THE FIRST WAR OF INDEPENDENCE, 1857

CAUSES OF THE FIRST WAR OF INDEPENDENCE

I. POLITICAL CAUSE
1. BRITISH POLICY OF EXPANSION: The British tried to expand their
political power in India by four ways that were by out wars, the system of
Subsidiary alliance, by adopting the doctrine of lapse and on the pretext of
alleged misrule.
2. DISRESPECT SHOWN TO BAHADUR SHAH;:- Bahadur Shah zafar, the
Mughal rule was under the protection of the Company and received a pension
from the Brithish. The name of the Mughal king was removed from the coins
minted by the company. In 1849, Lord Dalhousi announced that successors of
Bahadur sha Zafar would not be permitted to use the Red Fort as their palace.
They were required to shift to a place near the Qutab Minar.
In 1856, Lord canning announced that after the death of Bahadur Shah his
successors would not be allowed to use the imperial titles with their names and
would not be known as the real princes.
3. TREATMENT GIVEN TO NANA SAHEB :- Nana Saheb was the adopted
son of Baji Rao – II, the last Peswa. The Brithish refused to grant Nana Saheb the
pension they were paying to Baji Raoo II. Nana Saheb was forced to live at
Kanpur, far way from his family seat at poona. This was widely resented in
Maratha State.
4. ABSENTEE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE BRITISH :- Since India was being
ruled by the British Government from England at a distance of thousand miles
this was resented by the Indian. The Indians felt that they were being ruled from
England and India’s wealth was being drained to England and utilized for their
welfare.
II. ECONOMIC CAUSE
1. EXPLOITATION OF ECONOMINC RESOURSES: - India was forced to
export raw materials like cotton textiles and raw silk at cheaper rates that the
Brithish industries needed urgently. India was made to accept readymade
british goods which were duty free or at nominal duty rates while Indian
products were subjected to high import duties.
2. DRAIN OF WEALTH :- The British purchased raw materials for their
industries in England from the surplus revenues of Bengalis and profits from
 duty – free inland trade. The transfer of wealth from India to England for
which India got no proportionate economic return, is called the Drain of
wealth. The drain included the salaries, incomes and savings of Englishmen,
the brithish expenditure in India on the purchase of military goods, office
establishment, interest on debts, unnecessary expenditure on the army, etc.
3. DECAY OF COTTAGE INDUSTRIES AND HANDICRAFTS :- Heavy
duties on Indian silk and cotton textiles in Britain destroyed Indian
industries. On the other hand, British goods were imported into India at a
nominal duty. By the middle of the 19 th century export of cotton and silk
goods from India practically ceased.
4. GROWING UNEMPLOYMENT: - The traditional rules had given
financial support to scholar, preachers and men of fine arts. The arrival of
the british led to the decline of such rules and gradually the patronage came
to an end. And all those who had depended on the patronage were
impoverished.

III. MILITARY CAUSE

1. ILL TREATMENT OF INDIAN SOLDIERS AND LOWER SALARIES :-
The Indian soldiers were poorly paid, they were ill fed and badly housed.
British military authorities forbade the sepoys from wearing caste or
sectarian marks.
2. GENERAL SERVICE ENLISTMENT ACT: - According to the General
service Enlistment Act. Indian soldiers could be sent overseas on duty but it
was a taboo for a Brahmin to cross the sea. So, the British did not take into
account the sentiments of the Indian soldiers.
3. BLEAK PROSPECTS OF PROMOTION :- All higher posts were reserved
for the British. The Indian soldiers could not go above the post of Subedar.
Thus, the future of Indian soldiers was bleak.
4. FAULTY DISTRIBUTION OF TROOPS: - Places of strategic importance
like Delhi and Allahabad had no British armies and were wholly held by the
Indian soldiers.
5. PERFORMANCE OF THE BRITISH TROOPS :- The British army suffered
major reverse in the first Afghan War and the Crimean War broke the myth
that the Britishers were invincible. It further was revealed to the Indian
soldiers that the British army could be defeated by determined Indian army.

