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Goyal Brothers Prakashan Class 10 History Solutions Chapter 1 The First War of Independence (1857)
Question 1.
What is meant by the Doctrine of Lapse?
Answer:
The Doctrine of Lapse, introduced by Lord Dalhousie meant that when a ruler of a dependent State died without a natural heir, the State passed back to the hands of English.
Question 2.
Name any two States that fell victim to Dalhousie’s Doctrine of Lapse.
Answer:
- Satara 1848
- Jhansi 1853
- Nagpur 1854
Question 3.
Which acts of Lord Dalhousie and Lord Canning smacked of discourtesy to the Mughal Emperor?
Answer:
Lord Dalhousie announced that after the death of Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah, his successor would have to leave the Imperial Palace. (Red Fort)
Later in 1856, Lord Canning forbade Bahadur Shah’s successors to use the imperial title i.e., ‘King’.
Question 4.
What was the main grouse of the Rani of Jhansi against the British?
Answer:
The application of the Doctrine of Lapse, irked the Rani of Jhansi, when after the death of the ruler of Jhansi, their adopted son Anand Rao was not recognised as a legitimate successor to the throne.
Question 5.
Who was Nana Saheb? What was his main grievance against the British?
Answer:
Nana Saheb was the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II. His main grievance against the British was Lord Dalhousie’s refusal to grant him, any pension.
Question 6.
When and on what ground was Awadh annexed to the Company’s dominions?
Answer:
On Feb. 7,1856, Awadh was annexed to the Company’s Dominions on grounds that Awadh was not being managed well.
Question 7.
Mention any two activities that caused fear that the British government was determined to convert Indians to Christianity.
Answer:
- The teaching of Christian Doctrine was made compulsory in the set up by the Christian missionaries.
- The officials openely preached Christian Doctrines in Mosques and Temples.
- The police force was also being used for conversions.
Question 8.
Name any two acts (Laws) that interfered with the religion and customs of the people.
Or
Mention any two social evils that existed in India during the 19th century. What measures were taken by the Biritsh to control them?
Answer:
- The Act of 1850 enabled the conversion from Hinduism to inherit the property of his father.
- The Widow-Remarriage Act of 1856 was a progressive measure.
Or
There existed many social evils in India. In the 19th century the British took measures to control some of the evils. The Widow Remarriage Act, passed in 1856, was a progressive measure. Earlier Sati and female infanticide had been prohibited.
Question 9.
What was the people’s reaction to the introduction of railways in the mid 1850s?
Answer:
The railways and telegraphs were looked down upon as means to break social order and caste rules, since people of all castes had to sit together.
Question 10.
How did the indignities hurled at Indians alienate the British from the Indian masses?
Answer:
The Englishmen in India could insult, humiliate and even kill the Indians at will. Besides, if an Indian was on horse back, he had to dismount and stand in respectable manner until the European had passed him. Such indignities alienated the British from the Indian masses.
Question 11.
What were people’s fears regarding the introduction of English language?
Answer:
The introduction of English language was thought to be an attempt to discourage Hindu and Islamic studies. Secondly, people feared that the object was not promotion of literature rather, inducing the people to-become Christians.
Question 12.
How did the British rulers cripple Indian handicrafts? What were its consequences?
Answer:
The popularity of Indian textiles alarmed the policy-makers in England.,An Act of 1720 prohibited the use of Indian silks and Calicoes in England. Secondly, heavy duties were imposed on Indian silk and cotton textiles in Britain.
Hence, it had following consequences :
- By the mid of 19 A. D, export of cotton and silk from India practically ceased.
- The art of spinning and weaving became extinct.
- Manufacturing towns of Dhaka, Murshidabad and Surat now looked helpless.
Question 13.
How was India converted into an agricultural colony of the British?
Answer:
British converted India into an agriculture colony by forcing Bihar, Bengal and Awadh to export jute, opium and indigo. Secondly, India became the supplier of raw materials like-cotton and oilseed for Industries in England.
Question 14.
What did the British do to reduce the landed aristocracy to poverty?
