Question

What were the factors that gave rise to the sepoy mutiny in 1857?

Answer 1

Instructions:
State reasons such as low wages of the sepoys, ill treatment at the hands of the British officers, discontent against British policies and the use of Enfield rifles

Solution: There were several factors that contributed to the rise of sepoy discontent against the British. Some of these were as follows:

1. Since most sepoys came from agrarian backgrounds they saw the impact of exploitative British policies on farmers, who were driven to landlessness, poverty and even bonded labour. This treatment gave rise to discontent against British policies at the time.
2. The sepoys did not like that not only were they given low wages, they were also treated with disrespect by their senior officials who were mostly British. The racial discrimination upset the Indian sepoy in Company’s armed forces.
3. Most sepoys were also against the policy of the British which did not allow Indian soldiers to rise in the armed forces rank.
4. The examples of regional rebellions encouraged ideas of speaking up against harsh and unequal policies of the East India Company in India.
5. The trigger point for the mutiny was the use of Enfield rifles which used cartridges that the soldiers believed were coated with beef and pig fat. This went against the communal sentiments of all soldiers and they finally broke out in mutiny against the British officers