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Revolt of 1857 | 1857 Ki Kranti | 1857 Revolution

Revolt of 1857 | 1857 Ki Kranti | 1857 Revolution | India's Struggle for Independence


History: Indian freedom struggle (1857-1947)


Indian freedom struggle (1857-1947) in olden times when people from all over the world used to be eager to come to India. The Aryans came here from Central Europe and settled in India.

  • The Mughal's came after him and they too settled permanently in India.

  • Genghis Khan was a Mongolian who invaded and plundered India several times.

  • Alexander the Great also came to conquer India, but went back after being defeated in a war with Porus.

  • A Chinese citizen named Hiuen Tsang came here in search of knowledge and visited Nalanda and Taxila universities which are ancient Indian universities.

  • Columbus wanted to come to India but preferred to land on the shores of America.

  • Vasco da Gama from Portugal came here to carry the goods of his country which wanted to carry Indian spices.

  • French people also came here and formed their colonies in India.


Finally, the British came & ruled India for almost two hundred years. After the Battle of Plassey in the year 1757, British people gained political authority over India. And his dominance was established here during the tenure of Lord Dalhousie who became Governor General in 1848. They combined the Pathan tribes from Punjab, Peshawar and the northwest of India. And by the year 1856, the British authority and their authority were firmly established here.


While the British Empire achieved its new heights in the middle of the 19th century, disgruntled local rulers, laborers, intellectuals and ordinary citizens voiced like soldiers who were rendered unemployed by the disbanding of the armies of the various states which the British people Had combined and this dissatisfaction increased. It soon broke out into a rebellion that took the shape of the 1857 rebellion.


Indian Revolt in 1857


The conquest of India, which can be said to have begun with the Battle of Plassey (1757), was practically the end of Dalhousie's tenure in 1856. In any sense, it was not a smooth affair, as many local provinces continued to exist during this period due to the growing discontent of the people.


However, the Revolt of 1857, which began with a revolt of military personnel in Meerut, quickly spread and posed a serious challenge to British rule. While British rule succeeded in suppressing it within a year, it was certainly a popular revolution involving Indian rulers, masses and civilian forces, who participated so enthusiastically that it was called the First War of Indian Independence.


The introduction of Zamindari system by the British, in which the workers were crushed under the pressure of heavy taxes, created a new class of landowners. The crafts were destroyed by the arrival of British manufactured goods.


Religion and caste system, which formed the strong foundation of traditional Indian society, were now under threat due to British administration. Indian soldiers as well as civilians working in administration were not promoted to senior positions, as these were reserved for Europeans. Thus, a sense of discontent and revolt against the British rule spread in all four directions, which was heard in the revolt of the mutineers made by the soldiers in Meerut when they were asked to open the cartridges on which cow and pig fat Was engaged, this hurt his religious feelings. Both Hindu and Muslim soldiers refused to use these cartridges, who were arrested on 9 May 1857 by their fellow soldiers for carrying out the revolution.


The rebellious army soon seized Delhi and the revolution spread over a large area and was captured in almost all parts of the country. The most terrible wars were fought in Delhi, Awadh, Rohilkhand, Bundel division, Allahabad, Agra, Meerut and western Bihar. The rebel forces led to a severe injury to British rule led by Kanwar Singh in Bihar and Bakht Khan in Delhi.In Kanpur, Nana Saheb was proclaimed as Peshawar and his forces were led by Tatya Tope who was a fearless leader. Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi fought a glorious war with the British and led her forces. Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and all other brave sons of India fought shoulder to shoulder and resolved to overthrow the British Raj. This revolution was controlled by the British Raj within a year which began in Meerut on 10 May 1857 and ended in Gwalior on 20 June 1858.


End of East India Company


As a result of the failure of the Revolt of 1857, the end of the East India Company's rule in India was also visible and there were significant changes in the policies of British rule towards India, strengthening the British rule by joining the Indian kings, chieftains and landlords.


Attempts were made to According to Queen Victoria's declaration of November 1, 1858, it was announced that after this, the rule of India would be governed by the British monarch and by the Secretary of State. The Governor General was given the title of Viceroy, which meant that he was the King's representative. Queen Victoria meant that she would hold the title of emperor and thus the British government assumed unlimited powers to interfere in the internal affairs of the Indian state.


In short, the British supremacy over India, including the Indian state, was firmly established. The British gave their help to the loyal kings, zamindars and local chieftains, while ignoring the educated people and the common masses (janta). He encouraged other Swaris such as British merchants, industrialists, planters and civil service personnel.


Thus, the people of India had no right to govern or formulate policies. As a result, there was increasing hatred of the British rule, which gave birth to the Indian National Movement.


The leadership of the freedom movement passed into the hands of reformists like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Bankim Chandra and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. During this time, the psychological concept of national unity also continued to escalate the fire of struggle against a common foreign persecutor / dictator.


  • Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1772–1833) founded the Brahmo Samaj in 1828 with the aim of freeing the society from its evil practices.

  • He worked to eradicate evil practices like sati, child marriage and purdah, supported widow marriage, female education and English education in India.

  • It was due to these efforts that Sati was declared a legal offense by the British rule.

Swami Vivekananda

  • Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902), a disciple / follower of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, founded the Ramakrishna Mission in Belur in 1897.

  • He supported the supremacy of Vedantic philosophy.

  • His speech at the World Religion Conference of Chicago (USA) in 1893, for the first time, convinced Westerners to understand the greatness of Hinduism.


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