Answer:
The British in 1852, through the Inam Commission annexed the rent-free lands, when the land owners pleaded their inability to produce required title deeds due to passage of time. Government did not accept the plea and confiscated some 20,000 estates.
Question 15.
Mention any two grievances harboured by the Indian soldiers which created an atmosphere favourable to the Great Uprising of 1857.
Answer:
- Low Salary and Poor Prospects of Promotion.
- General Service Enlistment Act of 1856, which provided that all the recruits to the Bengal army should be ready for service, within or outside India.
Question 16.
What was the main provision of the General Service Enlistment Act of 1856?
Answer:
The Act provided that all the recruits to the Bengal army should be ready for service within or outside India.
Question 17.
What impact did the defeat of the British in the first Afghan War have on the morale of the Indian soldiers?
Answer:
The defeat in the First Afghan war, increased the self-confidence of the Indian soliders, who felt they could challenge the British in India, too.
Question 18.
How did the introduction of Enfield Rifles become an immediate cause of the War of Independence in 1857?
Answer:
The Enfield Rifles, required to bite the end of Cartridges with their teeth before fitting them in the rifles. A rumour spread that they were greased with fat of cow and the pig. Both Hindus and Muslims got infuriated and rose a revolt.
Question 19.
When was the 1857 Uprising supposed to have begun?
Answer:
31st May, 1857 was the fixed date for the Revolt of 1857.
Question 20.
Name the act that transferred the Government of India from the Company to the Crown. When was it passed?
Answer:
The Act of 1858, transferred the Government of India from the Company to the Crown. It was passed on 2nd August, 1858.
Question 21.
What was the result of the First War of Indian Independence as far as the East India Company was concerned?
Answer:
The First War of Independence ended the East India Company’s rule in India since the British statesmen thought it unwise to leave the government of vast country in the hands of private trading company.
Question 22.
Who became the first Viceroy of India under the Act of 1858?
Answer:
Lord Canning (1858 – 62) became the first Viceroy of India.
What assurance was given to the Indian Princes by Queen Victoria in her Proclamation of 1858?
Answer:
- The British government.would not annex the Indian states.
- All the treaties that the Princes had concluded with the company would be honoured.
- Their rights of adoption and succession were also recognised.
Question 23.
What impact did the Uprising of 1857 have on the Mughal Rule (Mughal Imperial Dynasty)?
Answer:
Bahadur Shah along with his favourite wife, Begum Zinat Mahal, was exiled to Rangoon (in the present day Myanmar), where he died on 7 November, 1862. The two sons of the king and one of his grandsons were shot dead by Lt. Hodson and thus Mugal Rule come to an end.
How was the Army organised after the First War of Indian Independence?
Answer:
The policy of balance and counter check became the prominent feature of the military administration.
- The proportions of the British to Indian soliders were increased.
- Artillery along with other effective weapons were reserved for the British troops. *
- All the key positions in the army were kept exclusively for the British.
- The Army was organised in such a way that no sentiment of unity could arise among them.
Question 24.
What is meant by the policy of ‘Divide and Rule’ pursued by the British in India?
Answer:
The policy of Divide and Rule was meant to create misunderstanding between the Hindus and the Muslims, since English learnt the lesson that strength of the uprising in 1857 lay in Hindu-Muslim unity.
Question 25.
How did the War of 1857 continue to inspire Indians in their struggle against the British Raj?
Or
How can we say that the First War of Independence was important landmark in India’s struggle against the British Raj?
Or
What was the effect of the First War of Independence as regards to the rise of Nationalism in India?
Answer:
The war became a symbol of challenge to the mighty British power in India. Popular songs in praise of Tantia Tope, the Rani of Jhansi and others kept the memory of their heroic deeds alike. The Rani of Jhansi became Indian’s Joan of Arc, whose very name revived the spirit of patriotism.
Question 26.
What rumour was circulating to make people believe that the days of the Company’s rule in India were numbered?
Answer:
People believed that the British came to power in 1757, after the Battle of Plassey and their rule would come to an end in 1857.
