![]() Throughout 17 more than half of the continent of South Asia was brought under the authority of the British East India Company (Mamdani, 2012). Thus, the Sepoy Mutiny encouraged the British to realise that the manner in which they were ruling for the last decade, was not as effective, nor as welcomed as what they originally assumed (Mantena, 2010). Furthermore, the “suddenness” and degree of antagonism shocked the British colonisers to such an extent that it prompted for self-examination (Marshall, 2011). ![]() However, the final spark that ostensibly lead directly to the mutiny was due to the rumour that pig and cow fat was being used as a lubricant on the newly introduced cartridges for a rifle, which was obviously an insult to the Indian people’s religious beliefs (Marshall, 2011). The revolt was due to longstanding grievances, such as the British colonial authority’s disregard of the Indian people’s traditions and everyday practices (Mamdani, 2012). It will aim to do so through explaining how the ideological justifications of the British Empire would shift in order to accommodate their imperial policies and rules, and how it was used as a disguise and as a tool to serve the colonial administrators. Hence, this essay will aim to illustrate that the objectives of the imperialists were in fact ones that constituted a political agenda. Over 130 000 native soldiers, known as the Sepoys of the Bengal Army, rebelled against their British commanders and consequently created a shift in the imperial administrative ideologies of the colonisers (Mantena, 2010). ![]() Eventually, this is the group that will pushed the British out of India without using violence.In the year 1857 in India, one of the most extraordinary indigenous uprisings against European empire occurred (Mantena, 2010). A new organization of Indians asking for autonomy called the Indian National Congress or INC is created. In its place, the British government took over administration of the Indian subcontinent.įor Indians, the rebellion spurred more resentment of British rule. The British East India was removed as ruler of India. Important Indian leaders of royal families joined the rebellion, and started fighting the British at several places Very soon the revolt spread throughout north India. They entered the Delhi Fort where Bahadur Shah II, the Mughal Emperor, lived, and asked him to become leader of the rebellion. Soon many Indians of north India joined these soldiers. They freed the soldiers of the 3rd regiment, and they moved towards Delhi. On May 10th 1857, cavalry troops while doing parade at Meerut broke ranks. All other soldiers of that regiment lost their places in the army. The British killed both by hanging them because what they had done was thought to be treachery. Later the British arrested Mangal Pandey and the other Indian soldier. General Hearsey ordered another Indian soldier to arrest Mangal Pandey but he refused. Rebellion broke out when a soldier called Mangal Pandey attacked a British sergeant and wounded an adjutant while his regiment was in Barrackpore. However, this only made the Sepoys believe that the stories about the cartridge having pork and beef fat were true. On January 27, Colonel Richard Birch ordered that no cartridges should have grease on them, and that sepoys could grease them with whatever they wanted. ![]() Hindu soldiers were angry because they believed the cartridges had cow fat in them. This was because Muslims believe that pigs are unclean. The Muslims were angry because they thought that the paper cartridges had pig fat in them. The cartridges that were used in the new rifles had to be bitten open. The immediate event which angered the sepoys was about the ammunition for the new rifles. Before the Rebellion, there were 50,000 British troops, and 300,000 Sepoy serving in the East India Company military. The causes of the mutiny are hard to pin down, and have been much argued about.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |