Consequences of the Revolt of 1857

The revolt of 1857 was often referred to as the Sepoy Mutiny, the Indian Mutiny, the Great Rebellion, the Indian Insurrection, the First War of Independence, and the Revolt of 1857. Indian Rebellion of 1857 is one of the first major uprisings against the British government or the British East India Company which during that time acted as the representative of the British Crown. 

The rebellions began on 10 May 1857. It started in the form of a mutiny of sepoys of the Company's army in the town of Meerut, This led to various other rebellions in other parts of the country like central India. These rebellions were considered a threat to the power of East India Company in India. This rebellion ended with the defeat in Gwalior on 20 June 1858. After that, the British government granted amnesty to all rebels who were not involved in any kind of murder. This Rebellion officially ended in 1859.

Revolt of 1857

The Revolt of 1857 had a deep mark in the history of modern Indian history and the policy of the British changed after the revolt of 1857 and played a very important role in India and helped in the display of unity among the people and to rethink their existence in India.

Consequences of the 1857 Revolt

The important consequences of the Revolt of 1857 are as follows:

British Crown Came to Power

The revolt of 1857 caused the transfer of power from the East India Company to the crown of England and the achievement was possible under the Government of India Act of 1858; under which India came under the direct rule of the English crown.

New Structure for the Indian Government

The Indian council was formulated with 15 members, nine to serve India for at least ten years, and consisted of a state secretary, which was assisted by the council of India. With this, the framing of a new form of government with different types of rules became possible in India.

Indian Army Reconstruction

The Revolt of 1857 instilled a level of fear in the British government. The number of Indian soldiers in the Indian army came to be drastically reduced from 2 lakh to around 1 lakh 40 thousand in 1863 and the number of England soldiers had increased.

Policy of Annexation Ended

With the revolt of 1857, the British government realized the importance of princely states and wanted to gain the support of the Princes of India and felt the need to unite the princes and princely states. Hence, the policy of annexation was put to hold.

Beginning of Divide and Rule Policy

After the Revolt of 1857, the British tried to reduce the unity of Indians and started the divide-and-rule policy based on castes, religion, and classes. Muslims were pitted against Hindus and upper castes against lower castes and this led to an increase in the division of the country's people and deteriorated unity.

Causes of the 1857 Revolt

• The immediate cause of the revolt was the introduction of the"‘Enfield rifle". The Indian sepoys believed that it was greased with the fats of cows and pigs, which was against religious sentiments.
• The discrimination that the lower caste people faced in the East Indian Company army. The army practices various higher caste rituals and took measures to segregate the people based on caste.
• With the increasing expansion plans of the British Government, there was a scope that the power of Nawabs and Zamindars in various places will be reduced or completely taken away.
• With the British government passing various rules and acts as a plan to take away the king's domes and provinces of the rulers, the rulers of those states were against the British and supported the rebellion.
• The various tax and revenue systems introduced by the British government created unrest among the people and supported the rebellion.

Conclusion

The revolt of 1857 was an important turning point in Indian history and its impression gave rise to national leaders for the country and pushed the Britishers away from the Indian people. Leaders like Mangal Pandey lost their lives in the revolt. The army came to be reorganized, the Indian government had a new structure, and the annexation of princely states was lifted.

Related Link

1. Causes of the Revolt of 1857