question_answer

Explain how did the rebel leaders propagate their and persuade people to join the revolt of 1857.

Answer:

Since most of the rebels were sepoys and other leaders who were illiterate so it is difficult to know what the rebels thought but they used different techniques to propagate their ideas.

1. They issued proclamations and ishtahars (notifications) to propagate their ideas.

2. They also resorted to prophecy so that people can get involved in hope of early freedom. E.g. the prophecy that British rule will come to end on 100 years of Battle of Plassy of 1857.

3. The rebels tried to unify Hindus and Muslims and propagated that rebellion is a war in which both Hindus and Muslims had equally to lose or gain.

4. The ishtahar sharked back to the pre-British Hindu - Muslim past and glorified the coexistence of different communities under the Mughal Empire.

5. They also used techniques like secret propagation through under-ground workers. For E.g., Distribution of chapattis and lotus flowers as a symbol of revolt.