Chapter 4 - The Freedom Struggle of 1857
1. Rewrite the statements by choosing the appropriate options
(Umaji Naik, War of Independence, Lord Dalhousie, Secretary of State, Tatya Tope)
(1) V.D. Savarkar named the struggle of 1857 as ………… .
Ans: War of Independence
(2) ………… united the Ramoshis to rebel against the British.
Ans: Umaji Naik
(3) After the struggle of 1857 the post of ………… was created in the British Government to look after the affairs of India.
Ans: Secretary of State
(4) ………… was the Governor General who annexed the princely states.
Ans: Lord Dalhousie
2. Explain the following statements with reasons.
(1) The Paikas made armed rebellion against the British.
Ans:
(i) The British conquered Odisha in 1803.
(ii) They confiscated the hereditary rent-free land granted to Paikas by the kings.
(iii) The life of the common man became miserable due to the tax imposed on salt by the British.
This resulted in the armed rebellion of the Paikas against the British in 1817.
(2) There was discontent among the Hindu and Muslim sepoys.
Ans:
(i) In 1856, the British introduced long Enfield rifles.
(ii) The soldiers were required to bite the greased covering of the cartridges of the rifle to open them.
(iii) The news spread among the soldiers that the covering of the cartridges contained the fat of cows and pigs.
(iv) The religious sentiments of the Hindu and Muslim soldiers were hurt, and there was discontent among them.
(3) The Indian sepoys could not keep stand in front of the British army.
Ans: The Indian sepoys could not keep standing in front of the British army because:
(i) The Indian soldiers were brave, but they had no military strategies.
(ii) They did not have economic strength.
(iii) The Indians did not have the latest and sufficient stock of arms and experienced army generals like the British.
(iv) On the other hand, the British possessed modern means of transport and communication and were therefore swift in their movements.
(v) This proved that wars are not fought only through bravery but also through military strategies.
(4) After the struggle, Indian army was divided on the basis of caste
Ans: There was a division of the military on the basis of caste because:
(i) The British felt that if the Indians came together, they would again unite and rebel against British rule.
(ii) Hence, proper care was taken by dividing them on the basis of caste to avoid future conflict.
(5) The British imposed heavy taxes on Indian industries.
Ans:
(i) The British introduced a new revenue system with the sole purpose of increasing their income.
(ii) The taxes were forcibly collected from the farmers.
(iii) British goods were sold in India to gain profits.
(iv) They imposed heavy taxes on the goods made by local industries.
(v) This trade policy ruined the Indian handicraft and textile industries.
(vi) Many artisans became unemployed. The British imposed heavy taxes on Indian industries with the sole purpose of ruining the Indian economy.
3. Answer the following question in brief.
(1) What were the social causes behind the struggle of 1857?
Ans: The social causes behind the struggle of 1857 were:
(i) The Indians felt that Britishers interfered with their culture, traditions, and customs.
(ii) The British enacted the Sati Prohibition Act and the Widow-Remarriage Act.
(iii) These were seen as interferences in the lifestyle of the Indians.
(iv) Indians resented it as it was regarded as the destruction of their way of life by the British government.
(2) Why did the Indians fail in the struggle of 1857?
Ans: There are several reasons for the failure of the Indians in the struggle of 1857. They were:
(i) It did not have central leadership, so it lacked uniformity.
(ii) The Indian soldiers who participated in the struggle did not have the latest and sufficient weapons.
(iii) They were brave but did not have tactics.
(iv) On the other hand, the British had unified leadership, a disciplined army, the latest weapons, and experienced army generals.
(v) The British controlled transport and communication, which made their movement swift.
(vi) The majority of the rulers of the Princely States kept themselves away from the freedom struggle.
(vii) The struggle was severe in Northern India. It did not take place all over India simultaneously.
(viii) Rajputana, Punjab, some parts of Bengal, and north-west India remained aloof.
(3) Write down the consequences of struggle of 1857.
Ans:
(i) The British government realized that there was growing dissatisfaction among the Indians due to the Company’s rule.
(ii) The British Parliament passed the Government of India Act in 1858 and took over the responsibility of ruling over the people of India, thus bringing an end to the Company’s rule.
(iii) The Queen issued a Declaration addressing the people of India.
(iv) The Governor General was designated as the Viceroy of India.
(v) A new post of Secretary of State was created to look after the affairs of India.
(vi) The British changed the composition of the army and its internal policies.
(4) What were the changes in British policy after the struggle of 1857?
Ans:
(i) The British accepted the policy of non-interference in the social and religious aspects of Indians.
(ii) They took care that Indian society did not unite on social grounds.
(iii) They took care to see that conflicts on grounds of caste, religion, race, and territory kept raging.
(iv) They poisoned and polluted the minds of Indians by following the policy of ‘Divide and Rule’.