CBSE Class 8: Our Pasts III - Chapter 5 - When people Rebel 1857 and After (Long Q and A) (#cbseNotes)

When people Rebel 1857 and After(History Notes - Long Q & A)

Question 1: What impact did Bahadur Shah Zafar support to the rebellion have on the people and the ruling families?

Answer:
⑴ Bahadur Shah Zafar support to the rebellion boosted the moral of the Indian people. It gave them courage, hope and confidence to get together against the East India Company rule.

⑵ Regiment after regiment mutinied. People of the towns and villages also rose up in rebellion with their local leaders, zamindars and chiefs to fight against the British.

⑶ Nanasaheb gathered arm forces and expelled the British Garrison from the city.

⑷ Birjis Qadr was proclaimed the new Nawab. He too acknowledged the suzernity of Bahadur Shah.

⑸ In Jhansi, Rani Lakshmi Bai joined the rebel sepoys and fought the British along with Tantia Tope, the general of Nana Saheb.




Question 2: How did the British succeed in securing the submission of the Rebel land owners of our Awadh?

Answer:
⑴ The British tried their best to win back the loyalty of the people.

⑵ They announced rewards for loyal land owners, that they would be allowed to continue enjoying traditional rights over their lands.

⑶ Those who had rebelled were told that if they submitted to the British and if they had not killed any white people they would remain safe and their rights and claims to land would not be denied.



Question 3 (✪✪✪ Immportant): What were the causes of the revolt of 1857?

Or

What were the reasons of discontentment among Indians which led to the revolt of 1857?

Answer:
⑴ Political Cause
✓Introduction of practices like subsidiary Alliance, doctrine of lapse and abolition of titles angered the kings.

✓ The annexation of the states in spite of the loyalty caused discontentment among them.

✓ The freedom of the rulers reduced, the arm forces disbanded and the revenues and territories were taken away.

⑵ Economic cause
✓ High taxes, rigid system of revenue collection resulted in indebtness of farmers and also lead to poverty in villages.

⑶ Social Cause

✓ Imposition of taxes on the land belonging to temples and mosques angered both the Hindus and Muslims.

✓ The abolition of practices like Sati, encouraging widow marriages disturbed the orthodox section of the society.

✓ The opening up of the educational institutions by Christian missionaries and criticism of Hinduism and Islam by European machinery was not acceptable to the people.

⑷ Military Cause

✓ The sepoys were often humiliated by the British seniors.

✓ The Indian soldiers were paid less.

✓ The introduction of greased cartridges hurt the religious sentiments of both Hindus and Muslims.

⑸ Immediate cause

✓ In April 1857 some supplies refused to do the army drill using the new cartridges which was supposed of being coated with the fat of cows and pigs.

✓ Sepoys were dismissed from the service and were jailed for disobeying their officers

✓ This incident sparked off the beginning of the revolt of 1857.




Question 4: In what ways did the British change their policies as a result of the rebellion of 1857?

Answer: The important changes that were introduced by the British were:

⑴ The British Parliament passed and new act in 1858 and transferred the power of the East India Company to the British Crown in order to ensure more responsible management of Indian affairs.

⑵ A member of the British cabinet was appointed as secretary of the state of India and was made responsible for all the matters related to the Government of India.

⑶ A counsel was setup to advise him called the Indian Council.

⑷ The governor general of India was given the title of Viceroy that is a personal representative of the Crown.

⑸ Through these measures the British government accepted direct responsibility for ruling India.

⑹ Policies policies were made to protect landlords and zamidars and give them security of rights over their lands.