The Great Revolt of 1857

Author - JAI HIND IAS ACADEMY

I. Choosethe correct answer:

1. The British historians call therevolt of 1857 as Military revolt

2. Indian historians describe theRevolt of 1857 as First war of Indian Independence

3. During the great revolt of 1857 theGovernor General of India was Lord Canning

4. The peasants had to pay heavy revenuetaxes

5. Resumption of rent free system wasintroduced by Lord Bentinck

6. General Services Enlistment Act waspassed in 1856

7. The first sign of unrest appearedat Barrackpore

8. The Sepoys broke out into openrevolt at Meerut

9. The wife of Nawab of Oudh was BegumHazarat Mahal

10. After 1857 revolt the GovernorGeneral of India was designated as Viceroy of India

II. Matchthe following

1. Managal Pandey  Barrack pore
2. Bahadur Shah II  Delhi
3. Nana Sahib  Cawnpore
4. Begum HazaratMahal  Lucknow
5. Rani Lakshmi Bai  Central India
1. Rani Lakshmi Bai  Jhansi
2. Bahadur Shah II  Mughal Emperor
3. The Great Revolt  1857
4. Lucknow  Colin Campbell
5. Queen Victoria proclamation  Magna Carta

III.Answer the following in brief:

1. What were the social and religiouscauses for the Great Revolt of 1857?

The socialand religious causes for the Great Revolt of 1857

  • The abolition of sati and female infanticides.
  • Widow Remarriage was legalized.
  • The Hindu law of property was changed.
  • The British imposed taxes on the landsbelonging to temples and mosques.

2. Name the important leaders andcentres of the mutiny.

Leaders ofthe Revolt:-

Delhi  Bhadur Shah-II
Central India  Rani Laxmi Bai
Lucknow  Begum Hazarat Mahal
Kanpur  Tantia Tope, Nana Saheb

3. Write a note on the Revolt atDelhi.

The Revoltat Delhi

  • Sir Archdale Wilson, Nicholson and Sir JohnLawrence who freed Delhi from the rebels.
  • The city was sacked and the people weremassacred mercilessly.
  • Bahadur Shah II, was tried for treason and hewas exiled to Rangoon.
  • Where he died at the age of eighty seven.

4. Mention the importance of QueenVictoria’s proclamation.

Theimportance of Queen Victoria’s proclamation

  • A Royal Durbar was held at Allahabad inNovember 1, 1858. The proclamation issued by Queen Victoria.
  • It was read by lord canning.
  • It is described as the “Magna Carta”.
  • It confirmed the earlier treaties.
  • It promised to pay due regard customs ofIndia.
  • Granted general pardon to all offenders exceptthe murder of the British subjects.
  • The revolt aroused national feelings and itserved as a source of inspiration for freedom in 1947.

5. How did the British Cripple Indiantrade?

BritishCripple Indian trade

  • The British imposed heavy duties on importedgoods in British
  • British goods were imported in India atnominal duty
  • The Indian weavers received very low wages
  • They destroyed cotton textile industries andIndian lost employment

6. What was the immediate cause forthe Revolt of 1857?

Theimmediate cause for the Revolt of 1857

  • The greased cartridges supplied for the new EnfieldRifles was the immediate cause for the mutiny.
  • Cartridges had to be bitten off beforeloading.
  • Believing that the fat of Cow and Pig had beenused to grease these cartridges.
  • Both Hindus and Muslims refused to use him.
  • The cow is sacred to the Hindus and pig isdetestable to the Muslims.

7. Why was not the revolt widespread?

Because of

  • Disunity among the Indians was the first andthe foremost cause.
  • The educated Indians did not support themovement in general.
  • The rulers did not support the movement,remained neutral.
  • The rebellious soldiers were short of modernweapons

IV. Answerall the questions given under each caption:

1.POLITICAL CAUSES FOR THE REVOLT OF 1857

[a] Who introduced SubsidiaryAlliance?

Lord Wellesley.

[b] Name the policy introduced by LordDalhousie

Doctrine of Lapse.

[c] What was the order issued by theBritish against the Mughal emperor?

The British ordered the successors togive their ancestral palace and Red fort.

[d] Why did Nana Saheb develop agrudge against the British?

By stopping pension to Nana Sahibadopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II.

2. REVOLTAT CAWNPORE

[a] Who joined the rebels at Cawnporeand with whom?

Nana sahib, the adopted son of PeshwaBaji Rao II joined the revolt at Cawnpore.

[b] What happened to the English?

Many Englishmen surrendered. EnglishMen, Women and Children were massacred mercilessly.

[c] Who defeated Nana Saheb?

Sir Colin Campbell with ablecommander.

[d] When was Cawnpore brought underBritish control?

By the Middle of November 1857.

3. REVOLTAT CENTRAL INDIA

[a] Who led the revolt at CentralIndia?

Rani Lakshmi Bai.

[b] Name the place captured by RaniLakshmi Bai.

Gwalior.

[c] What was her end?

She was killed in the battle in June1858.

[d] What did Tantia Tope do?

Tantia Tope escaped but he wascaptured and put to death.

V. Answerthe following in a Paragraph:

1. What were the Administrative andMilitary causes of the Great Revolt of 1857?

AdministrativeCause:-

  • The Indians disliked administration of theBritish.
  • The replacement of Persian language by Englishas the court language.
  • The judicial system of the British was costly.
  • The most affected part of Britishadministration was revenue system.
  • The peasants had to pay heavy taxes.
  • The British excluded the Indians from all highcivil and military jobs.

Militarycauses

  • A feeling of discontent developed among theIndian sepoys
  • There was no promotion for Indian soldierswere insulted very badly
  • General service Enlistment act (1856) orderingall recruits to be ready for service both within and outside India.
  • The greased cartridges supplied for the newEnfield Rifles was the immediate cause for the mutiny. Cartridges had to bebitten off before loading.
  • Believing that the fat of Cow and Pig had beenused to grease these cartridges.
  • Both Hindus and Muslims refused to use him.
  • The cow is sacred to the Hindus and pig isdetestable to the Muslims.

2. Enumerate the causes for thefailure of The Great Revolt of 1857.

Causes forthe failure of the revolt:-

  • Disunity among the Indians.
  • The revolt was not widespread among thepeople.
  • A large number of rulers did not join themovement.
  • The rulers of the Indians states remainedneutral.
  • The educated Indians did not support themovement in general.
  • The possessions of Telegraph and Postal provedvery helpful to the British.
  • The rebellious soldiers were short of modernweapons.
  • The Indian leaders were no match to theBritish generals.
  • The revolt broke out prematurely.
  • The Revolutionaries had no common idea.
  • The British “Divide and Rule” prevented Indianrulers to join together for a common cause.

3. Mention the results of the GreatRevolt of 1857.

Results ofthe Revolt:-

  • It put an end to the company’s rule in Indiain 1858.
  • The administration of India was directly takenover by the British crown.
  • Board of Control and the Court of Directorswere abolished and the Secretary of State for India was created.
  • Full religious freedom was guaranteed toIndians.
  • Indians were also given assurance of highposts without any discrimination.
  • The Indian army was thoroughly re-organized.

The QueenVictoria’s proclamation

  • A Royal Durbar was held at Allahabad, inNovember 1, 1858. The proclamation issued by Queen Victoria.
  • It was read by lord canning
  • It is described as the “Magna Carta”.
  • It confirmed the earlier treaties.
  • It promised to pay due regard customs ofIndia.
  • Granted general pardon to all offenders exceptthe murder of the British subjects.
  • The revolt aroused national feelings and itserved as a source of inspiration for freedom in 1947.
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