IV. SOCIO RELIGIOUS CAUSE :-

 1. INTERFERENCE WITH SOCIAL CUSTOMS : - Some of the social
reformers introduced by the British in India were aimed at improving the
conditions of the people . However , while introducing such reforms the
feelings of the people were not taken into considerations . The result was
that the reforms like the Abolition of Sati (1829) , the introduction of the
Widow Remarriage Act (1856) and the opening of Western education to
girls were not welcomed by the masses .
2. APPREHENSIONS ABOUT MODERN INNOVATION :- People were
suspicious of introduction of modern innovations like railway and telegraph.
There were rumors that telegraph poles were erected to hang those who were
against the British rule. Similarly, orthodox Indians noted that in the railway
compartments the higher castes and the lower castes were made to sit side by
side. They believed that the British had introduced such practices to defy
their caste and religion.
3. POLICY OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION:- The British officers were rude
and arrogant towards the Indians. They dubbed the Muslims as cruel and
unfaithful. Some European officers ill – treated and insulted Indians. Such
acts of unjust discrimination alienated the British from the Indian masses.
4. CORRUPTION IN ADMINISTRATION:- The Police and petty officials
were corrupt. The rich got away with crime but the common man was
looted, oppressed and tortured.
V. IMMEDIATE CAUSE
INTRODUCTION OF THE ENFIELD RIFLE: - In 1856, the British
authorities decided to replace the old fashioned musket, ( called the ‘Brown
Bess;) by the new Enfield rifle . The loading process of the Enfield rifle
involved bringing the cartridge to the mouth and biting off the top greased
paper with the teeth.
In January, 1857, there was a rumor in the Bengal regiments that the
greased cartridge had the fat of cow or pig. The sepoys were now convinced
that the introduction of greased cartridges was a deliberate move to defile
Hindu and Muslim religions as the cow is sacred to Hindus and the pig is a
taboo to Muslims. So, both the Hindus and the Muslim soldiers refused to
use these cartridges and staged an uprising when they were forced to use
them.

BEGINNING OF THE UPRISING :-

 On February 26, 1857, the 19th Native Infanty at Berhampur in Bengal,
refused to accept the cartridges given to them. The regiment was disbanded as a
warning to other regiments.
The sepoys feared less of their caste and religion of they accepted the
greased cartridge . As a result Mangal Pandey, a sepoy, led an attack on the
adjutant of the 34th Native Infantry at Barrackpore on March 29, 1857 Mangal
Pandey was executed after a court martial. For his fellow sepoys he became a
martyr.
CONSEQUENCE OF THE FIRST WAR OF INDEPENDENCE :-
1.End of the Company’s rule in India :- The most significant result of the Revolt of
1857 was that it brought the end of the rule of the East India company in India
came under the rule of Queen vivtoria and the Brittiesh Parliament . This was
done by the government of india Act of 1858.
2.Queen victoria’s proclamation :- The queen’s proclamation incorporating the
transfer of governance from East India Company to the British crown was made
public at Allahabad, on November 1, 1858, by Lord canning, the first victory of
Indian. The proclamation promised that the Government of India would.
( i) Follow a policy of non-intervention in social and religious matter of Indians.
( ii ) treat all subjects – Indians and uropns – as equal ( education and ability
would be the basis of all aappointments).
( iii ) grant a general pardon in all those who had taken part in the war except
those who were found guilty of murder of British subjects.
( iv ) do its best to advance the industries in India: and
( v ) promote works of public utility in Indian so as to ensure the material as well
as the moral progress of the people.
3. End of Mughals and Peshwas : - With the death of Bahadu Shaha II , who was
deported to Yangon, the Mughal dynasty came to an end.
Nana Saheb, the last Peswha, had taken as active part in the uprising and had
fled to Nepal after the failure of the uprising. So the office of the Peswwa also
came to tan end. Thus ended two of the most formidable foes of the British – the
Marathas and the Mughals.
4. Religious changes: - The British rules declared emphatically their policy of
non-interference in the religious affairs custom and tradition of the Indians.
DRAWBACKS OF THE FIRST WAR OF INDEPENDENCE;-
( i) The movement did not have common plans of military action or a centralized
leadership The uprisings in different part of the country were completely
uncoordinated.(ii) The movement had no common goal before it except for the
anti-foreign sentiments.( iii ) The East Indian Company had the services of men of
exceptional abilities like Lawrence, Nicholson, Havelock, Outram etc. They
fought the toughest battles in the initial stages of the uprising and controlled the
situation till reinforcements were received from abroad.(iv ) The British Empire
had far superior resources in terms of men, money and materials to the Indians.

