The First War of Independence, 1857 Questions Answers | ICSE History

 

II. Short Answer Questions

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

Ans: (i) Highly localized and scattered.

(ii) Did not offer a serious resistance to the British rule in India.

2. Why was the "War of 1857" hailed as the First War of Independence?

Ans: (i) First mass uprising-- all the sections of Indian society participated against the British.

(ii) Paved the way for the rise of the modern National Movement.

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

Ans: (i) British Policies of Expansion
(ii) Doctrine of Lapse

4. Name two ways in which the British expanded their territorial power in India.

Ans: (i) System of Subsidiary Alliance.

(ii) By adopting the Doctrine of Lapse.

5. What was the Subsidiary Alliance? Name two Indian States brought under the British control using the Subsidiary Alliance.

Ans: Subsidiary alliance was an agreement between the British East India Company and the Indian Princely States by virtue of which these states lost their sovereignty to the British. Two Indian States brought under British control using the Subsidiary Alliance are Awadh and Hyderabad.

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

Ans: According to the Doctrine of Lapse, if an Indian ruler died without a male heir, his kingdom would come under the Company's territory in India. The two States annexed by the British using the Doctrine of Lapse are Jhansi and Nagpur.

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

Ans: Nana Saheb was Baji Rao II's adopted son, the last Peshwa. By the Doctrine of Lapse, the British refused to recognize Nana Saheb, as the rightful heir to the throne and denied him the pension.

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

Ans: The policy of Doctrine of Lapse was used by Dalhousie against Rani Laxmi Bai. She became a bitter enemy of the British because when the ruler of Jhansi died in 1853, leaving no natural heir, the widowed Rani was pensioned and their adopted son, Anand Rao, was not recognized as a lawful successor to the throne.

9. State two announcements which adversely affected the Mughal dynasty in India.

Ans: (i) Successors of Bahadur Shah Zafar would be deprived of their ancestral possession and would have to vacate the Red Fort and shift to a place near the Qutub Minar; and 

(ii) After the death of Bahadur Shah, his successors would not be allowed to use the imperial titles with their names and would be known as mere princes.

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

Ans: (i) It resulted in unemployment among nobles, officials, and soldiers, as well as the collapse of the Nawab of Awadh's army.

(ii) The Zamindars lost their lands. British confiscated the zamindars' lands, which were then sold at auction to the highest bidders.

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

Ans: (i) Thousands of nobles, officials, and soldiers were out of jobs when the Nawab of Awadh's army and administration were disbanded.

(ii) It also had an impact on the soldier's financial situation. They had to pay greater taxes on the land that their families owned in Awadh.

12. Give the meaning of Absentee Sovereignty. Why was it resented by the Indians?

Ans: Absentee Sovereignty means the ruler of the region is governing the region from a faraway place. It was rented by Indians because:

(i) all the decisions regarding India and its governance were taken from England;

(ii) the wealth of India was being drained to England and not utilized for the welfare of Indians.

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

Ans: The apprehensions of Indians about the introduction of the railways were that the installation of the railways would force higher and lower castes to sit next to one other in the train compartments. They thought that the British had imposed such customs in an effort to defy their caste and religion.

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

Ans: (i) Abolition of Sati in 1829.

(ii) Legalisation of Widow Remarriage in 1856.

15. Mention any two measures which point to the policy of social discrimination followed by the British in India.

Ans: (i) The British looked down upon the Indians with contempt and described the Hindus as Barbarians and the Muslims as cruel and faithless.
(ii) Indians were not allowed to travel in the same buses and railway compartments or enter hotels and clubs meant for the British.

16. Give two examples to show how the British exploited the resources of India.

Ans: (i) India was forced to sell raw materials like raw cotton and raw silk that the British industries needed urgently at very cheaper rates.

(ii) British also exported plantation products and food grains from India which were in short supply in Britain.

17. Give any two grievances of the peasantry against the British.

Ans: (i) The rate of land revenue was very high; non-payment led to the eviction of peasants.

(ii) The exorbitant land revenue forced the peasants into indebtedness or selling off their lands.

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

Ans: (i) The landed aristocracy i.e., the taluqdars and the hereditary landlords were deprived of their estates when they failed to produce evidence like title deeds by which they held that land.

(ii) Their estates were confiscated and sold by public auction to the highest bidders, thus driving the landed aristocracy to poverty.

19. What was the provision of the General Service Enlistment Act which was resented by the Indian soldiers? Why was it resented?

Ans: The provisions of the Act stipulated that Indian soldiers could be sent overseas on duty. It was resented because according to the traditional belief, it was taboo for a Brahmin to cross the seas. The Act did not take into account the sentiment of the Indian soldiers. The Brahmin soldiers saw this as a danger to their caste.

20. Mention any two grievances harboured by the Indian soldiers which created an atmosphere favourable to the First War of Independence.

Ans: (i) The Indian soldiers were paid low salaries, were ill-fed, and badly housed.

(ii) They were not allowed to wear caste or sectarian marks, beards, or turbans.

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

Ans: (i) The defeat of the British, boosted the morale of the Indian soldiers.
(ii) Filled them with the confidence that the British were not invincible and could be defeated by the Indian army.

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

Ans: The invention of the Enfield rifle was the direct cause of the First War of Independence. It was alleged that its cartridges were greased with the fat of cow or pig and required bitting off the top of the greased paper with teeth. It was seen as an attempt to defile the religions because cow is scared to Hindus and the pig is a taboo for Muslims.

