contents...contents section a — history 1. the indian national movement (1857-1917) 1. the first...

CONTENTS

SECTION A — HISTORY

1. The Indian National Movement (1857-1917)

1. The First War of Independence, 1857 1 - 19

2. Growth of Nationalism 20 - 34

3. First Phase of the Indian National Movement 35 - 52

4. Second Phase of the Indian National Movement 53 - 72

5. The Muslim League 73 - 86

II. Mass Phase of the National Movement (1915-1947)

6. Mahatma Gandhi and the National Movement 87 - 103

7. Quit India Movement 104 - 115

8. Forward Bloc and The I N A 116 - 126

9. Independence and Partition of India 127 - 141

III. The Contemporary World

10. The First World War 142 - 158

11. Rise of Dictatorships 159 - 173

12. The Second World War 174 - 186

13. United Nations 187 - 196

14. Major Agencies of the United Nations 197 - 206

15. Non-Aligned Movement 207 - 218

SECTION B — CIVICS

I. The Union Legislature

1. The Union Parliament 219 - 238

II. The Union Executive

2. The President and the Vice-President 239 - 252

3. Prime Minister and Council of Ministers 253 - 268

III. The Judiciary

4. The Supreme Court 269 - 282

5. The High Courts and Subordinate Courts 283 - 297

I.C.S.E. Examination Paper Solved — 2009 298 - 314






Practice Model Test Paper — I 384 - 387

Practice Model Test Paper — II 388 - 390

Practice Model Test Paper — III 391 - 393

Practice Model Test Paper — IV 394 - 396

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done by following the Subsidiary Alliance, introduced by LordWellesley. Under this system, the Indian rulers, who agreed tothe Subsidiary Alliance –

(a) accepted the British as the supreme power ;

(b) surrendered their foreign relations to the East Indian Companyand agreed that they would not enter into any alliance with anyother power and would not wage wars.

(c) accepted a British Resident at their headquarters and agreed notto employ any European in their service without consulting thecompany.

(d) agreed to maintain British troops at their own cost ; and

(e) virtually lost their independence.

The two Indian States were :

(i) Hyderabad in 1798. (ii) Awadh in 1801.

6. Explain the term : Doctrine of Lapse. Name the two Statesannexed by the British using the Doctrine of Lapse.

Ans. The Doctrine of Lapse, introduced by Lord Dalhousie meantthat when a ruler of dependent State died without a natural heir,the State passed back to the hand of English. Satara (1848),

Jhansi (1853), and Nagpur (1854) were some of the Statesannexed by the British using the Doctrine of Lapse.

7. Who was Nana Sahib ? What was his main grievance againstthe British?

Ans. The last Peshwa, Baji Rao II, had adopted Nana Sahib as his son.But the British refused to recognise Nana Sahib as the ruler of theMarathas. He was pensioned off to far away Bithur.

8. Which policy was used by Lord Dalhousie against RaniLaxmi Bai ? Why did Rani Laxmi Bai become a bitterenemy of the British ?

Ans. Lord Dalhousie used the policy of “The Doctrine of Lapse”against Rani Laxmi Bai. The application of the Doctrine of Lapse,aroused a great discontentment to Rani of Jhansi when after thedeath of the ruler of Jhansi, their adopted son Anand Rao wasnot recognised as a legitimate successor to the throne.

9. State two announcements which adversely affected theMughal dynasty in India.

1

SECTION A — HISTORY

Chapter - 1

The First War of Independence, 1857EXERCISES

I. Short Answer Questions

1. What was the nature of revolts against the British beforethe First War of Independence?

Ans. The revolts against the British before the First War ofIndependence did not pose a serious challenge as the rebellionswere local, scattered and isolated. These revolts established alocal tradition of struggle against the British rule.

