India's first war of independence: All you need to know on its 160th anniversary

Due to all the epicentres being far from each other, there was communication gap between the leaders of different parts of India. Today, on the 160th anniversary of the starting of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, here is all you wish to know about the rebellion.

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India's first war of independence: All you need to know on its 160th anniversary
India's first war of independence

India's first war of independence, better known as the Indian Rebellion of 1857, began on this day, May 10 in the year 1857. The first martyr of the revolt was Mangal Pandey and the war was the result of accumulation of many factors over time.

The rebellion of 1857 is considered the first blow that came to shatter the British rule in India. Some of the other rebellions and leaders included Rani Lakshmibai, Kunwar Singh, Bahadur Shah, Nana Saheb, Tatia Tope and Begum Hazrat Mahal.

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Today, on the 160th anniversary of the starting of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, here is all you wish to know about the rebellion:

Causes of the revolt:

  • There was discrimination among the British and Indian soldiers. It has been believed that the behavior of British soldiers towards Indian soldiers was quite rude
  • By January 1857, rumours had been taking rounds that the English cartridges were greased with animal fat. This was further sparked when during a fight, a low-caste sepoy taunted a high caste sepoy for 'losing his caste' after biting the cartridge as they were greased with the fat of pigs and cows
  • There had also been rumours that the British were trying to destroy the religions of the Indian people
  • One of the other reasons was the introduction of a new land revenue system which snatched the land from cultivators.

Reasons of its failure:

  • Some epicentres of the revolt were- Kanpur, Lucknow, Aligarh, Agra, Arrah, Delhi, and Jhansi
  • Due to all the epicentres being far from each other, there was a communication gap between the leaders of different parts of India
  • Due to the rebellion having no central leadership, it got limited to some parts of India only
  • Rebels did not have enough weapons and finance whereas British people had advanced weapons and enough finance.

Impact of the revolt:

  • In August 1850, the British Parliament passed an act for Better Government of India
  • The act ended the rule of the Company in India
  • The control of the British government in India was transferred to the British Crown
  • After the revolt, the British pursued the policy of divide and rule
  • Total expense of the suppression of the Revolt was borne by the Indians.
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