Popular Uprisings And Revolts Against The British. Why Did Sepoys Revolt?

The changes introduced by the British resulted in many uprisings and revolts against the British. 

The changes introduced by the British.

The British as part of their policy to control Indian territories introduced many changes – which influenced the Indian society, polity, and economy. While the positive changes were welcomed by Indians, the oppressive measures resulted in revolts and rebellions.

Since the mid-eighteenth century, nawabs and rajas had seen their power getting eroded. Many ruling families tried to negotiate with the Company to protect their interests. The Company even began to plan how to bring the Mughal dynasty to an end. The name of the Mughal king was removed from the coins minted by the Company.

In 1856, Governor-General Canning decided that Bahadur Shah Zafar would be the last Mughal king and after his death, none of his descendants would be recognised as kings – they would just be called princes. In the countryside, peasants and zamindars resented the high taxes and the rigid methods of revenue collection.

The Indian sepoys were unhappy about their pay, allowances and conditions of service. Some of the new rules, moreover, violated their religious sensibilities and beliefs. After a hundred years of conquest and administration, the English East India Company faced a massive rebellion that started in May 1857 and threatened the Company’s very presence in India.

First, the sepoys considered that the British were promoting religious conversions in the unit; second sepoys were unhappy with their movements; thirdly sepoys were like “peasants in uniform” so whenever the British tried new agricultural reforms it affected the sepoys and their families harshly which cause hatred towards the British. The capture of Delhi and the proclamation of Bahadur Shah as the Emperor of Hindustan gave a positive political meaning to the Revolt. South India remained quiet and Punjab and Bengal were only marginally affected. In the absence of any leaders from their own ranks, the insurgents turned to the traditional leaders of Indian society — the territorial aristocrats and feudal chiefs who had suffered at the hands of the British. At Kanpur, the natural choice was Nana Saheb, the adopted son of the last Peshwa, Baji Rao II. In Bihar, the Revolt was led by Kunwar Singh, the zamindar of Jagdishpur.

Although the rebels received the sympathy of the people, the country as a whole was not behind them. The merchants, intelligentsia and Indian rulers not only kept aloof but actively supported the British. Apart from some honourable exceptions like the Rani of Jhansi, Kunwar Singh and Maulvi Ahmadullah, the rebels were poorly served by their leaders. Apart from a commonly shared hatred for the alien rule, the rebels had no political perspective or a definite vision of the future. They were all prisoners of their own past, fighting primarily to regain their lost privileges.

The British had regained control of the country by the end of 1859, but they could not carry on ruling the land with the same policies anymore.

Changes were introduced, henceforth :

The British Parliament passed a new Act in 1858 and transferred the powers of the East India Company to the British Crown in order to have direct responsibility for ruling India. A member of the British Cabinet was appointed Secretary of State for India and made responsible for all matters related to the governance of India. The Governor-General of India was given the title of Viceroy, that is, a personal representative of the Crown.

All ruling chiefs of the country were assured that their territory would never be annexed in future. However, they were made to acknowledge the British Queen as their Sovereign Paramount. It was decided that the proportion of Indian soldiers in the army would be reduced and the number of European soldiers would be increased.

The land and property of Muslims were confiscated on a large scale and they were treated with suspicion and hostility.

The British decided to respect the customary religious and social practices of the people in India. Policies were made to protect landlords and zamindars and give them the security of rights over their lands.

Important Note: Even the failure of Sepoy Revolt served a grand purpose: a source of inspiration for the national liberation movement which later achieved what the Revolt could not.