2. Why was “War of 1857” hailed as the First War ofIndependence ?

Ans. It embraced the whole section of society without any caste andcreed. It was not localized one. In this revolt, not only armypersonnel participated but Indian civilians also threw themselvesinto this struggle to get rid of the foreign rules. This revolt gavethe real threat to the Britishers.

3. Mention two political causes of the First War ofIndependence.

Ans. (i) Policy of Expansion.(ii) Disrespect shown to Bahadur Shah Zafar.

4. Name the two ways in which the British expanded their

territorial power in India ?

Ans. The two ways in which the British expanded their territorial

power in India are :

(i) By outright wars.

(ii) By the system of Subsidiary Alliance.

(iii) By adopting the Doctrine of lapse.

(iv) On the pretext of alleged misrule.

5. What was the Subsidiary Allinace ?Or

Name the method adopted by the British to bring the IndianStates under their control without actually annexing them.

Ans. Subsidiary Alliance : Some Indian States were brought underthe British control without actually annexing them. This was


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Ans. In 1856, Lord Canning announced that after the death of BahadurShah Zafar, his successors would not be allowed to use theimperial titles and dignities with their names.

10. Mention any two consequences of the annexation of Awadh.

Ans.

(i) The people of Awadh had to pay higher land revenue and additionaltaxes on food, houses, ferries and justice.

(ii) Nawab of Awadh’s army and administration threw thousands ofnobles, officials and soldiers out of jobs.

11. State any two consequences of the disbanding of the armiesof the annexed States by the British.

Ans. The dissolution of the Nawab of Awadh’s army and administrationthrew thousands of nobles, officials and soldiers out of jobs.

The British confiscated the estates of the taluqdars or zamindars.The dispossessed taluqdars became the opponents of the Britishrule.

12. Give the meaning of absentee sovereignty. Why was itresented by the Indians ?

Ans. Absentee Sovereignty : It means that India was being ruled bythe British government from England, at a distance of thousandsof miles.

The Indians felt that India’s wealth was being drained to Englandand not utilised for their welfare.

13. What were the apprehensions of Indians about theintroduction of the railways?

Ans. The introduction of Railways proved to be a major importantreligious factor that paved a way to the uprising of Revolt of1857. It was looked down upon as a means to break socialorder and caste rules. People of all castes has to sit together inrailway compartments. This was regarded as an attempt tointerfere with the caste rules.

14. Mention any two social reforms advocated by the Britishwhich affected the religious traditions of the Indian people.

Ans. Sati system and no permission to widows for re-marriage wasprevailing in the society.

The British Government passed the Widow Re-marriage Act in1856 and Sati system was declared illegal by passing an Act.

15. Mention any three measures which point to the policy of

social discrimination followed by the British in India.

Ans. (i) British continued their policy of ‘divide and rule’.

(ii) They believed in their racial superiority and they thoughtthat a distance was to be maintained to preserve theirauthority over Indians.

(iii) They cleverly used the attractions of Government serviceto create a split along religious lines among educated Indians.

16. Give an example to show how the British exploited resourcesof India.

Ans. India was forced to export at cheaper rates raw materials likeraw cotton and raw silk as duty free to British industries.

17. Give any two grievances of the peasantry against the

British ?

Ans. (i) The peasants were discontented with the official land

revenue policy and the consequent loss of their land.(ii) It was the peasantry that bore the heavy burden of exorbitant

taxes to provide money for the trade and profits of thecompany, the cost of administration and the wars of Britishexpansion in India.

18. What did the British do to reduce the landed aristocracy topoverty?

Ans. The British economic exploitation, decay of indigenous industries,high taxation, the drain of wealth, stagnation of agriculture andexploitation of poor peasants reduced the landed aristocracy topoverty.

19. What was the provision of the General Service EnlistmentAct which was resented by the Indian soldiers ? Why wasit resented ?

