forced to convert. The Indians were promised high positions in the govt. the number of Indians soldiers in the army were reduced. But the revolt awakened the slumbering spirit of the Indians. It roused the national feeling s among the people and paved the way for the rise of the national movement. The revolt made the Indian people more politically conscious. The reform and modernization movement gained momentum .the hold off the Indian princes of the Indian people declined. NATION By the term Nation we mean the people who reside in a particular state having definite boundaries who share common aspirations and who live under the same political, social and economic systems and in this way, they develop the feeling of oneness and patriotism for the one and the same country where they reside. NATIONALISM Nationalism is a phenomenon, which appeared in world history after the close of the Middle Ages. Nationalism was the result of new social and economic forces, which had put an end to feudalism. The essential features of nationalism are uniformity of laws and the same political, social and economic system for the people inhibiting the state and sharing the common Aspirations. The French revolutions of 1789 added a new element to the phenomenon of nationalism. It identified the nation with the people.

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INDIA STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM

RISE OF INDIAN NATIONALISM The growth of Indian Nationalism started in the 19th century. Political unification of the countrys destruction of Indias old social and economic system, the beginning of modern trade and industry and the rise of new social classes laid the basis of nationalism. The religious reform movements also contributed to its development. The British excesses also led to national awakening among the Indians. The main factors that led to the growth of Indian Nationalism is:1. Political Unity of India:- The administration changes brought about by the British made India a

Nation. They created a strong central Government. This created political unity in India. As a result of this, the Indians sort of unity among the people and it became the basic factor for the rise and growth of nationalism.
2. Western thought and education:- The western education introduced by the British proved to be a

blessing in disguise. English became the common language, which brought the people of different areas together. They started understanding the sufferings of one another .People read the works of great revolutionaries of the west and it made them to understand the evil effects and read the works of great revolutionaries of the west and it made them to understand the evil effects and exploitation of the foreign domination. The educated class was greatly influenced by English poets like Byron, Milton and Shelley. This also helped in the growth of nationalism.
3. Role of Press:- During the second half of the 19th century , a number of newspapers, journals and

books were published in Indian and English languages. The growth of the press played an important role in the awakening of the people. The press criticized the British administration and popularized the national cause. The newspapers like the Amrit Bazar Patrika, the Kesari, the Hindu etc, largely aroused the national consciousness among the people.
4. Social reform movement:- Socio-religious reform movements created national awakening among

the people. The reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Vivekanand, Dayanand etc. infused a new life in the people.
5. Economic Exploitation:- The English exploited the economic resources of India for their own

interests. They exported raw materials to England and poured finished goods into India. It ruined the Indian trade. The artisans and craftsmen lost their jobs. The English did nothing to improve the lot of Indian. This helped to bring them together against the British.
6. Racial Discrimination:- The British soldiers looked down upon the Indians and considered them

racially inferior. The Indians were barred from entering clubs, hotels and many other public places. The educated Indians were not appointed to higher positions. This created bitterness and frustration among the educated Indians.
7. Cultural Revival:- The Social reformers made the people aquatinted with the great Indian culture.

By the rediscovery of Indias national heritage, some Indians developed a sense of pride and patriotism. They stirred the Indian masses from their deep slumber of slavery and enlightened them about their civilization.
8. Administration of Lord Lytton and Ripon:- The Acts passed by Lord Lyttons and Lord Ripon

aroused discontentment among the Indians. The unjust actions of the British government forced the Indians to organize themselves on the national scale in order to fight against injustice and to get their demands fulfilled by the government.
9. Means of Transport and communication:- The British spread a network of roads and railways to

promote the commercial interests and to maintain an efficient administrative control over India .

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They also set up postal and telegraph services. The swift means of transport and communication brought people closer and enabled them to know each other, their, country, their nation, their problem and their viewpoints. The modern means of transport and communication unified the people and promoted nationalism.
10. The Revolt of 1857:- Created national feedings and political consciousness among the people of