(CIVICS) THE UNION LEGISLATURE

(1)
(a) What is the difference in the term of office between the Lok Sabha and
Rajya Sabha?
(Ans) The term of office of the Lok Sabha is 5 years, whereas, the Rajya Sabha is
the permanent House, but one – third of its members retire after every second year.
Thereafter, fresh elections are announced for the seats vacated at the beginning of
the third year. Every member enjoys a six year term and is eligible for re-election.
(b) How is the speaker of the Loksabha elected?
(Ans) The speaker of the Lok Sabha is elected from among its own members by
majority vote.
© Why is the Rajya Sabha called a “Permanent House”?
(Ans) The term of the members elected to the Rajya Sabha is six years. However,
every second year one – third of the members retire and there are new entrants.
The Rajya Sabha can not be dissolved by the President of India. Thus, the House
is never empty and therefore it is called a “Permanent House”.
(d) State the minimum number of times the Lok Sabha must meet in a year.
(Ans) According to the constitution, the Lok Sabha must meet at least twice a year
with not more than six months break between the two sessions.
(e) Name the two houses of the Union Parliament.
(Ans) The two Houses of Union Parliament are the Lok Sabha ( The House of the
People ) and the Rajya Sabha ( The council of States).
(f) What is the meant by the name of the ‘Session’ ?
(Ans) Session are formal sitting of both the Houses of the Parliament to conduct its
transactions nd business of the Houses. Normally, there are three sessios – 1.
Budget session, 2. Winter Session, and 3. Monsoon session.
(g) What is the term of office of a Rajya Sabha Member ?
(Ans ) The term of office of a Rajya Sabha member is 6 years
(h) What is the normal term of officer of the Lok Sabha ?
(Ans ) 05 years
( I ) Name the presiding officer of the Lok Sabha.
( Ans ) Speaker
( j ) State the meaning of the term Question hour.
( Ans) The first hour of sitting in both the houses of parliament is allotted for
asking and answering of questions unless other wise decided by the Speaker. This
hour ( which usually starts at 11 am ) is known as the question hour.
( k ) Name the bill that can not originate in the Rajya Sabha
( Ans ) Money bill can not originate in the Rajya Sabha
(l) What is meant by the term ‘quorum’
( Ans ) Quorum means the prescribed minimum number of members to be present
to hold the meeting of a collective body or any house of the parliament such as Lok
Sabha or Rajya Sabha. The Quorum to constitute a meeting of the house in one –
tenth of the total strength of the house.
( m ) What is the maximum gap allowed between the two parliamentary sessions ?
( Ans ) The maximum gap allowed between the two parliamentary session is six
months.
( n ) How are the Rajya Sabha Members elected ?
( Ans ) The representative of each state in the Rajya Sabha are elected indirectly by
the elected members of the Legislative Assembly of each state in accordance with
the system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote.
( o ) When can the speaker of the lok sabha cast his vote ?
( Ans ) Normally, only the members of Parliament are appointed as ministers. In
case, a non – member is appointed as a Minister, he must be elected or nominated
to the Parliament within six months from the date of his appointment as per the
desire of the Prime Minister. Failing this, he will have to resign from the post of a
Minister.
(p) What is meant by Residuary powers of the Parliament?
(Ans ) The Parliament possesses residuary powers, It means that it can make laws
with respect to all those matters which are not mentioned in any of the three lists.
The Union list , the State list and the concurrent list..
(q) State any one subject wherein the lok sabha and the Rajya sabha enjoy co –
equal powers in legislation of laws.
( Ans ) The Constitution puts Rajaya Sabha on an equal footing with Loksabha in
matters such as:
1. The election of the president.
2. Impeachment of the President
3. Removal of the judges
4. Proclamation of Emergency
5. Promulgation of Ordinances
(r ) Who presides over the meeting of the Rajya Sabha in the absence of the Vice-
President of India?
( Ans ) Deputy Chair person presides over the meeting of the Rajya Sabha in the
absence of the Vice Prresident of India.
(s) How many members are nominated by the President to the Lok Sabha? Which
community do they represent \?
( Ans ) Two members of the Anglo-Indian Community may be nominated by the
President to the Lok Sabha, in case he feels that this community is not adequately
represented.
( t ) What is the required quorum to hold the meetings of the Lok Sabha?
( Ans ) The required quorum of the Lok Sabha is one – tenth of the total
membership of the House. This means that the House can not conduct its
proceedings and pass bills and resolutions without the presence of at least one –
tenth of its total membership.
( u ) Who is the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha ?
( Ans ) The vice – President of the Indian Union acts as the ex-officio Chairman of
the Rajya Sabha.
(v) State the minimum number of times the Lok Sabha must meet in a year?
( Ans ) According to the constitution, the Lok Sabha must meet at least twice a
year with not more than six months break between the two sessions.