Ans. Lord Canning passed the General Enlistment Act. The Act causedbitterness among the sepoys, as it bound them to be sent to fightto an overseas front. Act was contrary to their religious beliefs.Political, Social and Economic atmosphere was conductive foran outbreak, but it could not erupt as long as the Indian soliderswere loyal to the English. Though above mentioned militarycauses roused discontentment among the sepoys as well, whostarted the revolt.

20. Mention any two grievances harboured by the Indian soldierswhich created an atmosphere favourable to the First Warof Independence.


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Ans. (i) All higher posts were reserved for the British in employment.An Indian soldier could not rise above the rank of Subedar.

(ii) Indian soldiers were required to serve in areas away fromtheir homes without extra payment and additional Bhatta(foreign service allowance)

21. State two effects of the defeat of the British in the firstAfghan War and the Punjab Wars on the Indian soldiers.

Ans.

(i) Though the British suppressed the Santhal Uprising, the disastersthey suffered broke the myth that the British were invincible.

(ii) It further revealed to the Indian soldiers that the British armycould be defeated by the determined Indian army.

22. What was the immediate cause of the First War ofIndependence?

Ans. The immediate cause of the uprising was the use of greasedcartridges in the rifles after biting the end of cartridge with theirteeth. It was thought that the cartridges were greased with thefats of cow and pig. So both Hindu and Muslim soldiers refusedto use these cartridge.

23. Who was Mangal Pandey ? What did he do ?

Ans. Mangal Pandey was a Brahmin soldier, who refused to use thegreased cartridges on 29th March, 1857 and killed two Englishofficers. He was hanged consequently, this resulted in generaluprising in Meerut, Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow and Jhansi.

24. State two consequences of the First War of IndianIndependence on the East India Company?

Ans. The First War of Indian Independence ended the East IndiaCompany’s rule in India since the British statesmen thought itunwise to leave the Government of vast country in the handsof private trading company.

25. How was the Army organized after the First War ofIndependence ?

Ans. The proportion of the British Indian soldiers was increased anddifferent castes and creeds were mixed to avoid any otherrevolt.

26. What impact did the uprising of 1857 have on the Mughalrule and Peshwaship?

Ans. With the death of Bahadur Shah II, who was deported to Yangon,

the Mughal dynasty came to an end. Nana Saheb, the last Peshwa,had taken an active part in the uprising and had feed to Nepalafter the failure of the uprising. So the office of Peshwa alsocame to an end.

The First War of Indian Independence ended the East IndiaCompany’s rule in India since the British statesmen thought itunwise to leave the government of vast country in the handsof private trading company.

27. Mention any two drawbacks of the First War ofIndependence.

Ans.(i) The movement did not have common plans of military action or

a centralised leadership. The uprisings in different parts of thecountry were completely uncoordinated.

(ii) The East India Company had the services of men of exceptional,abilities like Lawrence, Nicholson, Havelock, Outram, Campbell,etc. They fought the toughest battles in the initial stages of theuprising and controlled the situation till reinforcements werereceived from abroad.

28. Mention two grievances of the Mughal Emnperor againstthe British.

Ans.

(i) In 1849, Lord Dalhousie announced that successors of BahadurShah Zafar would not be permitted to use the Red Fort as theirpalace. They were required to shift to a place near the QutabMinar.

(ii) In 1856, Lord Canning announced that after the death of BahadurShah Zafar, his successors would not be allowed to use theimperial titles and dignities with their names.

29. What assurance did the Queen’s Proclamation of 1858 giveto the Indian people regarding (a) religious freedom, and(b) appointment to public offices?

Ans.(a) The Queen in her Proclamation of 1858, promised not to interfere

with the religious beliefs of the people of India.(b) Regarding the public appointments, she declared that the

appointments would be strictly on the basis of education, abilityand integrity.

