But when the soldiers came out to protest they were joined by all the sections of the suppressed and exploited class. Therefore all these perceptions regarding have their own reality. But in a practical sense, the revolt of was basically the uprising of frustrated people against suppression and exploitation in which the initiative was taken by Soldiers.
Indians were fighting for their personal interest. There was no such a Nation India and was no feeling of Nationalism. Till , there was no nationalistic feeling. India was divided into various princely states and they all were fighting for their sack. So, India became very easy prey for Britishers to play the game of Divide and Rule politics.
Though Revolt of failed to fulfill its basic objective of eliminating British rule in India. But then also it has a very important place in the history of Modern India because of the following reasons.
So, after , Modern India saw the beginning of a new era in India. In spite of all good promises and declarations, this period proved to be a disappointment for Indians. So, from here started the wave of freedom struggle in India. We will discuss the initial phase of Freedom struggle in the upcoming post. Till then, enjoy learning.
Skip to content Menu. Posted on August 30, September 4, by Priyanshi Jajoo. Published by Priyanshi Jajoo. View all posts by Priyanshi Jajoo.
Prev First War of Independence. Talk to us for UPSC preparation support! Study Online at close Your Exam segments is being saved. Please wait Free Prep. Enquire WhatsApp. Although the revolt of was an extraordinary event in the history of India, it had very little chance of success against an organised and powerful enemy. It was suppressed within a year of its outbreak. There were many causes which led to the collapse of this mighty rebellion.
The revolt of had limited territorial spread. It was not widespread and remained confined to North and Central India only. Even in the north, Kashmir, Punjab, Sind and Rajputana kept away from the rebels. The British managed to get the loyalty of the Madras and Bombay regiments and the Sikh states. Afghans and Gurkhas also supported the British. The eastern, western and southern parts of India were more or less unaffected by the uprising. No broad-based unity emerged among the Indian people during the rebel.
While sepoys of the Bengal army were revolting, some soldiers in Punjab fought on the side of the British to crush these rebellions. Adhesion of the Mughal emperor, turned the Sikhs of Punjab away from the rebellion, as they did not want to return to Islamic rule, having fought many wars against the Mughal rulers.
The Zamindars of Bengal Presidency were the creation of the British. They acted as break-waters to storm. Awadh Taluqdars also backed off, once promises were made by the British to restore their land and titles. The modern educated Indians also did not support the revolt because, in their view, the revolt was backwards-looking. They believed mistakenly that the British would lead the country towards modernisation.
The main problem, however, was lack of unity in the ranks of rebels themselves. Their leaders were suspicious and jealous of each other and often indulged in petty quarrels. The Begam of Awadh, for example, quarrelled with Maulvi Ahmdullah, and the Mughal princes with the sepoy-generals.
Thus, selfishness and narrow perspective of the leaders suppressed the strength of the revolt and prevented its consolidation. Another major factor contributing to the failure of the revolt was the weak leadership of the movement.
Indian leaders lacked organisation and planning. The rebels were poorly organised. The uprisings in different parts of the country were uncoordinated. Often the sepoys behaved in an uncontrolled manner.
The rebel leaders were no match for the British soldiers. Most of its leaders thought only of their own interest. They were motivated by narrow personal gains. They fought to liberate only their own territories.
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