Read the excerpt given below and answer the questions that follow:
The Indian Rebellion of 1857, also known as the Indian Mutiny, the Sepoy Mutiny, or the First War of Indian Independence, was a widespread uprising against British rule in India that began in May, 1857. The rebellion was sparked by the sepoys' mutiny in Meerut on May 10, 1857, and quickly spread to other parts of India. On May 10, 1857, Indian soldiers, known as sepoys, rebelled against their British officers in the town of Meerut, triggering a rebellion. The rebellion quickly spread to other parts of India with many Indian princes and soldiers joining the uprising.
— timesofindia.com, May 10, 2023 [edited]
(i) What was the immediate cause for the rebellion?
(ii) Mention any three socio-religious causes of the Revolt.
(iii) The Subsidiary Alliance proved to be disastrous to the Indian Kingdoms. Justify this statement by stating any four clauses of this alliance.
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(i) The immediate cause of the rebellion was the introduction of the Enfield rifle.
- In 1856, the British decided to replace the old musket by the new Enfield rifle, the loading of which involved biting off the top greased paper of the cartridge with the teeth.
- In January 1857, a rumour spread in the Bengal regiments that the grease used on the cartridges contained the fat of the cow and the pig.
- Since the cow is sacred to the Hindus and the pig is a taboo to the Muslims, the sepoys were convinced that this was a deliberate move to defile their religions. They refused to use the cartridges and staged an uprising when they were forced to use them.
(ii) Three socio-religious causes of the Revolt of 1857 were:
- Interference with social customs — Reforms such as the Abolition of Sati (1829), the Widow Remarriage Act (1856) and the opening of Western education to girls were introduced without considering the feelings of the people, and were not welcomed by the masses.
- Apprehensions about modern innovations — People were suspicious of the railways and the telegraph. There were rumours that telegraph poles were erected to hang those who opposed British rule, and orthodox Indians resented that in railway compartments the higher and the lower castes had to sit side by side.
- Activities of the missionaries — The Charter Act of 1813 led to an increase in the number and activities of Christian missionaries. The Indians began to feel that the Government was supporting the missionaries in order to convert them to Christianity.
(iii) The Subsidiary Alliance was introduced by Lord Wellesley. Under this system, the Indian rulers who agreed to it:
- Accepted the British as the supreme power.
- Surrendered their foreign relations to the East India Company and agreed that they would not enter into any alliance with any other power and would not wage wars.
- Accepted a British Resident at their headquarters and agreed not to employ any European in their service without consulting the Company.
- Agreed to maintain British troops at their own cost.
In this manner the Indian States lost their sovereignty and virtually lost their independence, which proved disastrous for them.