30. How did the Doctrine of Lapse become a political causefor the Great Uprising of 1857 ?

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Ans. According to the Doctrine of Lapse, if an Indian ruler of adependent State did not have his real son to succeed him, hewas not allowed to adopt a successor without Company’sconsent. As such, the state in question was annexed. By hisDoctrine of Lapse, Lord Dalhousie, the Governor General ofIndia (1846-1856), annexed three Maratha dependent Statesof Satara, Nagpur, Jhansi and several minor principalities.

31. Name two humanitarian measures taken by the Britishwhich invoked adverse reaction from the Indian masses.

Ans. The abolition of Sati (1829) and the introduction of the WidowRe-marriage Act (1856) was two humanitarian measures takenby the British which invoked adverse reaction from the Indianmasses.

32. What was the General Service Enlistment Act of 1856?Ans. The Viceroy, Lord Canning passed the General Service Enlistment

Act in 1856, according to which every new recruit undertookto serve overseas (land beyond seas) if ordered.

33. What assurance was given to the Indian princes by QueenVictoria in her Proclamation of 1858?

Ans. The Policy of Annexation and the Doctrine of Lapse wereabandoned. Indian princes who had remained loyal to the Britishand had helped them in suppressing the uprising. Their loyaltywas rewarded with the announcement that their right to adoptheirs would be respected and the intergrity of their territoriesguaranteed against future annexation.

34. In which year did the First War of Independence takeplace?

Ans. The First War of Independence took place in the year 1857.II. Structured Questions

1. Economic exploitation of the country produced discontent,resentment and resistance among the people that culminatedin the Great Uprising of 1857. Examine this factor withreference to the following :

(a) The ruin of trade and handicrafts.

(b) Impoverishment of the cultivators.

(c) Subordination of Indian economy to British interests(Making India an Agricultural Colony of Britishcapitalism.

Ans. (a) The East India Company was established in 1600 as a

trading concern. Soon after 1668, Indian textiles became sopopular in England, that an Act was passed in 1720prohibiting the use of Indian silks and Calicoes in England.The British deliberately crippled Indian handicrafts by

(i) Imposing heavy duties on Indian silk and cotton textiles inEngland.

(ii) British goods were imported into India at a nominal duty.

(iii) The art of spinning and weaving became extinct.

(iv) Manufacturing towns of Dhaka, Murshidabad and Suratnow looked desolate.

Hence, deplorable economic condition paved the way forRevolt of 1857.

(b) The Cultivators impoverished under the land-revenue policiesof the English. Be it Permanent settlement in Bengal andBihar, Ryotwari system in Bombay or Mahalwari System,almost half the net produce was claimed as land-revenue.Bad monsoons brought famines that further increased thepoverty of the peasants. Unable to pay land-revenue, thefarmers were driven more and more in the clutches ofmoney-lenders. What could impoverished asked other thandriving the English out of India.

(c) The English subordinated the Indian economy to the interestsof British trade and Industry. Indian Industry began to declinebecause heavy duties were imposed on the Indian silk andcotton textiles. The English exported raw material fromIndia and poured into India large quantities of goodsmanufactured in England. In short, India was reduced tothe Agriculture colony. Her trade and commerce began tobe controlled and dominated by the English.

2. The Great Outbreak of 1857 brought about importantchanges in the character of Indian administration and thefuture development of the country. In this context discuss.

(a) The changes introduced in the administrative set-up ofthe British territories in India.

(b) The changes in the Army.

(c) The changes in the relationship with Princely States.

Ans. (a) The war ended the East India Company’s rule in India. TheAct of 1858 transferred the Government of India from the



Company to the Crown. Secondly, the Board of control andcourt of directors were abolished. Their powers weretransferred to the Secretary of State, who was to be assistedby the Indian Council consisting of 15 members. Secretaryof State was to draw salary and allowances from the

revenues of India. Thirdly, appointments to the Civil Servicewere to be made by open competition. Lastly, Governor-

General received the additional title of Viceroy. The titledenoted the new position of the Governor-General as therepresentative of the Crown in India vis-a-vis the native

princess and Nawab.

