British India and The Sepoy Mutiny of 1857
Was this a Rebellion or the First Indian War of Independence?
Sep 13, 2009
Any conclusion as to whether the Indian Sepoy mutiny of 1857 was a rebellion or the first war of Indian independence against British India hinges upon whether it was a planned or spontaneous uprising, about which there is considerable contemporary debate.
Causes and Reasons for the Sepoy Mutiny
One of the principal and established viewpoints is that the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 was spontaneously sparked by the issue of a new rifle by the British to the Bengal Army, as it was rumoured that the cartridges were greased with a mixture of pork and beef fat. Of course pork is forbidden to Muslims and cows sacred to Hindus, so it is understandable why this reason does seem logical. As the sole reason for the mutiny, this is certainly challenged by historian Saul David as he cites a multiplicity of causes which tend to lead to the conclusion that the mutiny was more planned than spontaneous, and the issue of the greased cartridges was used as an excuse to rebel.
Saul David's Explanation for some Origins of the Sepoy Mutiny
- the existence of secret committees in all Indian regiments which co-ordinated the uprising;
- disaffection in the native troops, particularly the Bengal army due to low pay, poor housing and uncomfortable uniforms; a lack of European regiments to bolster the native regiments and also a lack of experienced British officers in regiments, due to secondment which led to a deterioration in the relationship with the troops;
- the "gradual erosion of a commanding officer’s power” is also cited together with the abolition of corporal punishment, both of which led to increasing laxity in the troops;
- the Oudh annexation alienated many of the Bengal sepoys who originated from this area;
- civilian conspirators to the rebellion included Prince Nana Sahib who managed to add a great many high level conspirators to the secret committees, particularly after the annexation of Oudh, and whose involvement predated the rebellion by about one year;
- and finally the bizarre circulation of chapattis throughout India from January 1957 which mimicked an earlier ‘secret message’ to citizens before the downfall of Maratha power.
Indeed, if David’s analysis stands then the Sepoy Mutiny would certainly appear more as a war of independence organised by rebel Indian officers and Princes than a spontaneous uprising, with the constant interaction between the Indian regiments enabling the disaffection to spread easily. David’s principal reasons for the mutiny were both political – seeking to replace colonial rule, and financial, in that the Sepoys hoped for an increased wage under Princely command but also a return to the lucrative habit of plunder which used to be common in India due to the number of wars constantly taking place between Princes and states but had been banned by the British.
A revolt against British modernizations
The historian Michael Edwardes in his book High Noon of Empire states that the “sources of the 1857 rebellion lay deep in the traditional patterns of Indian society and the Mutiny was a revolt not against the British as such but against the modern world which the British sought to impose upon India”.
Marxist Interpretation
For academic Nilesh Patel the explanation for the Sepoy Mutiny is a predominantly Marxist interpretation of an oppressed Indian population resulting from an ongoing set of conflicts, such as expansionism in India, with the people oppressed by large taxes, and brutalities to the point of physical torture.
The Opinion of the Untouchable Caste (Dalits)
Certainly Badri Tiwari’s analysis of Dalit memories of 1857 gives an indication that for modern Indians the 1857 revolt was a war of independence rather than a mutiny as the Indians were fighting for repossession of their country rather than for power. He also states that the history of the revolt was distorted by the Indian intellectuals in his extract from the book of A K Biswas and additionally how groups, such as contemporary Dalits (Untouchables), are able to ‘invent’ heroes of the 1857 rebellion which place them more centrally within the nationalist struggle.
Discrimination against Muslims after 1857
William Dalrymple’s article, The Last Mughal and a Clash of Civilisations, explains the reason for the ensuing discrimination against Muslims, despite the fact that the mutiny originated in the ranks of the, primarily Hindu, Bengal army. Unfortunately for the peaceable Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah II, the Mughal capital Delhi and the flag of its ancient empire were used by the mutineers to create a rallying point for the revolt.
Conclusion
From the small amount of research carried out for this piece of work, it certainly seems that the Sepoy Mutiny was more of a planned than spontaneous outbreak, leading to the initial conclusion that it should indeed have been categorised as a War of Indian Independence rather than mutiny. It was handled very badly by the British military and perhaps the major reason the British managed to regain control was due to the fact that the army in the Punjab did not revolt as they had extremely good British leadership.
Sources:
www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians
Saul David, The Indian Mutiny, London: Penguin Books Ltd, 2002
Michael Edwardes, High Noon of Empire, London: Eyre & Spottiswoode Ltd, 1965
Nilesh Patel, The Sepoy War of 1857, Mutiny or First Indian War of Independence?, www.english. emory.edu/Bahri/Mutiny.html
Badri Tiwari, Reactivating the Past, Dalits and Memories of 1857, Economic and Political Weekly, May 12, 2007
The Last Mughal and a clash of Civilisations, New Statesman
