The Great Uprising of 1857: An Exploration of Its Causes and Nature

A mighty revolt broke out in 1857 which was the result of atrocities by Britishers in terms of economic exploitation, administrative innovations and cultural discrimination against the Indians which adversely affected the masses ranging from brahmins to a small peasant. Earlier too, there were number of small uprisings from time to time in different parts of country like in Vellore (1806), Barrackpore (1824), Ferozepur (1842) followed by many mutinies. Millions of peasants, artisans and soldiers fought bravely and the year witnessed armed rebellion in parts of central and northern parts of India, which shook the British empire to its very foundation. In this project, we will learn about various causes which lead to discontent among the Indians and united different groups together to fight against a common enemy, the British. There were causes affecting different sections of society and in different aspects of life. The nature of the revolt is also a topic of discussion and in this project, the opinions of different scholars, writers and historians will be presented regarding the type of revolt it was on the basis of involvement of which community or section of society. The outcome of this project will be the actual nature of the revolt after studying the fundamental social and economic changes that upset the peasants during the first century of Company’s rule, which turned into the causes of the Revolt of 1857.