(w) When can the Vice – President cast a vote in the Rajya Sabha.
( Ans ) The vice – President can cast a vote in the Rajya Sabha in case of a
deadlock, i.e an equality of votes.
(x) What is meant by the term Universal Adult Franchise?
( Ans ) Every citizen of Indian who is minimum 18 years of age has the right to
vote to elect the representative to the Parliament and State Legislative . He/ She
possesses this right without any discrimination of sex, caste and creed.
(y) Under what condition can a Non-Member of Parliament be made a Minister?
( Ans ) In case a Non – Member of Parliament is made a minister, he must be
elected or nominated to either Houses of Parliament within six months from the
date of his appointment as a minister.
(z) What happens when a motion of ‘No Confidence is passes against a minister ?
( Ans ) If a motion of ‘No confidence’ is passes against a minister, the Prime
Minister along with his council of minister has to resign.
STUCTURED QUESTIONS
(1) With reference to the Union Parliament, answer the following questions
(a) What is the maximum strength of the Lok Sabha provided by the
Constitution ?
How many members does the President nominate to the Lok Sabha ?
How are members to the Lok Sabha elected ?
(Ans ) The maximum strength of the Lok Sabha provided by the Constitution is
552 members. The president nominates two members of the Anglo-Indian
community to the Lok Sabha.
The members of the Lok Sabha are directly elected by the people. The
principle of Universal Adult Franchise has been adopted which means that all
citizens of the age of 18 and above have the right to vote, if not otherwise
disqualified under the law.
(b) The two houses of the Parliament enjoy co-equal powers in many spheres
– explain it by giving any three example.
( Ans ) The two houses of the Parliament enjoy co-equal powers in many spheres
because:
( I ) Either House can frame charges and inpeach the President for violation of
the constitution.
( ii ) Any ordinary biull can originatgge in either House of the Parliament and
must be passed by both the houses of Parliament.
 ( iii )Both the Houses have enqual rights of asking questions or bringing in
various kinds of motions against the Government.
© Explain any four of the Rajya Sabha’s powers in India’s federal set up?
( Ans ) 1. Only Rajya Sabha has the power to declare that a subject of the State List
has assumed national importance and should be included in the Union list.
2. If the Lok Sabha is dissolved due to internal disturbances or a civil war,
then the Rajya Sabha shoulder all the responsibilities of the Union
Legislature.
3. The Rajya Sabha decide by 2/3rd majority to set up a new all Inidia
Service.
4. The Rajya Sabha has the exclusive right to initiate a resolution for the
removal of the Vice – President.`
2. With reference to the Indian Parliament, explain the following.
( a) The composition of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
( Ans ) Rajya Sabha – The Rajya Sabha is composed 238 members
representing the States and union Territories. The President nominates 12
members who have special knowledge or expertise in the fields of science,
literature, social service and Art. It means the maximum strength of the Rajya
Sabha can be 250 members.
Lok Sabha – The maximum strength of the Lok Sabha is 552, out of which
530 members represent the States, 20 members represent the Union Territores and
2 members are nominated by the President from the Anglo-Indian community. The
members representing the States and union territories are directly elected by the
people through adult franchise. The strength of the Lok Sabha is not fixed as
members may resign or may be suspended.
3. Its powers to make laws on subjects mentioned in the
( I ) Union list ( ii ) Concurrent List
( Ans ) (I ) The Parliament has exclusive powers to make laws on all the subjects
mentioned in the Union List, including important subjects like Defence, List,
including important subject like Defence, Banking, Communication, Foreign
Affairs., etc.
 ( ii ) Concurrent List : - Along with the State Legislative Assemblies, the
Parliament can make laws on the subjects listed in the concurrent list, for example
education, forests, adoption, succession, trade union. If thre is a conflict between
the Union Parliament and the State Legislature on any law in this list, the Union
Law will Prevail.
4.The Rajya Sabha is the second chamber of the Indian Parliament and represents
the interest of the states. In the context explain the following
(a) Qualification for membership
(b) Term of the House and any two of its legislative powers
( Ans ) ( a ) Qualifications for membership of the Rajya Sabha are the same as
those for membership of the Lok Sabha except that of the age criteria. The
minimum age for contesting election for the Rajya Sabha is 30 years. The
qualifications for membership of the Rajya Sabha are given below
(I) He should be an Indian citizen
(II) He should be at least 30 years of age
(III) He should have his name in the electoral rolls in some part of the
country
(IV) He should not an insolvent i.e,, he should not be in debt and should
have the ability to meet his financial commitments.
(V) He should not hold any office of profit under the government.
(VI) He should not be a proclaimed criminal
(VII) He should not be of unsound mind

