IGNOU HISTORY NOTES : India History From Mid 18th to Mid 19th Century - Revolt of 1857 Causes and Nature

IGNOU HISTORY Study Notes for IAS, UPSC Exams

History India From Mid 18th to Mid 19th Century

Revolt of 1857 Causes and Nature

Structure

30.0 Objectives
30.1 Introduction
30.2 Background of the Revolt
30.2.1 The Army
'30.2.2 The Colonial Context
30.2.3 Land Revenue Settlements
30.3 Annexations
30.4 Religion and Culture
30.5 The Nature of the Revolt : Debate
30.5.1 Sepoy Mutiny?
30.5.2 National Struggle or Feudal Reaction?
30.6 'Web of Motives'
30.7 Against Generalisation
30.8 Elitist Movement or Popular Resistance?
30.9 Let Us Sum Up
30.10 Key Words
30.11 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

30.0 OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this unit is to briefly discuss the background of the revolt of 1857 in its
core areas and the conflicting interpretations of the nature of the revolt. This Unit
should nable you to:

know the grievances of the sepoys,
see the revolt in the context of the colonial economy,
examine the impact of the land revenue settlements in the core areas of the revolt,
undetstand the resentment against annexations,
assess the role of religious sentiments in the revolt, and
undertstand the nature of the revolt and the shifting issues of debate.

30.1 INTRODUCTION

The discussion of tribal and peasant uprisings in Unit 29 has given you evidence of the
resistance offered at each stage of the colonization of Indian society and economy
from the mid-18th to the mid-19th century. In 1857 in much of northern and central
India, thle linkage of the revolt of the army with that of the people proved to be a
dangerous combination for colonial rule. The causes of the revolt have therefore to be
studied:
- to locate the roots of the revolt in the army and rural society,
- to understand the links between the two, and as well as the manner in which
resistlance found expression.
The background Sections (30.2 to 30.4) will help us for the second part of the Unit
(30.5 to 30.(3), which touches upon questions regarding the nature of the revolt that
have prepccupied historians from the centenary year of the revolt, down to the 1980s.