India. It led to a national awakening. It was for the first time in Indian History that a number of rules had come together to fight a foreign force. The people fought for one cause liberation of motherland. INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS A retired laid the foundation of the Indian National Congress. The then governor general of India, Lord buffering also blessed the congress. The first meeting of the INC was held at Bombay under the president ship of U.C. Banerjee. 72 delegates attended the meeting 28th December to 30th 1885. Persons attending the session belonged to different religions faiths. The aim of the congress was to enable the workers in the cause of national progress to become personally known to each other and to unite the people of India for common political ends. The objectives of the INC as stated in its first meeting were: i. To stimulate the feelings of patriotism, nationalism and unity among the people ii. To remove all possible prejudices of race, religion and region. iii. To discuss important probl3esm facing the country. iv. To formulate demands and place them before the government. v. To train and organize public opinion in the country. EARLY FHASE OF CONGRESS (1885-1905) The period from 1885 to 1905 is generally described as being moderate phase of congress. The programme of congress was based on the solution of the political problems. The congress adopted peaceful means to achieve their aims. They had full faith in the British sense of justice so they were friendly towards the British. They believed in constitutional reforms .the send petitions to the British every year. The government accepted several demands of the congress. The congress leader put before the government every demand of the people. Some of the demands of the congress were:
1. High posts should be given to the Indians in accordance with their ability. 2. The government should pay a special attention to the work of public welfare in the country.

3. Taxes should be opened for the spread of the primary education.

4. The miserable condition of the Indian farmers and the native Industries should be improved. 5. Schools should be opened for the spread of the primary education. 6. The party demanded reform and expansion of the legislative councils in a constitutional manner.

The British government paid little head to the demands of the congress. In the beginning, some British officials also attended the congress sessions. But latter they were debarred from attending the congress sessions and congress began to be considered as a seditious organization. The British began to use the policy of divide and rule to curb the activities of the congress. But the congress grew in popularity and ended in getting freedom for India.

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IMPORTANT LEADERS OF CONGRESS U.C. Benerjee, S.N. Banerjee, Dada Bhai Naroji, Badrudin Tyabji, Subramanya Aiyer, Behramji Malbari, Chandavarkar, M.G. Ranada, G.P. Gokjole, R.C.Dutt, M.K.Gandhi, J.L. Nehru, Maulana Azad etc. the extremists group consisted of B. G . Tilak, B. C. Pal, Lala Lajpat Rai, S. Chandra Bose etc. RISE OF EXTREMISM IN CONGRESS The congress was established in1885 and worked peacefully for the fulfillment but the govt. paid no attention to these demands by 1905, a new trend called extremism, developed within the congress. By now, several new younger members had emerged as leaders of the congress. They adopted new radical ways of political agitation. They proceed further relying on their own strength. These for their country and love for their country and thsus prepared the people for scarify for the motherland. These leaders included Bal Ganga dhar tilak, Bipin Chandra pal and Lal Lajpat Rai, popularly known as Bal, Pal Lal. These leaders wanted complete Swaraj from the British. The causes of the Rise of extremism were: i. The British was not heeding to the demands of the moderate congress leaders. ii. The English carried the economic exploitation of Indian artisans and workers were rendered Jobless their resentment led to the rise of extremism. iii. The revolutions in other countries like France and Russia inspired the Indians to rise in a revolt and decided to use extremist methods.
iv. Some Indian leaders preached that the economic, political and cultural growth is necessary to get

freedom, which could be obtained by struggle and sacrifice these ideas also promoted extremism.
v. Partition of Bengal :- Bengal was the largest province of British India. It had a population of over

78 million people. Lord Curzon decided to break it up. The object of the measure was given out as administrative convenience. But the reason behind it was to weaken the Nationalist movement and to sow seeds of disunity among the Hindus and the Muslims. But, it led to a wave of indignation throughout Bengal. Huge public meeting and massive demonstrations were held in different towns. Every where the people consigned to the flames the foreign goods. The Indians Boycotted on the people in order to crush the movement. These atrocities inflamed the people and gave rise to extremism in the country. POPULARITY OF THE EXTREMISTS The extremists inspired the people with a spirit of nationalism. They looked to Indias past for the solution of their present problems .they attacked the foreign governments right to rule India and demanded Swaraj. The extremists came closer to the masses and were treated as heroes by the people because of their sacrifices. They imbibed in the people a sense of self-respect and to rise up in arms rather than to be subdued. They openly criticized the British govt. policies in a bitter language. The government committed untold excesses and cruelties on the extremists. They were beaten, jailed and hanged. The popular sympathy shifted towards the extremists. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MODERATES AND EXTEMISTS The main differences between moderated\s and extremists were as follows: i. The moderates believed in the adoption of the constitutional and peaceful methods for the realizations for their objectives where as the extremists favored the use of force and revolutionary methods of achieving their aims.

