War of Independence (1857) Background

War of Independence 1857, was the last event fought and served by Indian Muslims and Hindus
together. After it both the nations started thinking on separate lines due to defeat in this war.

Hence if they had gained victory in it they might started living together again. But the history has
to take a new turn.

War of Independence 1857: The main causes of War of Independence may be enumerated as
follows:

Causes of Independence War

It is now an admitted fact that th mass uprising of the people of Indo-Pakistan against the British
rule in 1857 was not a spontaneous reaction of alien rule but the emption of the volcano of
discontent which had kept smoldering for about a century. The causes of the War of
Independence were political,economic, religious, social and military.

(A). Political Causes

The English East India Company got strongly implanted in the Sub-Continent after its historic
victory over Nawab of Bengal in the Battle of Plassey fought in 1757. Soon after wards in 1764
the British recorded another important triumph(victory) in the Battle of Buxar. They annexed
many states.

1. Doctrine of Lapse
Lord Dalhousie applied Doctrine of Lapse for the expansion of the British Empire. According to
this doctrine the rulers of the states were not allowed to adopt sons. As a result their states were
annexed when they died.

2. Annoyance of Rules of States

Lord Dalhousie left no stone unturned for the expansion of the English territory. He annexed
states on the grounds of Doctrine of Lapse and misgovernment. As such the rulers of the
affected states like Sindh, Punjab, Jhansi and Oudh became sworn enemies of the Company.

3. Confiscation of Estates
It was a convention of the past rulers that the nobles were granted large estates. The British
Government reversed this policy and confiscated thousands of such estates.

(B). Economic Causes of War

The new agrarian policy of the British, destruction of local industry, permanent settlements, large
scale unemployment,monopoly of trade by the English and the Stamp Act were some important
economic causes of the war.

1. New Agrarian Policy

In the agrarian the Zamindars were asked to providedocumentary proof of their holdings. They
were deprived of their lands when they failed to furnish documentary proof of their ancestral
estates. In addition the rate of taxes on the lands was increased. This class was in the front rank
when he war of Independence broke out in 1857.

2. Destruction of Local Industry

As a result of the Industrial revolution of England cheaper and superior goods flowed into the
markets of the Sub-Continent. The local industry could not compete with the imported stuff. As a
result the local industry suffered badly. This resulted in frustration among the lower classes.

3. Permanent Settlement
The after effects of the permanent settlement of land were verydisastrous for the land owners.
They had to deposit regularly a fixed amount which was not always possible. The defaulters
were very often degraded.

4. Unemployment
The British did not trust the Indians. As a result they were not appointed on important jobs. This
policy resulted in unemployment for the educated classes.

5. Domination of Trade by the English

The British enacted such tows which facilitated their trade in Indo-Pakistan. Many sea ports
were declared free ports and custom duty on imported goods was wiredrawn. These steps
mined the local industry.

6. Court Fee Stamps

The English Government declared court fee compulsory to be paid in the form of court stamps.
Thus the people were denied the right of free justice.

(C). Religious Causes

1. Propagation of Christianity
Although at the outset the English had shown respect towards all religions yet with the passage
of time they changed their mind and devised ways and means for the propagation of Christianity
in Indo-Pakistan.

2. Introduction of New Inventions

In the first half of the 19th century the British introduced in Indo-Pakistan many inventions like
railway, post and telegraph.Moreover they made English as medium of education. These
inventions made the Indians suspicious of the intentions of the British.

3. Jihad Movement
Syed Ahmed Shaheed launched die Jihad Movement in the second decade of the 19th century.
It was a sort of large scale effort by the Muslims to snatch freedom from alien rule. The Jihad
Movement though failed to achieve immediate aims yet it succeeded in kindling a flame of
freedom.

4. Anti-Religion Laws
The British Government enacted many laws which were contradictory to the fundamentals of
various religions of Indo-Pakistan.

(D). Military Causes

1. Disbanded armies of annexed slates
The British disbanded the armies of the annexed states. This action left thousands of the local
soldiers unemployed.

2. Dearth of English Troops

It is estimated that before the start of the war of Independence, there were 3, 11,000 native
troops as against 40,000 European troops. This ratio tilted the balance in favour of the natives.
As a result, they were encouraged to launch the war of Independence.

3. Greased Cartridge
The use of greased cartridge proved as the immediate cause of the war of Independence. It was
rumored that the cartridges were greased with the fat of the cow or pig. This situation agitated
the religious feelings of both the Muslims and Hindu Soldiers.

Events of Independence War

War of Independence is an important landmark in the history of Sub-Continent. This War was
fought in 1857 by Indians against the British in order to get rid of their domination. It is also
given names as Indian Rebellion, Indian Mutiny as well as Indian Revolt. The main causes of
the War were political, social, economic, military and religious. It was an extreme effort made by
Indians, but they failed due to certain reasons includingmutual jealousies, disunity, and lack of
central leadership etc.

This war was not spread throughout India but it was limited to few areas mainly Meerut, Delhi,
Kanpur, Luck now etc.

1. Disputed Cartridges
In January 1857 the British announced that they were introducing a new rifle with a paper
cartridge covered in grease to keep the powder dry. Before the cartridge could be loaded, the
end had to be bitten off. However, it was rumored the grease on the cartridge was made from
the fat of both cows and pigs. The sepoys were so angered by this that they refused to use the
new cartridges. In March a sepoy named MangalPandey defied his British officers and when his
officers ordered to arrest him, he shot the major. Consequently he was executed. But the real
trouble began two months later.