Question 27.
Name any two social reformers who attacked Sati and female infanticide.
Answer:
- Raja Ram Mohan Roy
- Keshab Chander Sen
Question 28.
What were people’s apprehensions regarding the introduction of telegraph service in India?
Answer:
People looked down upon the introduction of telegraphic service as means to break social order. Another rumour was that the telegraphic poles would be used for hanging people who were against Company’s rule in India.
Question 29.
What advantages did the Indian soldiers have because of disproportion between Indian and British troops in 1857 ?
Answer:
Lord Dalhousie’s inability to enlist British soldiers definitely gave Indians both the advantage of number and courage to take up arms against the English.
Question 30.
Name the two great patriots who hailed the Uprising of 1857 as the War of Independence?
Answer:
- Netaji Subhash Chander Bose.
- Veer Savarkar.
Question 31.
Who was Mangal Pandey? What episode is associated with his name?
Answer:
Mangal Pandey was a Brahmin solider, who refused to use the greased cartridges on 29th March, 1857 and killed two English officers. He was hanged consequently, this resulted in general uprising in Meerut, Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow and Jhansi.
Question 32.
What did the Indian soldiers (sepoys) at Meerut do for which they were sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in May 1857 ?
Answer:
The real trouble started at Meerut on May 6, 1857 when Indian soldiers gathered force and cut across North India like a sword. About 86 sepoys refused to use the greased cartridges. Hence they were dismissed and sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment.
Structured Questions
Question 1.
Using the following points describe main political causes which led to the First War of Independence in 1857 :
(a) British policy of Annexations. (Annexations of Awadh and Territorial Expansion under the pretext of the Doctrine of Lapse).
(b) Treatment meted out to the Mughal Emperor
(c) Treatment meted out to Nana Saheb.
Answer:
(a) Dalhousie was the Governor-General of India from 1846 to 1856. His policy of annexations and conquests showed clearly that the territory of no Indian Prince was safe. The Doctrine of Lapse created a sense of alarm among the ruling chiefs. Dalhousie claimed that heirs adopted without the consent of the Company could inherit only the private property of the deceased ruler, and not his territory.
Annexation of Awadh :
On 7 February, 1856, Nawab Wazid Ali Shah was deposed on grounds that Awadh was not being managed well. On February 13, the Court of Directors ordered Awadh’s complete annexation to the Company’s dominions. The annexation of Awadh was certainly a case of high-handedness on the part of the Company. The Nawab of Awadh had been loyal to the Company throughout. The British seemed to have broken all their pledges and promises to the ruling chiefs. This caused resentment among those soldiers of the British Indian army who came from Awadh.
(b) The House of the Mughals were also humbled when the English announced that after the death of Bahadur Shah II, the Mughals would lose the title of ‘King’ and his successors would have to leave the Red fort. It greatly hurt the sentiments of the Muslims.
(c) The last Peshwa Baji Rao II, adopted Nana Sahib as his son. After his death, English refused to acknowledge Nana Sahib as the ruler of the Marathas, Hindus too turned against the English. He was pensioned off to far away Bithur.
Question 2.
Social and Religious causes were also at work in causing the Great Upsurge of 1857. In this context briefly describe :
(a) Fears regarding mass Conversion to Christianity.
(b) Laws that interfered with the Religion and Customs of the people.
(c) Indignities hurled at Indians (Policy of Racial Discrimination)
Answer:
(a) The activities of the Christian missionaries created a sense of alarm among both the Hindus and the Muslims. Their fear was actively supported by
- The teaching of Christian doctrine was made compulsory in the schools established by Christian missionaries.
- The Bible was introduced in all the government schools.
- Prisoners began to be instructed in Christianity.
- The officials openly preached Christian doctrines in Mosques and Temples.
- Lastly, police force too was being used for conversions. Hence, panic gripped people that they all would be lured to Christianity by hook or by crook.