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ii. The moderates wanted to continue their struggle by remaining loyal to the British while as the

extremists chose to be hostile towards them.

iii. The moderates had faith in the justice of the British. But the extremists had no faith in the British

and doubted their integrity. iv. The moderates had ever y praise of the western culture whereas the extremists were more concerned in having pride in the Indian culture. v. The moderates aims were confined only to the political, economic and social reforms while the extremists aims included the object of swaraj. vi. The moderates methods included petitions, deputations, and annual resolutions for the redressal of their demands. He extremists methods included boycott, swadeshi, passive resistance etc. vii. The moderated believed in peaceful ways so the British never persecuted them on the other hand, the British treated the extremists harshly.tey were imprisoned several times. BOYCOTT AND SWADESHI MOVEMENT The partition of Bengal came into effect on October 16. 1905. The British wanted to create a wedge between the Muslims and the Hindus. It led to a wave of indignation throughout Bengal. Huge public meeting were launched .the Indian leaders started the swadesi and the Boycott Movement on August 7,1905 to oppose the partition of Bengal. The two movements were supported by the congress also, at Bearas in 1905 and in Calcutta in 1906. The people burnt British cloth, sugar and other goods. The shopkeepers stopped selling British goods. The students played an active part in these movements. These movements aimed at forcing the Britsih to end the partition of Bengal. Consequently, the congress turned it in a national movement. These movements played an important role organizing the public opinion against the British rule and contributed lot in binding the Indian masses into a common bond of unity. SECOND WORLD WAR AND THE CONGRESS The Second World War started in 1939. The British government declared India as a party to the war without consulting any of the Indian leaders. The congress condemned the aggression for the fascist countries and expressed its sympathy with the victims of aggression. The working committee in a resolution stated that India could not associate herself in a war. The congress demanded that a national government should be immediately formed and that British should promise that India would become independence as soon as the war was over. The congress in its Ramgarh session in 1940, demanded complete independence. It launched the civil disobedience movement to press it s demands. In October 1940, the Congress launched the individual Satyagraha movement. In 1942, the congress rejected the proposal of the Cripps mission which was sent by British parliament. The congress passed the quit India Movement on August 8, 1942 to invigorate the national movement the British Govt. resorted to oppressive measures and arrested Gandhiji and many other congress leaders. The Quit India movement spread all over India and it exploded mass upheavals and disorders. The British government refused to promise Independence even after the end of the war. THE GADDAR PARTY The Gaddar party was a revolutionary party that arose in the first decades of the 20th century. The Indian revolutionaries in the united stated of America and Canada established the Gaddar party. Its leaders were mostly educated Hindus and Muslims. The Gaddar party was pledged to wage revolutionary war against the British in India. They send arms and men to India to start and uprising with the help of soldiers and local revolutionaries. The heroism and self-sacrifice of these revolutionaries were a source of inspiration to the people and helped in the growth of popular nationalist feelings.

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FORMATION OF MUSLIM LEAGUE The British adopted the policy of divided and rule to divide the Muslims and the Hindus. They began favouring upper class Muslims to wean them away from the nationalist Movement. The British officials told the Muslims that the congress was the party of the Hindus. They were encouraged to sart separate organization like congress. Thus, in 1906, the All India Muslim League was formed. Agha Khan, the religious head of a sect among Muslims and Nawab Salimullah of Dhaka, formed the league. The objects of the league were: i. To promote amongst the Muslims of India feelings of loyalty to the British government and to remove any misconceptions that may rise as to the intentions of the government with regard to any of its measures. ii. To protect and advance the political rights and interest of Muslims of India and respectfully to represent their needs and aspiration to the government. iii. To prevent the rise among Muslims of India of any feelings of hostility towards other communities without prejudice to the other objects of the league. POLICIES OF MUSLIMS LEAGUE The Muslim league persuaded the Indian Muslims to remain loyal to the British government. It tried to keep Muslims away from the congress. In 1913, it adopts the goal of self-government for India. In 1916 the league signed the Lucknow pact with the congress according to which the congress and the league were to join their efforts to demand of the government. They asked the govt. that a majority to the members of the legislative councils be elected and that the latter be invested with wider powers than here before. The Muslim league at its Lahore session in 1940, under the leadership of M.A. Jinnah asked for the formation of a separate state of Pakistan. It was based on the two-nation theory. The Muslim league demanded that the areas in which the Muslims were in a majority should be grouped to constitute independent state. This demand of the Muslim league resulted in the partition of India in 1947. THE LUCKNOW PACT The Lucknow pact was signed by the congress and the Muslim league in the Lucknow session of the congress in 1916. The Muslim league and the congress had parted ways in 1906 and rejoined at this session. A joint reform scheme was sent to the viceroy. The main points of the reform scheme were: i) To make a united demand for self-Government ii) To join hands in asking he British that a majority of the members of the govt. that the legislative councils be invested with wider powers than before. iii) To ask the govt. that the legislative councils be invested with wider powers that than before. iv) To make a common demand that at least half that seats in the viceroy do the Indian fill executive council.

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