1857 Mutiny Flashcards
1
Q
How did the annexation of territory cause it?
A
- Lord Dalhousie devised the Doctrine of Lapse - if an Indian ruler died without a male heir the kingdom would become EIC territory
- Adopted heirs were seen as illegitimate
- Several territories were annexed as time went on: Satara in 1848, Punjab in 1849, Udaipur in 1852, Nagpur in 1853 and Jhansi in 1854
2
Q
How did religion cause it?
A
- 1813 Charter Act permitted missionaries to enter EIC territories and spread their religion
- On the 11th May 1852 Rev John Jennings, his family, and others were murdered on his mission to convert people to Christianity
- 1829 Bengal Sati Regulation
3
Q
What were the economic causes?
A
- Zamindari gave landowners the right to collect rent from peasants but 10/11 shares went to the EIC - from 1851-1852 to EIC made £7,584,435 from Bengal alone
- Mahalwari: one village was seen as an entire unit for tax so if one person didn’t pay everyone could lose their land. When farmers couldn’t pay they had to go to moneylenders who gave loans with high interest rates
- The 1852 Inam Commission led to 20,000 estates being confiscated as landlords failed to produce title deeds
4
Q
What problems in the Bengal Army led to it?
A
- Promotion was limited for Indians - highest rank they could obtain was Subhedar which only had a max monthly salary of 60 rupees
- 1856 General Service Enlistment Act said that new recruits must swear that they would cross the sea which would be ritual pollution for the high caste members of Hindu troops
5
Q
How did the Enfield Rifle cause it?
A
- The cartridges were coated with cow and pig fat - sepoys would have to bite of the ends of lubricated cartridges to load the rifle - sinful to Hindus and Muslims
- 9th May 1857: 85 men in the third Bengal cavalry refused. They were arrested, court martialled and imprisoned for 10 years
6
Q
What shows the rebellion was violent in nature?
A
- 2 wives of officers were murdered: Mrs Chambers was had her unborn child ripped from her womb by a local butcher, Mrs Dawson had burning torches thrown at her until she burnt to death
- 15th July Cawnpore Massacre: 200 women and children were imprisoned and brutally murdered - dismembered and thrown down a well into the Ganges River
7
Q
What shows the mutiny was disorganised?
A
- Those under Bahadur Shah hoped to restore the authority of the Mughal emperor whereas former landowners and minor chiefs in the North West provinces regain their power and territory - not overthrow British rule
- Large princely states did not participate e.g. Kashmir, Mysore, Hyderabad, Travancore, and all of South India
8
Q
How did disunity cause them to lose?
A
- The native princes were loyal to the British e.g. Nizam of Hyderabad
- 21 out of 28 regiments of the Bombay Native Infantry remained loyal and functioning
9
Q
How were the british military superior?
A
- Brown Bess Musket that the rebels uses was inferior to the Enfield Rifle - range of 100 yards vs 900
- The British were able to bring in reinforcements: 112,000 soldiers were sent to India from other parts of the Empire and 310,000 were freshly recruited from loyal areas like Punjab
10
Q
How did telegrams make the rebels lose?
A
- By 1857 there were 4,250 miles of telephone lines and 46 receiving offices across India
- Information from Meerut about the rebellion starting was able to reach the Punjab allowing the British to disarm 4,000 sepoys from the Lahore Garrison - a potentially mutinous regiment
11
Q
How did the mutiny change attitudes towards Indians?
A
- Fueled conservative ideas of Indian inferiority - saw it as Britain’s responsibility to govern the ‘new caught sullen peoples’ who can’t govern themselves
- J.W Kaye - army officer: ‘the very sight of a dark man stimulated our national enthusiasm almost to the point of frenzy’
12
Q
How did Britain start valuing India more?
A
- Indian army was regularly sent to fight for British interest e.g China in 1859, Abyssinia in 1867
- Realised they couldn’t lose the ‘jewel in their crown’
13
Q
How did Britain invest into India?
A
- Prioritised railway building - covered just 288 miles in 1857. In 1859 a network was planned to cover the whole country. 1,588 miles were open by 1861; 9,891 by 1881 and 24,760 by 1900
- Trade with India increased: the value of exports to India were only £23 million in 1855, but by 1910 they were worth £137 million
14
Q
What measures did Britain take to prevent another rebellion?
Urban design and military reform
A
- 1858 Peel Commission called for the ‘irregular system’ where each army unit had at least one European officer - European to Indian ratio never fell below 1:2 until WW1
- Robert Napier oversaw the destruction of 2/5 of Lucknow and the subsequent rebuilding of straight, wide boulevards to help troops move more easily in the event of another rebellion
- Expansion of telegraph lines: 28,000 km long in 1865, 84,000 km by 1900 and connected 4,949 telegraph offices
15
Q
What reforms were made to the education system?
A
- Universities were set up in Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta in 1857 while elite schools e.g. Rajkumar College were set up to produce ‘Westernised Oriental Gentlemen’
- In the 30 years after the mutiny, 60,000 Indians had entered the universities.
- By 1882, 1,100 of them were working for the civil service