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

Ans: Mangal Pandey was a Brahmin sepoy of the 34th Native Infantry, who led an attack on the Adjutant of the 34th Native Infantry at Barrackpore in protest against the greased cartridges.

24. State two consequences of the First War of Indian Independence on the East India Company.

Ans: (i) The First War of Indian Independence ended the rule of the East India Company.

(ii) And India was placed under the direct rule of the British Government.

25. How was the Army organised after the First War of Independence?

Ans: The Indian army was reorganized after 1858, to prevent the reoccurrence of another uprising. The strength of the European troops in India was increased. European troops were kept in key geographical and military positions.

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

Ans: The uprising of 1857 ended the Mughal rule and abolition of Peshwaship rule in India. The Mughal dynasty came to an end with the death of Bahadur Shah II and Nana Saheb, the last Peshwa, fled to Nepal after the failure of the uprising.

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

Ans: (i) The movement lacked planning, organisation, and centralised leadership.

 (ii) The uprising began before the fixed date which disrupted the whole movement

III. Structured Questions

Question 1
Economic exploitation of the country produced discontent, resentment and resistance among the people that culminated in the Great Uprising of 1857. In this context discuss:
(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 British capitalism)

Ans: (a) The British purchased raw materials like raw cotton and silk, jute, tea, indigo and food grains at cheaper rates from India and sold their finished products either duty-free or at nominal rates in India. This increased the prices of raw materials in India and adversely affected the handicrafts and cottage industries. India was made to accept British ready-made goods either duty-free or at nominal duty rates, Indian products were subjected to high import duties in England.

Ans: (b) The official land revenue policy was the main cause of the impoverishment of the cultivators.

(i) The rate of land revenue was very high and so non-payment led to eviction of peasants.

(ii) The exorbitant land revenue forced the peasants into indebtedness or selling off their lands.

(iii) The traditional zamindars were replaced by merchants and money lenders, who had no concern for the peasants.

Ans: (c) (i) The British forced agricultural India to export at cheaper rates raw materials needed by the British industries like raw cotton and silk, plantation products like indigo and tea, and food grains.

(ii) They turned India into a market for selling its machine-made goods.

(iii) India was forced to accept ready-made British goods either tax-free or at nominal duty rates, whereas Indian items were subjected to high import duties in England.This devastated the Indian industry, deprived artisans of their income, and reduced opportunities for labour.

Question 2
The Great Outbreak of 1857 brought about important changes in the character of Indian administration and the future development of the country. In this context discuss:
(a) The changes introduced in the administrative set-up of the British territories in India.
(b) The changes in the Army.
(c) The changes in the relationship with Princely States.

Ans:

a) Changes introduced in the administrative set-up of the British territories in India are:

1. The rule of the English East India Company ended and the British Crown took direct control of Government of India.
2. The power of the British Crown was to be exercised by the Secretary of State for India, a member of the British Cabinet accountable to the British Parliament.
3. The actual governance was to be carried on by the Governor-General, or Viceroy.
4. The policy of annexation and the Doctrine of Lapse were abandoned.

b) Changes introduced in the Army are:

1. The strength of the Indian troops was reduced and the strength of the British troops in India was increased.
2. Indian soldiers were replaced by European troops at key geographical and military positions.
3. Most of the Indian artillery units, were disbanded and all the sophisticated weapons and ammunition were removed from the control of Indians.
4. The Indian soldiers were kept aloof from the rest of the population.
5. Recruitment to the army was done on the basis of region and religion to discourage nationalism.

(c) Changes introduced in the relationship with Princely States are:

1. The Policy of Annexation and the Doctrine of Lapse were abandoned.
2. Kingdoms will not be annexed and there will not be any interference in their internal matters. They would be allowed to adopt heirs to the throne in the absence of natural heirs.
3. Queen Victoria became the "Empress of India" in 1876. The Indian princes gladly became junior partners or agents for the British Crown because they were guaranteed that they would remain rulers of their states.

Question 3
Although the First War of Independence of 1857 failed, it had 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 the feelings of Indians with regard to: (i) their religious practices (ii) the Princely States.

Answer:

(a) This uprising gave rise to nationalism in India in following ways:

1. It gave Indians the confidence that the Britishers were not invincible.
2. It unified all sections of Indians against a common enemy i.e., the Britishers.
3. During the uprising, the sacrifices made by Rani Laxmi Bai, Mangal Pandey, etc., aroused nationalistic feelings among the Indians and served as a source of inspiration to free India from foreign domination.

(b) The end of the East India Company's rule brought grave economic perils in India due to various factors:

1. India became a typical colonial economy, primarily reliant on exporting raw resources and importing finished goods, leading to imbalanced trade dynamics and hindering industrial development.
2. The salary and allowances of the Secretary of State and members of the Indian Council, the civil servants and military officers were a large drain on the country's resources.
3. Peasants were impoverished.
4. Rural industries collapsed.
5. Indians faced the burden of paying heavy interests and dividends on British investments, particularly in sectors like railways, mills, and shipping, which were controlled by British capital, further draining India's wealth and resources.

(c)  1. They assured the Indians that the British would follow the policy of non-interference in the religious matters of Indians.

2. Kingdoms will not be annexed and there will not be any interference in their internal matters. They would be allowed to adopt heirs to the throne in the absence of natural heirs.