(b) Changes in the Army : The Indian army was reorganisedafter 1858, to prevent the reoccurrence of another uprising,

in the following manner :

(i) The strength of European troops in India was increased to65,000. The number of Indian troops was reduced to140,000. Practically the same ratio was maintained till theFirst World War.

(ii) European troops were kept in key geographical and militarypositions.

(iii) The earlier policy of excluding Indians from the officercorps was strictly maintained.

(iv) To desist the Indian soldiers from rising again against theBritish rule, the sophisticated weapons and ammunition were

never placed under the charge of Indians. All Indian artilleryunits, with the exceptions of a few mountain units, were

disbanded.

(v) Discrimination on the basis of caste, region and religion waspractised in the recruitment to the army.

(vi) In order to discourage nationalism, measures such asintroduction of caste and community in most regiments

were taken.

(vii) Newspapers, journals and nationalist publications wereprevented from reaching the soldiers to keep the Indian

army separated from the life of the rest of the population.

(c) Queen Victoria declared in her Proclamation of 1858 that

the British government would not annex the Indian states.

Secondly, all the treaties that the princess had concludedwith the company would be honoured. Thirdly, their rightof adoption and succession were to be recognised.

At the same British government took all possible steps torender Indian states militarily weak by limiting their numberof troops.

PQ. There were many causes for the uprising of 1857. In this

context, state the following :

(a) Policy of economic exploitation.

(b) Racial discrimination.

(c) Social Causes.

Ans. (a) Economic exploitation : The land-revenue system i.e.,

Zamindari, Ryotwari and Mahalwari, introduced by theBritish, reduced the peasants to misery and poverty. Poor

peasants had to sell their produce at cheap prices in orderto satisfy the greed of moneylenders, Zamindars and theGovernment officials. British turned Indian self-sufficient

economy into an Agricultural Colony. India being an exporterof fine cloth, became the importer of finished goods fromEngland. Handicrafts crippled under the policy of free-trade.As William Hunter once remarked that 40 million Indians go

through life on insufficient food.

(b) Racial Discrimination : The British believed that they weresuperior to Indians. They followed a policy of contempt

towards the Indians. They dubbed the Muslims as cruel andunfaithful. Some European officers ill-treated and insulted

Indians. Such acts of unjust discrimination alienated theBritish from the Indian masses.

Railway compartments hotels etc, reserved for ‘Europeansonly’ were visible manifestations of this racialism.

(c) Social Causes : Some of the social reforms introduced bythe British in India were aimed at improving the conditionsof the people. However, while introducing such reforms thefeelings of the people were not taken into consideration. Theresult was that even the abolition of Sati (1829) and the

introduction of the Widow Remarriage Act, (1856) were not

welcomed by the masses.



3. Although the First War of Independence of 1857 failed ithad important consequences for India. In this context,answer the following questions :(a) How did the uprising give rise to Nationalism in India?(b) How did the end of the East India Company’s rule bring

in grave economic perils in India?

(c) State how the British Government tried to pacify thefeelings of Indians with regard to :

1. their religious practices.

2. the Princely States.

Ans. (a) A far-reaching effect of the Rising of 1857 was that thesacrifices of the Indian leaders gave birth to the NationalistMovement in India. All the sections of the society unitedunder one yoke. Nana Sahib and Rani of Jhansi becameNational heroes and champions of national freedom. Thewar became a symbol of challenge to the mighty Britishpower in India.

Nationalism means patriotism, an urge to preserve one’sculture, and that was clearly evident after the First War ofIndependence.

(b) In the words of Majumdar : India became the field ofexploitation, not of a single trading concern, but of theentire British people.

(i) Recruitment of English in both private and public was alarge drain of the country’s resources.

(ii) India was reduced only to a Agricultural Colony exportingraw materials and importing finished goods.

(iii) Rapid rise of indebtness of the peasants reduced them topoverty and slavery .