(Ans) ( b ) The Rajya Sabha is a Permanent House. It can not be dissolved like the
Lok Sabha. Each member of the Rajya Sabha is elected for a period of six years.
One – third of the totall members of the House retire after every two years.
Members can be re-elected. If they desire so and if their electors support.
Legislative powers: 1. The Rajya Sabha has special powers of declaring any
subject in the State list as a subject of national interest and expowsering the
Parliament to pass the legislation on it.
2. All bills, other than the money bills, can originate in any House of the
Parliament . No bill can become a law unless agreed upon by both the house. If
there is disagreement, the President may summon both the Houses of Parliament in
a joint meeting. At the joint meeting, issues decided by a majority of the members
of both the houses present and voting.
5. With reference to the Union Legislature, answer the following questions:
(a) How is the speaker of the Lok Sabha elected ? State two disciplinary
functions of the speaker
(b) Explain two conditions under which a member of Parliament can be
disqualified under the Anti-Defection law.
© Give reasons to justify why the Lok Sabha is considered to be more
powerful than the Rajya Sabha.
( Ans ) ( a ) The speaker of the Lok Sabha is elected from among its own members
soon after the newly elected House meets for the first time. When the House is
dissolved, the speaker does not vacate his office, until a new speaker is elected by
the new Lok Sabha in its first meeting. The speaker is elected for a term of five
years.
Two Disciplinary functions of the speaker:
1. The speaker maintains order in the House. When members become unruly,
he may order them to withdraw. He may suspend a member if he/she
disregards the authority of the chair. In case of grave disorder, he can
adjourn the House.
2. The speaker decides whether there is a case for a matter relating to a breach
of privilege or contempt of the House.
(b)Ans Two conditions under which a Member of Parliament can be disqualified
under the Anti-Defection law are:
1. An elected member of Parliament of a State Legislature, who has been
elected a a candidate set up by a political party, would be disqualified on the
ground of defection, if he voluntarily relinquishes his membership of such political
party or votes or abstains from voting in the house contrary to any direction of such
party.
2. A nominated member of Parliament or a state Legislature who is a
member of a political party at the time he takes his seat would be disqualified on
the ground of defection if he voluntarily gives up his membership of the party or
votes or abstains from voting in the house contrary to the directions of the party.
© The special powers which make the Lok Sabha more powerful than the
Rajya Sabha are:
1.Motions of No-confidence against the government can only be introduced and
passed in the Lok Sabha . If passed by a majority vote, the Prime Minister and the
Council of Ministers resign collectively. The Rajya Sabha has no power over such
a motion, and hence no real power over the executive.
2. Money bills can only be introduced in the Lok Sabha and upon being passed are
sent to the Rajya Sabha where it can be deliberated on the for up to 14 days
3. In case of a deadlock between the two houses over a non-financial ( ordinary)
bill, the will of the Lok Sabha normally prevails, as its strength is more than that of
the Rajya Sabha.
6. The powers and functions of the Indian Parliamentare wide ranging. In this
contet answer the following
(a ) Explain three ways by which the legislature exercises control over executive.
(i) Interpellation: The question hour, calling attention notices and half an
hour discussion are some of the devices to seek information from the
government about its policies and performance. Of these, the most
important in the Question Hour. The first hour of a sitting inn both
houses is allotted for asking and answering of questions. The questions
are asked to obtain information on a matter of public importance or to
highlight a grievance.
(ii) Vote of No-Confidence: If a Government act against the constitutional
provisions, it can be voted out of office by passing a vote of no-
confidence.
(iii) Adjournment Motion: Motion for adjournment is aimed at censuring the
acts of omission and commission of the ministers. The following are
some of the occasions on which adjournment motions were allowed in
the past (a) death of several persons due to the consumption of unlicensed
liquor, ( b) Killing of a senior IPS Officer in a place of worship.
(b) Three special powers of the Rajya Sabha that are usually not enjoyed
by the other houses are:
I) The Rajya Sabha has some exclusive powers. Though the
parliament cannot make laws on a subject in the state list in
normal times, the constitution states that under Article 249 the
Rajya Sabha, may by a resolution adopted by two-third
 majority, empower the Parliament to make laws with respect to
a matter in the state list. The Lok Sabha has no authority to
assert itself in such matters.
II) The other special power enjoyed by the Rajya Sabha is that it
may declare that the creation of new. All India Servicers be
made in the national interest. Thereupon, parliament may
create new services.
III) If the Lok Sabha is dissolved before or after the declaration of a
national emergency , the Rajya Sabha becomes the sole de facto
and de jure parliament, i.e, it takes over the functions of the
parliament. It can not be dissolved. This is a limitation on the
Lok Sabha.

