Struggle For Freedom

STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM

THE BRITISH RAJ AND THE REVOLT OF 1857 IN THE PAST, INDIA WAS A RICH AND PROSPEROUS COUNTRY. THE ROMANS,GREEKS AND ARABS HAD BEEN COMING TO BUY OUR GOODS. WITH THE RAPID GROWTH OF CIVILIZATION, DEMAND FOR THESE GOODS INCREASED GREATLY IN THE WEST.

CONTD…. THE PORTUGUESE AND SPANISH SAILORS STARTED A SERIES OF GEOGRAPHICAL DISCOVERIES. COLUMBUS DISCOVERED AMERICA IN 1494 A.D. THE PORTUGUESE SAILOR, VASCO DA GAMA, DISCOVERED THE NEW SEA ROUTE TO INDIA VIA THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE IN 1498. HE LANDED IN INDIA AT CALICUT.

CONTD… THE PORTUGUESE FOUGHT WITH THE ARAB TRADERS THE ENTIRE FOREIGN TRADE AND CANNANORE. THEY CALICUT, COCHIN CONTROLLED 0F AND DEFEATED THEM. THEY ESTABLISHED TRADING CENTRES AT INDIA IN THE SIXTEEN CENTURY .

CONTD…. ON THE LAST DAY OF 1600A.D., EIGHT MERCHANTS HAD SET UP IN LONDON A TRADING CONCERN NAMED THE EAST INDIA COMPANY EAST. THE COMPANY WAS GIVEN THE EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TRADE IN THE BY QUEEN ELIZABETH.THOUGH THE COMPANY WAS INTERESTED IN EARNING PROFIT THROUGH TRADE.

TRADE THE COMPANY ESTABLISHED ITS FIRST FACTORY AT SURAT ON THE WEST COAST OF INDIA IN 1608 A D.THE MUGHAL EMPEROR JAHANGIR PERMITTED THE COMPANY TO ESTABLISH FACTORIES IN THE WHOLE OF THE MUGHAL EMPIRE.

CONTD….. TO PROTECT THEIR FACTORIES,THE BRITISH BUILT FORTS AND MAINTAINED ARMIES.THE BRITISH CAME TO INDIA FOR TRADE,BUT BECAME CONQUERORS. SIRAJ-UD*-DAULAH BECAME THE NAWAB OF BENGAL IN 1756.A.D.HE ORDERED THE BRITISH TO CLOSE THEIR FORTS ANDASKED THEM TO STAY AS TRADERS ONLY.THE COMPANY REFUSED TO FOLLOW THE ORDERS OF THE NAWAB THIS LED TO THE BATTLE OF PLASSEY IN 1757, IN WHICH SIRAJ-UDDAULAH WAS DEAFTED.

CONTD…. THE REVOLT OF 1857 BROUGHT AN END TO THE RULE OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY .IT WAS TAKEN OVER BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT. IT APPOINTED A GOVERNOR-GENERAL TO RULE OVER INDIA. THE NEW RULERS ALSO HARASSED AND SUPPRESSED THE INDIANS.

CONTD…. HOWEVER ,THE REVOLT OF 1857 CREATED AN URGE IN THE MINDS OF INDIAN PEOPLE TO UNITE AND FIGHT FOR THEIR FREEDOM.THEY PREPARED FOR A NEW STRUGGLE AGAINST THE BRITISH RULERS.THE RANI OF JHANSI DRESSED LIKE A SOLDIER, USING HER SWORD WITH BOTH HANDS AND HOLDING THE REIGNS OF HER HORSE IN HER MOUTH FOUGHT LIKE A TIGRESS.

CONTD. THIS ULTIMATELY VICTORY WAY FOR BRITISH MASTERY OF BENGAL AND ULTIMATELY HELPED THEM IN CONTROLLING THE ENTIRE COUNTRY THE COMPANY NOW BECAME A MILITARY POWER.WITH THE HELP OF A BETTER TRAINED AND DISCIPLINED ARMY;THEY CAPTURED A LARGE PART OF INDIA.

CONTD THE YEAR 1857 A.D IS AN IMPORTANT YEAR IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY.IT WAS THE TIME WHEN AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE BY THE INDIAN TO LIBERATE THEMSELVES FROM THE BRITISH RULE.SOME SCHOLARS CALL IT THE SEPOY MUTINY.

CONTD MANGAL PANDEY, A YOUNG SEPOY,FIRED THE FIRST SHOT OF THIS VEVOLT.THE BULLET HE FIRED ON MARCH 29, 1857, SPARKED THE ARMY REBELLION AGAINST THE 100-YEARS OLD BRITISH RULE. THE FIRST SPARK OF REVOLT STARTED AT MEERUT, NEAR DELHI.THE REVOLT SPREAD OVER LARGE PARTS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL INDIA.

