| Consider the following statements regarding causes of the Revolt of 1857 |
| 1. Denial of the adoption of child by the childless king. |
| 2. The British Policy of looking down upon Indian subjects. |
| 3. Discriminations among English and Indian soldiers. |
| 4. Social reform and conversion to Christianity. Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect? |
A) Only 1
B) Only 2
C) 3 and 4
D) All of these
Correct Answer: D
Solution :
[d] The revolt of 1857 was primarily the outburst of pent up anger and grievances of various sections of the society affected by the policies of the British. The Doctrine of Lapse, particularly its practical application by Lord Dalhousie, produced grave discontent and alarm among the native princes, who were directly affected. The East India Company, after attaining political power, used it to fund the growth of British trade and commerce at the cost of Indians. The British damaged the Indian trade and manufacture by imposing a high tariff in Britain against Indian goods, and by encouraging all means the import of British goods to India. In England, the ruin of the old handloom weavers was accompanied by the growth of the machine industry. But, in India, the ruin of the millions of artisans and craftsmen was not accompanied by any alternative-growth of new industrial forms. Anew plantation system introduced in the year 1833 resulted in incalculable misery for the Indian peasants. This was the result of permitting Englishmen to acquire land plantations in India. The hard hit were the peasants on the indigo plantations in Bengal and Bihar. Indiscriminate assaults on Indians by Englishmen became quite common. The Englishmen showed an arrogant attitude rewards the Indians. Also, a general alarm was raised among the Hindus and Muslims by the activities of the Christian missionaries. The educational institutions established by the missionaries inculcated western education and culture in the place of oriental learning. The native population felt that were losing their social identity. Discontent against the British Raj was widely prevalent among the Indian soldiers in the British army. The Indian ?sepoys in the British Indian army nursed a sense of strong resentment at their low salary and poor prospects of promotion. The British military officers at times showed least respect to the social values and religious sentiments of Indian sepoys in the army. Thus, although generally faithful to their masters, the sepoys were provoked to revolt. The Vellore mutiny of 1806, a precursor to the 1857 Great Revolt, was the outcome of such tendencies on the part of the military authorities. Another important cause of the sepoys' dissatisfaction was the order that abolished the foreign allowance or batta when they served in foreign territories. Thus the discontent was widespread and there as an undercurrent before the volcanic situation of 1857. All that needed was only a spark to set it fire.
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