The 1857 Uprising was the culmination of the recurrent big and small local rebellions that had occurred in the preceding hundred years of British rule. Elucidate (150 words)
The 1857 uprising,also known as the Indian Rebellion of 1857 or the Sepoy Mutiny, was a rebellion against British colonial rule in India. It was not a sudden occurrence but rather the result of a series of recurrent local rebellions that had occurred in the preceding hundred years of British rule as follows.
Peasant Uprisings:
- Faqir and Sanyasi Rebellions (1770-1820s): Widely recurrent confrontations with almost 50,000 participants involved
- Revolt of Raja Chait Singh (1778-81): Goal to restore existing agrarian relations, recurring till 1830s
- Poligar Rebellions (1799-1805): Feudal lords and peasants joined against Company’s tactics, large scale rebellion
- Paika Rebellion (1817): Armed rebellion led by Bakshi Jagabandhu against Company’s rule
- Farazi Movement (1838-1848): First-ever no-tax campaign led by Shariatullah Khan and Dadu Mian, recurring till 1870s
Tribal Uprisings:
- Bhil Uprisings (1818-31): Bhils rebelled against British occupation, situation remained unsettled till 1831
- Kol Uprising (1831-32): Plunder and arson mode, major impact in the region
- Santhal Uprising (1855-56): Most effective tribal movement, spread rapidly against British infiltrating policies
Thus the 1857 Uprising was the culmination of the recurrent big and small local rebellions that had occurred in the preceding hundred years of British rule. These various grievances reached their climax in the revolt of 1857, which in spite of targeting certain groups of Indians remains the prominent uprising against the British before the beginning of the Indian Freedom Movement.
