Revolt of 1857: Causes and Effects - Essay Example

The Revolt of 1857 Introduction The 1857 revolt in India was an opposition stage against the British rule. Notably, the British rule had been controlling India in an effort to introduce modernity. Many Indians viewed the British rule as highly oppressive. Indians enrolled in the British army highlighted that the Britons viewed them as inferior beings. Therefore, the sepoys began a rebellion against the British rule. The revolt that began in Meerut whereby the sepoys decided to murder their British superiors would spread to other regions of India. Evidently, the sepoys felt that they had taken enough from the British rule and that it was time to stage an organized rebellion. On 10 May in 1857, the sepoys matched to Delhi with the intention of taking control over the city. The 1857 revolt introduced numerous changes in India as will be highlighted in this paper. In addition, the paper will give attention to the causes of the revolt, its representation in British sources, and Chowdhury view of how photography represented the revolt. Causes of the 1857 Revolt in India The British rule in India had established economic policies that were unfavorable to the Indians. Notably, the colonialists focused on exploiting the natural resources available in India. The exploitation of the resources in India by the colonialists only served to reap India off its stability in trade and industry. Over time, the British rule had transformed India into a colonial economy that served the interest of the British. In accordance with the existing economic policy, the British ruler exported resource to London. The British had a cheaper way of supporting their industries. The export of India’s resources to London served to increase the poverty levels in India. Many of the Indians relied on trade and industry in an effort to earn a living. However, the British colonial rule had taken over the industry, leaving many Indians jobless. The British economic policies demanded the Indian peasants to pay high revenues. Demanding high revenues from the peasants served to bring down the agrarian sector. There was an increasing pressure for the peasants to register increased production. Despite their increased production, the Indian peasants did not benefit. The landowners in India faced the compulsion of paying a specified amount to the British government. If the landowners failed to meet the requirements, the British colonial rule dispossessed them of their property. Therefore, economic causes were a primary trigger of the 1857 revolt. As highlighted above, the British colonial rule imposed every taxation and discriminatory tariff policies that were a disadvantage to many Indians. With the increasing economic exploitation, the sepoys and peasants felt that it was time to stand up against the British colonial rule (Metcalf and Metcalf 91). One of the immediate causes of the 1857 revolts was a change in the cartridges used by the sepoys in the army. Notably, the sepoys worked for the British East India Company. In 1853, the British government introduced a new rifle, which relied on paper cartridges. Notably, the paper cartridges had greases suspected to be from a mixture of beef and pork. It was unfortunate that the sepoys had to bite the cartridge before loading the rifle. Therefore, many of them were convinced that the British colonial rule was forcing them to defy their religious beliefs. According to the Hindu religion, eating cows was forbidden. On the other hand, pork was an abomination in the Islam religion. Therefore, the sepoys decided to attack their British superiors in reaction to the greased paper cartridges that made them disobey their religious beliefs. Sepoys in Meerut were the first ones to receive the new weapons. After the rumors that the grease used in the cartridges, the British government made changes by introducing new cartridges. The fact that the British government altered the cartridges served as evidence that the previous cartridges contained grease from beef and pork (111). The confirmation of the fact that the grease had been an abomination angered the sepoys prompting them to attack their superiors. The 1857 revolt was also triggered by political factors. Under the leadership of Lord Dalhousie, who was the governor general of India between 1848 and 1856, an expansionist policy emerged. The governor general sought to increase territories for the British emperor. Lord Dalhousie established the Doctrine of Lapse, which annexed different Indian states with the excuse that they lacked proper governance. During the 8-year period, when he was in power, the governor general had annexed different Indian states such as Satara, Sanbhalpur, Jhansi, Nagpur, Jaipur, and Bhagat. The expansionist policy served to destroy the relevance of the Indian rulers denying Indian rulers, especially princess the opportunity to become kings in their states. The British colonial government annexed Awadh despite the people’s loyalty to the British government. The people viewed the annexation as an act of disloyalty and betrayal. Many of the sepoys belonged to the Awadh, serving to increase the tension exhibited by the sepoys. Through the expansionist policy, the British colonial rulers left many Indians jobless and offered no replacement for their jobs (110). The sepoys had observed that the Britons in India considered them a minor and inferior race. The racial differences contributed to the social causes of the revolt. Due to the racial differences, Indians had no place in certain public places, which were a reservation for the Britons. The racial segregation of the Indians motivated them to view the Britons as enemies. In addition, the British colonial