Thứ Bảy, 11 tháng 8, 2012

Factors That Fueled The Sepoy Mutiny Of 1857

By Agnes Franco


The Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 was not just a movement that occurred one day. There were many causes that contributed to it happening. India as a country was going through a difficult phase during that time. The evolving youth were becoming disillusioned day by day.

One cause of this movement was political. The British people who had controlled India for 150 years had caused discontent among the princes who ruled at the time. Corruption, inefficiency and some of the policies of the administration had created panic and insecurity. Indians resented the British and they wanted to get rid of them.

The British people interfered with the culture of the Indians. Everything from their norms, beliefs and values was affected by the presence of the English people. These social injustices made them unhappy and uncomfortable.

Another reason why the movement started was because of economic causes. The Indian soldiers especially felt that they were sidelined. Most of them came from peasant families and they were poor. They were given low ranks in the army and their salaries were much less than their English counterparts. Economic policies set by the British administration also hurt the Indian trade and the some of the industries collapsed. India felt robbed of its wealth and natural resources.

Religious causes also fueled the revolt. With introduction of the railway and the telegraph panic was spread among the locals. They were afraid of being converted to Christianity through western education. The names of Muhammad and Ram were abused by the officers. The gods were ridiculed as well. An act that allowed people who converted to Christianity to inherit their ancestral property was created. All these led to more resentment of the British.

In the military the Sepoys never got promoted even after contributing greatly to winning some wars. They never received any emoluments unlike their British counterparts. All these factors led to a lot of discontentment and finally erupted in the sepoy mutiny of 1857.




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