(iv) British invested their surplus capital in railways, plantationand coal mines in India, which was a total drain oncommercial interests of Indians. Even the dividends weredistributed among the share-holders of the company. On thewhole the Indian were reduced to misery and poverty.

(c) The First War of Independence resulted in following solemnpromises.

(i) Queen Victoria in her Proclamation of 1858, promised notto interfere with the religious beliefs of the people of India.

(ii) The Queen promised equal treatment to all her subject,

Indians and Europeans.

(iii) All appointments would be based on education-ability andintegrity.

(iv) An official pardon was granted to guilty of murdering Britishsubjects.

Princely States : The Policy Annexation and the Doctrineof Lapse were abandoned. Some of the Indian princes hadremained loyal to the British and had helped them insuppressing the uprising. Their loyalty was rewarded withthe announcement that their right to adopt heirs would berespected and the integrity of their territories guaranteedagainst future annexation.

4. The First War of Independence was the culmination ofpeople’s dissatisfaction against the British rule. In thiscontext enumerate the following causes :

(a) Military causes (b) Economic causes (c) Political causes

Answer : (a) Military Causes

(i) Ill-treatment of Indian Sepoys : There were no fellowfeeling between the English and the Indian soldiers. TheIndian soldiers were considered inferior to the Englishsoldiers. During their training Indian soldiers are abused andkicked as if they were animals. Such treatment broke theirheart and hurt their feelings.

(ii) Inferior Status and Low Salaries : The wages of theIndian soldiers were too less to support their families. AnEnglish soldiers was paid more than 8 times the Indian sepoywhile his duties were of a similar nature. They had no chanceof promotion to high post in the army. Infact, the sepoy’slife was very hard and he resented his inferior position.

(iii) General Service Enlistment Act : Lord Canning passedthe General Service Enlistment Act. It created bitternessamong the sepoy as it bound them to be sent to fight even toan overseas front. The sepoys opposed this Act because itwas contrary to their religious belief.

(b) Economic causes :

(i) Exploitation of the Economic Resources of India : TheBritish exploited the economic resources of India andenriched themselves at the cost of the Indians. All trade and



commerce had gone into the hands of the English and as aresult, the Indian industries suffered a setback while theycarried away India’s wealth to their country.

(ii) Discontent among the Jagirdars and Zamindars : Theresumption of tax-free land and confiscation of Jagirs causeddiscontent among the Jagirdars and Zamindars because theywere reduced to utter poverty.

(iii) Educated Indians Became Jobless : Only the English wereappointed to high posts and were given handsome salaries.The educated Indians were excluded from high posts. Theirlife became miserable and they felt discontented.

(c) Political causes :

(i) Policy of Annexation followed by Lord Dalhousie : TheDoctrine of Lapse, all round annexation of Indian states,abolition of titles and pension , etc. had made most of theIndian Princes and rulers staunch enemies of the British.

(ii) Disrespect Shown to Bahadur Shah : The Home of theMughals was also humbled when the English announcedthat after the death of Bahadur Shah II, the Mughals wouldlose the title of kings and his successors would have tovacate the Red Fort. It hurt the sentiments of the Muslimsand increased the aversion of the Indians for the British.

(iii) The Annexation of Awadh : Lord Dalhousie annexed Awadhto the British Empire In Indian under the pretext ofmis-governance. It threw thousands of nobles, gentlemen,officers and soldiers out of job. The British confiscated theestates of the Zamindars and Tuluqdars. It createddissatisfaction among all classes of the people of Awadh.

(iv) Disbanding the Armies of the Annexed States : All suchstates that were annexed by the company had their troopsdisbanded. As a result thousands of families lost their meansof livelihood. The disbanded soldiers were determined totake revenge from the British Company.

5. Many factors led to the First War of Independence. In thiscontext explain the following :

(a) The attitude of the British towards the people of Indiawith regard to their religious customs.