(b) The practice of Sati was abolished in 1829, along with child marriage female infanticide and polygamy. Act of 1856 legalised Widow- Remarriage. The people thought that English were unnecessarily interfering in their socio-religious matters and wanted to ruin their social order. Hence, they became resentful toward the English. The Act of 1850 which enabled even the Hindu converts to inherit the property made cry that their religion was in danger.
(c) The English belonged to the ruling class and had a feeling of superiority. They looked down upon Indian to insult, humiliate and even kill at will. The English crossed all limits of decency and humiliated by calling them ‘swines’ and branded them as ‘heathens’
In short, there was unrest among the masses because they felt that the government was interfering in their social order, destroying their religious customs and converting them into Christians.
Question 3.
Economic exploitation of the country caused grave discontent that culminated in the Great Uprising of 1857. Examine this factor with reference to the following:
(a) The Ruin of Trade and Handicrafts (Unhappiness of Indian Artisans and Craftsmen)
(b) Impoverishment of the Cultivators
(c) Subordination of Indian economy to British Interests (Making India an Agricultural Colony of British capitalism)
Answer:
(a) The East India Company was established in 1600 as a trading concern. Soon after 1668, Indian textiles became so popular in England, that an Act was passed in 1720 prohibiting the use of Indian silks and calicoes in England. The British deliberately crippled Indian handicrafts by
- Imposing heavy duties on Indian silk and cotton textiles in England.
- British goods were imported into India at a nominal duty.
- The art of spinning and weaving became extinct.
- Manufacturing towns of Dhaka, Murshidabad and Surat now looked desolate.
Hence, deplorable economic condition paved the way for Revolt of 1857.
(b) The Cultivators impoverished under the land-revenue policies of the Engish. Be it Permanent settlement in Bengal and Bihar, Ryotwari system in Bombay or Mahalwari System, almost half the net produce was claimed as land-revenue. Bad monsoons brought famines that further increased the poverty of the peasants. Unable to pay land-revenue, the farmers were driven more and more in the clutches of money-lenders. What could impoverished asked other than driving the English out of India.
(c) The English subordinated the Indian economy to the interests of British trade and Industry. Indian Industry began to decline because heavy duties were imposed on the Indian silk and cotton textiles. The English exported raw material from India and poured into India large quantities of goods manufactured in England. In short, India was reduced to the Agriculture colony. Her trade and commerce began to be controlled and dominated by the English.
Question 4.
The discontent against the British Raj was by no means confined to the civil population, but also extended to the Indian section of the Company’s Army. In this context of the military causes of the First War of Independence given an account of the following:
(a) Discontent on account of low Salary and poor prospects of Promotion.
(b) Discontent and Disaffection in the Bengal Army
(c) The General Service Enlistment Act
(d) Introduction of Greased Cartridges
Or
What were the main causes of Sepoys’ discontentment which became a major contributory factor to the Revolt of 1857?
Answer:
(a) The wages of the Indian soldiers were too small to support their families. An English soldier was paid more than 8 times the English sepoy even though his duties were of similar nature. Besides, they had no chance of promotion. The highest rank held by an Indian was that of Subedars. Artillery and other key weapons were only reserved for the English soldiers. Indian soldiers resented discriminatory policy adopted by the English.
(b) Bengal army composed of the sepoys and officers of high caste 130 Arundeeps History & Civics-10 Hindus (Brahmins and Rajputs) of Awadh. During the First Anglo- Afghan war of 1839-1842, they had to cross the Sindhu and go outside India. This was disliked because they thought that sea voyage was forbidden by their religion. In 1844, some Bengali regiments reiused to serve in Sindh till extra allowances were given to them.
(c) Lord Canning passed the General Enlistment Act. The Act caused bitterness among the sepoys, as it bound them to be sent to fight to an overseas front. ActTvas contrary to their religious beliefs. Political, Social and Economic atmosphere was conducive for an outbreak, but it could not erupt as long as the Indian soldiers were loyal to the English. Though above mentioned military causes roused discontentment among the sepoys as well, who started the revolt.
(d) The cartridges to be used by soldiers for the Enfield Rifles were greased with the fat of cows and pig. The cow, is scared for the Hindus and pig for Muslims., for this reason the army posed a threat to the British Rulers.
