The Great Revolt (Indian Mutiny) of 1857 came as a surprise to the British, but not to the Indians and it altered forever the relationship between the two. To what extent do you agree with this statement?

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QUESTION: “The Great Revolt (Indian Mutiny) of 1857 came as a surprise to the British, but not to the Indians and it altered forever the relationship between the two”. To what extent do you agree with this statement?

Causes and consequences

EFFECT ON RELATIONSHIP

Though classified under many names, The Mutiny of 1857 had distinct causes, which could not be altered. It was a rebellion by the sepoys as well as the general public in a ‘First War towards Independence’. The revolt did not take place overnight but had mustered over many years of suffering and injustice towards the Indian population by the British. For the British, such a grand scale mutiny must have come as a surprise, but to say that some form of an uprising wasn’t anticipated would be wrong. The revolt greatly altered the relationship between the two communities and was a prominent lead up to the rise in nationalism in India.

        The Revolt began as unrest among the sepoys. ‘A proclamation issued at Delhi indicates the immediate cause: “It is well known that in these days all the English have entertained these evil designs- first, to destroy the religion of the whole Hindustani Army and then to make the people by compulsion Christians”’ [Bipan Chandra]. There was increasing discrimination in the army as the English started to acclaim a more superior status. Though the British complied with the demands of the people in the beginning by providing them with facilities, which didn’t force inter-caste activity, these were soon seen as impractical. The soldiers were made to go and fight overseas which went against their caste system. The Hindu’s believed that if they travelled across the seas their caste would be lost. An uprising in 1824 when the 47th regiment refused to go to Burma led many to their death. Moreover, when the soldiers did come back, they were turned into outcasts in the society. Overall, the status and the pay of the Army was not enough to survive in the Indian society.

        However, this status was soon challenged. After the uprising, special pay given to those who went overseas was stopped. This meant that the Indian soldiers were not benefitting in any way. The discrimination in salary too created enmity. ‘A sawar in the cavalry was given Rs. 27 out of which he had to pay for him own uniform, food and upkeep of his mount, and he was ultimately left with only a rupee or two.’ As hard as the Indian sepoys worked, they could never reach the same status as the British.

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        As most sepoys came from small towns or villages, the happenings of the rural population was of close interest to them. With the British annexation of land and imposition of land revenue, the sepoys were no doubt affected by it. In the province of Oudh, most families had at least one member in the army. So when the British annexed the land under the Doctrine of Lapse the sepoys were angered as their families were suffering.

        A more immediate cause would be the introduction of the new Enfield rifles. The new cartridges had to be bitten off. However, rumour ...

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