government sought to introduce social reforms in India that affected some of the practices that defined the Indian culture. Therefore, the Indians felt uncomfortable with the social reforms a factor that motivated them to rebel (115). The sepoys recognized that the British rulers exhibited inequality in the way they treated the European and the Indian soldiers. The Indian sepoys received a minimal salary with no benefits while the European soldiers were highly compensated. The British superiors in the army commissioned the sepoys to go into China and Iran where they fought battles for the British rulers. It was impossible for Indian sepoys to rise to the higher ranks in the army. Therefore, the sepoys felt that a revolt would change things (123). The 1857 Revolt as the First War of Indian Independence Notably, the 1857 revolt qualified as the first war of Indian independence. Prior to the revolt, the Indians had not exhibited any form of organized rebellion against the colonialists. Although the Indians had staged some disturbances previously, only the 1857 revolt has been regarded as the first war of Indian independence. In the early 1800, the Indians exhibited tribal revolt that did not qualify as wars of independence because of their localized nature. In addition, the tribal revolts and the minor disturbances staged by the Indians before 1857 did not have the capacity to threaten the stability of the British emperor. However, the 1857 revolt had the potential to change things and threaten the survival of the British emperor. Unlike previous uprisings, the 1857 revolt spread to different regions. Representation of the 1857 Revolt in British Sources Many British sources describe the 1857 revolt as a mutiny. There was a widespread coverage of the revolt in different local papers in Britain. Notably, the British sources represented the event in a very sensational manner. In The London Times, there were 108 stories that described the military conflict that resulted between the sepoys and the British rulers. All the main newspapers in Britain gave attention to the murders in India. Notably, many reporters depicted the sepoys in a very negative manner. They exaggerated the events to be seen as horror stories. Many newspapers reported of the rape and murder of British women and children in India. The reports of such atrocities on British women and children stirred a public agitation against the rebellion. In accordance with the reports in many of the papers, the sepoys were viewed as Muslim and Hindu rebels (100). The reporters claimed that the sepoys were religious rebels, a factor that gave them the courage to rape and murder women and children. Many newspapers depicted the sepoys as demons who were rebellious, criminals, in pursuit for their faithlessness. The British sources highlighted that the racial differences and the inferiority of the Indian race was one of the factors that motivated the sepoys to perpetrate such atrocities against British women and children. On the other hand, British sources only recognized their army members as heroes. Although there were atrocities committed by the British army members against the Indian soldiers and civilians, the sources give little attention to such. Many of the sources have honored the British responding to the massacre as heroes deserving celebration (103). Only recently have some British historians been able to accept and acknowledge that the English heroes also committed atrocities in India. What does Chowdhury say about how Photography was used to Represent the Revolt? The use of photography in the representation of the revolt was a common aspect. Photography is one of the critical aspects that may preserve memories of an event. Usually, the aftermath of the 1857 revolt was represented in photographs. There has been a critical analysis of the role of photography in preserving memories of the massacres. According to Chowdhury, photography used during the revolt was to justify the carnage. The destruction that took place during the revolt was beyond description by words. Therefore, photographs of the different massacres serve as critical sources in understanding what transpired. Many of the photographs from the colonial era in India play the role of reproducing history and its brutality. Unlike the photographs of other events, the images obtained from the revolt reveal the violence that transpired as well as the military conflict between the Indians and the Europeans. It is unfortunate that colonial photography does not represent the brutalities that the colonial government exposed Indians (113). Many of the photographs representing the revolt highlight the rising of a new civilization as well as the deaths resulting from the massacres. It is unfortunate that the representation of the massacres served to affect the senses of an individual who viewed them. Conclusion Without a doubt, the 1857 revolt represented the first war of Indian independence. The revolt began in Meerut where the sepoys were discontented with greased paper cartridges that prompted them to defy their religious beliefs. Both economic and social factors contributed to the revolt. The fact that the British rulers discriminated the Indian race and treated them as inferior people angered the sepoys. Through the economic policies established by the British colonial government, the Indians were exploited. Many British sources depicted the revolt as a heinous act carried out by Muslim and Islam rebels. Although photographs may represent the massacres in the revolt, they require a critical analysis. Work Cited Metcalf, Barbara D, and Thomas R. Metcalf. A Concise History of India. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2001. Print. Read More