Question 5.
Describe the results of the First War of Independence with reference to the following :
(a) Changes relating to Constitutional or the Administrative Set¬up of the British territories in India
(b) Rights granted to the Indian Princes and Chiefs
Answer:
(a) The war ended the EIC’s rule in India. The Act of 1858 transferred the Government of India from the company to the crown. Secondly, the Board of control and court of directors were abolished. Their powers were transferred to the secretary of state, who was to be assisted by the Indian Council consisting of 15 members. Secretary of state was to draw salary and allowances from the revenues of India.
Thirdly, appointments to the civil service were to be made by open competition. Lastly, Governor-General received the additional title of viceroy. The title denoted the new position of the Governor-General as the representative of the Crown in India vis-a vis the native princes and Nawab.
(b) Queen Victoria declared in her Proclamation of 1858 that the British government would not annex the Indian states. Secondly, all the treaties that the princes had concluded with the company would be honoured. Thirdly, their right of adoption and succession were to be recognised.
At the same British government took all possible steps to render Indian states militarily weak by limiting their number of troops.
Question 6.
With reference to the consequences of the First War of Independence, 1857 answer the following questions :
(a) How was the Army organised after the War of Independence?
(b) What was the effect of the First War of Independence as regards the rise of Nationalism in India?
Or How did the First War of Independence become an important landmark in India’s struggle against the British Raj?
(c) How India became the big field of Economic Exploitation by the Britishers after First War of Independence?
Answer:
(a) The policy of balance and counter check became the prominent feature of the military administration.
- The proportions of the British to Indian soliders were increased.
- Artillery along with other effective weapons were reserved for the British troops.
- All the key positions in the army were kept exclusively for the British.
- The Army was organised in such a way that no sentiment of unity could arise among them.
(b) The war became a symbol of challenge to the mighty British power in India. Popular songs in praise of Tantia Tope, the Rani of Jhansi and others kept the memory of their heroic deeds alike. The Rani of Jhansi became Indian’s Joan of Arc, whose very name revived the spirit of patriotism.
(c) In the first place, recruitment of English in both private and public was a large drain on the country’s resources. Secondly, India was turned into an agriculture colony exporting raw material and importing finished goods. Thirdly, rapid rise of indebtedness of the peasants reduced them to poverty and slavery. Fourthy, British invested their surplus capital in railways, plantation and coal mines in India, which was a total drain on commercial interests of Indians. Even the dividends were distributed among the share-holders of the company.
On the whole the Indians were reduced to misery and poverty.
Question 7.
With reference to the picture given below, answer the questions that follow :
(a) Identify the Queen seated on the throne
(b) What solemn promises did she make to the people of India in her Proclamation of 1858?
(c) Why did the British follow the policy of ‘Divide and Rule’ after 1857? What was its consequence?
Answer:
(a) Seated on the throne is Queen Victoria.
(b) Solemn promises made to the People of India
- Queen Victoria in her Proclamation of 1858 promised not to interfere with the religious of India.
- 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.
- An official pardon was granted to people, excepting such persons as had been guilty of the murder of British subjects.
- The Proclamation ended with a promise that the material and moral advancement of the people would henceforth be the main concern of the Government.
- Queen promised material and moral advancement of her subjects.
(c) The Hindus and the Muslims had showed utmost zeal and enthusiasm in the Rising of 1857. Hence, British pursued the policy of creating misunderstanding between the two communities so as to perpetuate the British rule. Muslims started harboring hatred and mistrust against the Hindus because of the role played by the Sikhs and Gorkha soldiers in perpetuating excesses upon them.
The British turned against the Muslims, after the revolt of 1857. At a later stage, nationalism displayed by the Hindus, made them unfriendly- in the eyes of the British. The Muslims were taken back into the confidence and favour.
Hence policy of divide and rule was exploited to widen the gap between the two communities and ensure British rule in India.
ICSE History and Civics Class 10 Goyal Brothers Prakashan Solutions