7) With reference to the union Parliament, answer the following questions:

( a ) Mention any thre qualifications required for a member to elected to the Lok
Sabha.
(i) He should be a citizen of India
(ii) He should not be less than 25 years of age
(iii) He should not be a proclaimed criminal, that is , he or she should not be a
convict, a confirmed debtor or otherwise disqualified by law.
8) State any two financial and any two legislative powers of the India Parliament.
(Ans) Legislative powers:
i)The parliament has exclusive powrs to make laws with respect to matters
mentioned in the Union list. The Parliament and the State Legislature both have the
right to make laws on the subjects mentioned in the concurrent list but in the3 case
of a conflict, the law made by the parliament shall prevail.
ii) The Parliament possesses residuary powers, meaning that it can make laws with
respect to all those matters that are not mentioned in any of the three lists.
Financial power:
i) The parliament passes the Union Budge containing estimates of receipts
and expenditure of the Government for a financial year.
ii) The salaries and allowances of MPs, Ministers and judges of the Supreme
court and the High court are determined by the parliament.
 9) (a) Exclusive powers of Lok Sabha
(Ans) i) Motion of No-confidence against the Government can only be
introduced and passed in the Loksabha
ii) Money bill can only be introduced in the Lok Sabha
iii) In case of deadlock between the two house over non-financial
ordinary bill, the Lok Sabha normally prevails as a strength which
includes more than twice as many members as the Rajya Sabha.
10) The speaker is the presiding officer of lok sabha with the following powers
i) He regulates proceeding of the house and certifies whether a bill is a money bill
or not.
ii) He maintains discipline in the house and puts issues to vote and announce
results.
iii) He presides over the joint session of the parliament, interprets the rules
and procedure of the house. His decision in parliamentary matters is
final.
iv) He regulates the admission of visitors and press correspondents to the
galleries of the house.