Question

The Revolt of 1857 was the first war of Independence. Analyze.

Answer 1

Approach:

• Start with a short background of Revolt of 1857.
• Discuss its cause and significance.
• Discuss different views of historian about the revolt .
• Conclude with your arguments as Revolt of 1857 was the first war of Independence.

Revolt of 1857, which led to the removal of British Company Rule in India, is the display of utter hatred and anger in Indians towards the Foreign Rule. It was the most severe outburst of anger and discontentment accumulated in the hearts of the various sections of the Indian society ever since the inception of the British rule.

British historians called it a “Sepoy Mutiny” and the Indian historians called it “The First War of Independence”. We have seen various debates now and then where people talk about the name that the Revolt of 1857 deserves due to its various features, causes and consequences. There were varied views on whether to call this outburst as a sepoy mutiny, national struggle or a manifestation of feudal reaction.

In India, the term “First War of Independence” was first popularized by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in his 1909 book The History of the War of Indian Independence. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, insisted on using the term “First War of Independence” to refer to the event, and the terminology was adopted by the Government of India.

The Revolt of 1857 was a result of discontent which was prevailing inside every Indian for Colonialism. The East India Company ruled India for a period of over 200 years but it was for the first time when someone revolted against this oppression in 1857.

The British Expansionist Policies and unjust laws (Heavy taxation, evictions, discriminatory tariff policy against Indian products), Economic Exploitation ( farmers were forced to grow crops like Cotton and Indigo which served as raw materials for European Industries and these farmers were paid excessively low rates for their work) , Military Discrimination between Indian and British soldiers (they were paid low as compared to British counterparts, no rising in position above the rank of Subedar and were racially discriminated) , Social Reforms ( Reforms like Sati, legalization of widow remarriage, extension of western education to woman were looked upon as examples of interference.

Also, Annexation of Awadh on the grounds of misgovernment and further actions led to become the political causes of this revolt where leaders like Nana Sahib and Rani Lakshmi Bai were active participants).

Due to such broader array of causes, historians believed that this Revolt should be known as the First War of Independence as it included different sections of the society.