CONTD…. THE LAST MUGHAL EMPEROR, BAHADUR SHAH ZAFAR WAS MADE THE LEADER. OTHER SECTIONS OF INDIAN SOCIETY ALSO JOINED IN THE STRUGGLE. NANA SAHIB, TANTIA TOPE, KANWAR SINGH , LAKSHMI BAI OF JHANSI WERE PROMINENT AMONG THEM.BAHADUR SHAH ZAFAR WAS SENT TO RANGOON.

CONTD.. THE REVOLT OF 1857 BROUGHT AN END TO THE RULE OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY. IT WAS TAKEN OVER BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT IT APPOINTED A GOVERNOR-GENERAL TO RULE OVER INDIA.THE NEW RULERS ALSO HARASSED AND SUPPRESSED THE INDIANS.

CAUSES OF THE FAILURE OF THE REVOLT… THE REVOLT WAS A FAIRLY WIDESPREAD EVENT INVOLVING DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF SOCIETY, BUT A LARGE PART OF THE COUNTRY REMAINED UNAFFECTED BY THE REVOLT. EVEN IN AREAS WHERE REVOLTS TOOK PLACE,MANY SEPOYS REMAINED LOYAL AND HELPED THE BRITISH TO CRUSH THE REBELLION. IMPORTANT RULERS DID NOT SUPPORT THE REBELS.MANY OF THEM SUPPORTED THEBRITISH TO CRUSH THE REBELS.

CONTD…. AMONG THOSE WHO REVOLTED WERE PEOPLE WHO HAD LOST VV THEIR LANDS, POSITIONS AND PRIVILEGES DUE TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF BRITISH RULE,MANY SECTIONS OF SOCIETY,ON THE OTHER HAND,HAD BENEFITTED FROM BRITISH RULE AND CONSIDERED IT A BLESSING.

CONTD… THE REVOLUTIONARIES LACKED ORGANIZATION AND A COMMON PLAN OF ACTION UNDER A CAPABLE LEADER.WHEN THE REBELS CAPURED AN AERA, THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO NEXT. THE REBELS LACKED RESOURCES,IN TERMS OF MEN AND MONEY,WHILE THE COMPANY WAS SUPPORTED BY A DYNAMIC GOVERNMENT IN ENGLAND WHICH SENT LARGE REINFORCEMENTS OF MEN, MONEY AND ARMS TO SUPPRESS THE REVOLT.

RESULTS OF THE

REVOLT…. THE RULE OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY

CAME TO AN END. INDIA NOW CAME UNDER THE DIRECT RULE OF THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT AND THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND. TREATIES WITH INDIAN STATES WOULD BE HONOURED. THE DOCTRINE OF LAPSE WAS ABOLISHED.THE RIGHT TO ADOPT SONS AS LEGAL HEIRS WAS ACKNOWLEDGED.

NATURE OF THE REVOLT….

THE REVOLT WAS THE OUTCOME OF THE ACCUMULATED GRIEVANCES OF DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF PEOPLE AND NOT THE SEPOYS ALONE. THOSE WHO JOINED THE REVOLT HAD DIFFERENT REASONS AND DIFFERENT MOTIVES. OF THE ESTIMATED 1,50,000 PEOPLE KILLED IN THE REVOLT,1,00,000 WERE CIVILIANS.

CONTD…. 

HENCE,THE REVOLT WAS NOT A MUTINY. IT WAS THE FIRST LARGE-SCALE POPULAR UPRISING AGAINST VARIOUS SOCIAL,RELIGIOUS AND ECONOMIC INJUSTICES OF FOREIGN RULE.IT WAS THE FIRST LARGE-SCALE EXPRESSION OF A DESIRE FOR FREEDOM FROM FOREIGN RULE.THUS,IT WOULD BE MORE APPROPRIATE TO DESCRIBE THE REVOLT AS INDIA’S FIRST STEP TOWARDS FREEDOM.

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WHY DID THE EUROPEANS COME TO INDIA? WHY WAS THE BATTLE OF PLASSEY FOUGHT ? WHAT WAS THE IMMEDIATE CAUSE OF THE GREAT REVOLT ? WHY DID THE REVOLT OF 1857 FAIL ? EXPLAIN THE NATURE OF REVOLT OF 1857 ?

PRESENTED PARMJIT KAUR S.S MISTRESS GOVT.SEC.SCHOOL CHABBA.

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