(b) Factors causing dissatisfaction among the Indian

soldiers.

(c) Decline of the landed aristocracy.

Ans. (a) The laws that interfered with the religious customs of thepeople. The British interference in religious and social life ofthe Indians created profound discontent among them. Thepropaganda of Christian Missionaries convinced the Indiansthat the British Government was determined to convert themto Christianity. The Christian Missionaries were allowed toenter India by the Charter Act of 1833. The East IndiaCompany provided them financial aid for their propagationin India. The policemen always accompanied them for theirsafety. The company’s offices, hospitals, educationalinstitutions and jails became their chief centres ofpropagation. These were flooded with their literature. TheChristian Missionaries also preached in temples and mosques.They poured forth venomous abuses against the Hindus andthe Islam. Those persons who embraced Christianity weregiven privileges. The fear to loss of religion alarmed theIndians and they decided to raise the banner of revolt againstthe British.

(b) The dissatisfaction among the Indian soldiers was growingover a number of policies of the British Company.

(i) Disparity in Salary : The Indian sepoy were getting 8times less salary than the English one.

(ii) The Indian sepoys were considered inferior and inefficient.They were humiliated, insulted and assaulted also. This madethem feel infuriated.

(iii) The General Enlistment Act : It bounded the sepoys toserve the English in foreign countries if any war to befought there. This was against Hindu Sepoys religious belief.

(iv) There were no chances for higher promotions. The Indiansoldiers could get a promotion upto Subedar only.

(v) There were no fellow feelings. The relation between the tworaces- the Indian and the English were not cordial.

(vi) The immediate cause was the use of greased cartridges.These cartridge were greased by the fats of cow and pig.The Sepoys of both the communities Hindu and Muslimrefused to use them as these were to be bitten before filling


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them into the rifle. Mangal Pandey, a sepoy, was the firstone to refuse to bite the cartridge with his teeth. He washanged to death for this act. His death enraged the sepoyswho were already infuriated. Soon a revolt of sepoy eruptedengulfing a large region.

(c) The landed aristocracy which included the taluqdars and thehereditary landlords were deprived of their estates. Accordingto the provisions of the Inam Commission (1852), 20,000estates were confiscated when the landlords failed to produceevidence like title-deeds by which they held the land. Theseconfiscated lands were sold by public auction to the highestbidders. Such estates were usually purchased by merchantsand money lenders who did not understand the tenants andfully exploited them. This drove the landed aristocracy topoverty without benefitting the peasantry which sufferedunder the weight of exorbitant land revenue.

The landed aristocracy of Awadh faced many hardshipsafter the annexation of Awadh as they were deprived of theirestates.

6. Several factors led to the uprising of 1857. With referenceto this, explain each of the following:

(a) Discontentment of the Sepoys.

(b) Resentment of the rulers of the native states against theBritish.

(c) Unhappiness of the Indian Artisans and Craftsmen

Answer.

(a) The Indian soldiers were unhappy because of their low salaryand poor prospects of promotion. All the high ranks in the armywere reserved for the British only.

The troops were not properly distributed. The key places likeDelhi and Allahabad had no British armies. Moreover the officerstreated the soldiers like menial servants. Racial discriminationwas rampant and this led to more discontentment among theIndian sepoys.

(b) The last Mughal Emperor was Bahadur Shah, Lord Canningannounced that Bahadur Shah’s successor would not be allowedto use the imperial title. Such a discourtesy to the MughalEmperor hurt Muslim sentiments considerably.

Dalhousie’s refusal of pension to Nana Saheb, the adopted son

of the ex-Peshwa (Baji Rao II) was resented by the Hindus ingeneral and Nana Saheb in particular.

Nawab Wazid Ali Shah was deposed on grounds that Awadh wasnot being managed well. The annexation of Awadh was a case ofhigh-handedness on the part of the Company. The Nawab ofAwadh had been loyal to the Company throughout. The Britishbroke all their pledges and promises to the Rulina chiefs. This allcaused resentment among the rulers.