2. Meerut Rebellion
On April 24, 1857 sepoys in Meerut refused to use the new cartridges. It was treated as army
rebellion and they were court martialed and put into prison, but their fellow soldiers broke into
prison and freed them. Meerut was sacked and British officers and other Europeans were put to
death. Then the soldiers marched to Delhi and captured it. The Mughal Emperor,Bahadur Shah
Zafar became unifying symbol for the uprising,winning the support of both Muslim and Hindu.
3. Punjab, Frontiers and Sindh
As the reaction of Meerut rebellion, British rulers disarmed the local army people but the
condition continued to deteriorate persistently. Unrest was spread in Punjab, Frontiers and
Sindh. English killed thousands of local soldiers indiscriminately in Multan, Sahiwal, Jehlum,
Hyderabad, Karachi, Pindi, Peshawar, Mardan and Hazara districts. The freedom fighters set
British homes and offices to the fire. Sialkot prison was broken and the prisoners were freed.

4. Meerut
On 6th May, 1857 A.D. 85 out of 90 Indian soldiers at Meerut refused to bite the greased
cartridges with their teeth. These 85 soldiers were court-martialed and imprisoned for 10
years.They were stripped off their uniforms in the presence of the entire Indian crowd. It was too
much of a disgrace and this incident sent a wave of indignation. On 10th May 1857, the Indian
soldiers at Meerut broke into open revolt. They released their companions and murdered a few
European officers. On the night of 10th May the mutineers marched to Delhi and reached there
on 11th May.

5. Delhi
The revolutionaries reached from Meerut to Delhi on 11th May,1857 and the small British
garrison at Delhi was not able to resist and consequently fell into their hands within 2 days. The
Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, was proclaimed Emperorof India. In order to regain
Delhi, Sir John Lawrence sent a strong British force commanded by John Nicholson. After a
longsiege of four months, the British recovered Delhi in September1857 A.D. The Mughal
Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was captured, his two sons and a grandson were shot dead
before his eyes and he was sent to Rangoon where he died in the year1862 A. D.

6. Kanpur
At Kanpur the struggle for Independence was led by Nana Sahib Dondu Pant (The adopted son
of Peshwa Baji Rao II). A number of British fell into his hands and he showed great kindness to
them. But when he heard about inhuman attitude of Gen. O’Neil towards Indians, he became
very furious and killed all the British. General Havelock captured Kanpur after defeating Nana
Sahib in a hotly contested battle on June 17, 1857. Later on Nana Sahib, with the help of Tantya
Topi, recaptured Kanpur in November, 1857 but not for a long time and British defeated them
once again in a fierce war from December 1 to 6, 1857.

7. Lucknow
The struggle for independence at Lucknow was led by Nawab, Wajid Ali Shah. The Chief
Commissioner, Sir Henry Lawrence, sought refuge with 1000 English and 700 Indian soldiers
inside the Residency. The Indians did not make any concession and killed most of the
Englishmen, including Sir Henry Lawrence and the notorious English General O’Neil. At last, the
Commander-in-Chief General Collin Campbell, marched towards Lucknow and captured it after
a fierce battle in March 1858.

8. Jhansi and Gwalior

The leader of the revolutionaries in Central India was Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi. General Sir
Huge Rose attacked Jhansi in March 1858 but the brave Rani Laxmi Bai kept the British
General unnerved for quite some time. She with the help of Tantya Tope created problems for
the British troops. Both fought many successful battles against the British. A fierce battle was
fought between the British and the revolutionaries under Rani Laxmi Bai and Tantya Tope from
June 11 to June 1 8, 1 858 A. D. But the personal velour of Rani and Tantya Tope could not
match the resources at the command of the British. Tantya Tope was betrayed by the Gwalior
Chief Man Singh and fell into the hands of the British. He was subsequently hanged on April 18,
1859.

9. Bihar
In Bihar, the Revolt was led by Kunwar Singh, a zamindar of Jagdishpur. Though he was eighty
years old, he played a prominent part in the revolt. He fought the British in Bihar and then joined
Nana Sahib’s forces and took part in various encounters with the English in Oudh and Central
India. He died on April 27, 1858, leaving behind a glorious record of valour and bravery.

Causes of Failure

The war of independence of 1857 failed to achieve its immediate political objectives. Following
were the causes of this failure.

1. Lack of Leadership and Discipline

The freedom fighters fought mostly in independent groups at different places led by leaders of
their particular regions. There was no leader who could single handed lead all the groups. The
revolutionaries lacked discipline. Thus their efforts could not getthe required momentum.

2. Lack of unity
There was no unity among the freedom fighters. They fought independent of one another. As a
result they could not assemble their resources against a common enemy. They were defeated at
different places. On the other hand the British fought the war of their survival with dedication and
purpose.

3. Lack of Resources
The freedom fighter lacked resources of all types. They were short of equipment and food-stuffs.
They had to face well equipped and well-organized enemy The Mughal Emperor had no
treasury to support the war.

4. Lack of Popular Support

The War of Independence never assumed the shape of a concerted national struggle. It lacked
popular support. Althoughit spread to various parts of the country yet some places did not take
part in the war.

5. Superior Technology of English troops

The British troops fought with latest weapons. They had the backing of the latest technology.
There were also led bycapable and experienced generals

6. Non-cooperation of the rulers of the State

The rulers of different states of Indo-Pakistan did not come to help the freedom fighters. Thus
the War remained confined to a few centers.

7. Non-Cooperation of Sikhs of Punjab

The Sikhs of Punjab considered the Muslims as their traditional enemies. They decided to
support the British in the War of Independence. The Sikh soldiers played a decisive role in the
recovery of Delhi from the freedom fighters. Had the Sikhs not assisted the English in the war
the history of Indo-Pakistan would have been different.

8. Role of traitors
The British succeeded in finding traitors in the ranks of the freedom fighters. Maulvi Rajab Ali
and Hakeem Ehsan Ullah blew off the royal ammunition depot at Delhi. Thus the revolutionaries
suffered a great set back.