(c) The British rulers deliberately crippled Indian arts and crafts byimposing heavy duties on Indian silk and cotton textiles inBritain. On the other hand British goods were imported intoIndia at a nominal duty. Millions of artisans and craftsmen losttheir job and had no alternative source of income.

7. The uprising of 1857 was an unprecedented popular upsurge.In this context describe the effect of the following on theIndian soldiers.

(a) Discontent on account of low salary and poor prospectsof promotion.

(b) The General Service Enlistment Act.

(c) Introduction of greased cartridges.

Ans. (a) The wages of the Indian soldiers were too small to supporttheir families. An English soldier was paid more than 8times the Indian sepoy even though his duties were ofsimilar nature.

Besides, they had no chance of promotion. The highestrank held by an Indian was that of Subedars. Artillery andother key weapons were only reserved for the Englishsoldiers. Indian soldiers resented discriminatory policyadopted by the English.

(b) Lord Canning passed the General Enlistment Act. The Actcaused bitterness among the sepoys, as it bound them to besent to fight to an overseas front. Act was contrary to theirreligious beliefs. Political, Social and Economic atmospherewas conducive for an outbreak, but it could not erupt aslong as the Indian soldiers were loyal to the English. Thoughabove mentioned military causes roused discontentmentamong the sepoys as well, who started the revolt.

(c) The cartridges to be used by soldiers for the Enfield Rifleswere greased with the fat of cows and pig. The cow, is

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scared for the Hindus and pig for Muslims., for this reasonthe army posed a threat to the British Rulers.

8. Numerous causes were at work in causing the GreatUpsurge of 1857. Explain the following with reference tothe above statement.

(a) The introduction of Railways and Telegraphs.

(b) The introduction of Enfield Rifles.

(c) The laws that interfered with the religious customs of thepeople.

Answer (a) Introduction of Railways and Telegraphs :

(i) Telegraph poles were thought to be erected for thepurpose of hanging people on them, who opposed theBritish rule in India.

(ii) In railways, Brahmins and untouchables were made to sitside by side which they thought would defy their religion.

(iii) Modern innovations threatened the old social rules andproduced unrest among many common orthodox peoplein India.

(b) Introduction of Enfield Rifles :

(i) The cartridges were greased with fats of pigs and cows.The sepoys had to remove the greased covers of thecartridges with their teeth, before loading them into therifles.

(ii) Hindus and Muslims thought it to be an attempt to defytheir religions.

(c) The Laws that interfered with the religious customs of thepeople :

(i) The practice of Sati was made illegal and punishable bylaw.

(ii) Laws were made to forbid infanticide, allow remarriageof widows and stop polygamy.

(iii) Government imposed tax on the property belonging totemples and mosques.

(iv) Lord Dalhousie passed a law which entitled a personconverted to Christianity to inherit his ancestral property.

Everywhere local rulers and common people were angry withthe British.

III. Study the picture and answer the following questions :

(a) Identify the person in the picture and name the proclamationissued in her name.

Ans. The person in the picture is Queen Victoria. This was known asQueen’s Proclamation.

(b) When, where and by whom was this proclamation madepublic ?

Ans. On November 1, 1858, at Allahabad by Lord Canning the firstViceroy of India. The Queen’s Proclamation incorporating thetransfer of governance from East India Company to the BritishCrown was made public.

(c) What assurance did this Proclamation give to the Indianpeople regarding (a) religious freedom, and (b) appointmentto public offices ?

Ans.

(a) Queen Victoria in her Proclamation of 1858 promised not tointerfere with the religious beliefs of the people of India.

(b) The Queen also promised equal treatment to all her subjects,Indians and Europeans. All appointments, declared the Queen,would be strictly on the basis of education, ability and integrity.


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