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Causes of Revolt of 1857 - Political, Economic Factors & More

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The Revolt of 1857 is also known as Sepoy Mutiny or the Indian Mutiny. The term revolt in revolt of 1857 refers primarily to the uprising of the civilian population, such as peasants, zamindars, rajas, and jagirdars, while the mutiny was of the sepoys. The revolt started on May 10, 1857, at Meerut as a sepoy mutiny because, initially, it was started by sepoys in the Bengal Presidency against the British officers. This war marked the end of British East India Company rule. This revolt had various political and economic causes. Politically, one significant cause was the British policy of annexation and the Doctrine of Lapse, where they annexed princely states without a direct heir. This created resentment among Indian rulers who felt their autonomy and authority was being undermined. Additionally, the discriminatory policies of the British East India Company, such as introducing the new Enfield rifle with greased cartridges, which violated religious beliefs, further aggravated the situation.

The revolt of 1857 political economic factors is an important part of the UPSC syllabus, comprising part of UPSC mains General Studies paper-1 and UPSC prelims. This article will discuss the political, economic, and military causes of the 1857 Revolt.

Also, read the Role of Tatya Tope in the 1857 Revolt here.

Political Causes of Revolt of 1857 
  • Wars and Conquests
  • Doctrine of Lapse
  • Humiliating Policy towards the Successors of the Mughals
  • India was Governed by Foreign Land
  • Subsidiary Alliance
  • Suspension of Pension

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Economic Causes of Revolt of 1857
  • Economic Drain
  • Exploitation of Sections
  • Ruin of the Mercantile Class
  • Destruction of Indian Manufacturers
  • Discontent Among the Zamindars
  • The Exploitation of European Plantations
  • Pressure on Land

Political Causes of Revolt of 1857

The Political Causes Of the Revolt of 1857 are explained in the sections below:

Wars and Conquests

  • The takeover of the East India Company resulted in great resentment and disaffection among the displaced royal dynasties and their heirs.
  • Foreign rule disillusioned and disgruntled many dependents on the royal family, who lost their means of subsistence and other common people.
  • Punjab was annexed by Lord Dalhousie, further humiliating the ruling dynasty.

Doctrine of Lapse

  • The practical execution of Lord Dalhousie’s Doctrine of Lapse resulted in extraordinary unrest in the states.
  • As a result, several emperors were forbidden from adopting any son after they died for religious rites. This was seen as a clear British intrusion into the people's religious activities.
  • Dalhousie seized the principalities of Satara, Jaipur, Sambalpur, Bhagat, Udaipur, Jhansi, and Nagpur using the Doctrine of Lapse.
  • The state was economically exploited, and the Nawabs were reduced to administrative positions, which Dalhousie used as a justification to unite it into the British Empire.

Humiliating Policy towards the Successors of the Mughals

  • Because the British never kept their written or verbal commitments, it was only natural for hostility and revolts to arise. Since 1803, the Mughal rulers have been protected by the British.
  • Lord Dalhousie said in 1849 that his successor would have to abandon the Red Fort and stay near the Qutub Minar.
  • By this time, Bahadur Shah, the Mughal emperor, had become old and accepted Fakir Uddin as the Mughal emperor’s heir.
  • According to Viceroy Lord Canning, the next successor of Fakhruddin would be stripped of even their titular dignities and shadow of power in Delhi, and they would be unable to sit on the royal palaces.
  • This meant that the Mughals’ title sovereignty was also ending.

India was Governed by Foreign Land

  • India was ruled by a foreign country, which meant that the rulers of India were administering the country hundreds of miles away. This was another major political issue that infuriated Indians against the British.
  • From England, the British governed India and syphoned India’s wealth into their own country.
  • India’s resources were being spent in England for the benefit of the English people.

Subsidiary Alliance

  • Lord Wellesley’s Subsidiary Alliance was essential for British expansion in India. Indian kings were not authorised to have their armed forces under this agreement.
  • They were supposed to be protected by the firm, but they had to pay for the subsidiary forces’ the company was supposed to have for that purpose.
  • A huge number of monarchs and chiefs were displaced as a result of the British policy of territorial conquest.
  • The ruling classes were enraged by the strong implementation of the Subsidiary Alliance and Doctrine of Lapse programmes.

Suspension of Pension

  • The Board of Directors wanted to boost the company’s dividends.
  • Some of the company’s deposed Indian leaders had their pensions reduced or suspended due to this.
  • Rani Jindan, Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Queen, has lowered her annual pension from 15,000 pounds to 1,200 pounds.
  • Nana Sahib’s and Lakshmi Bai’s pensions in Jhansi were suspended.
  • The Nawab of Carnatic and Tanjore’s nominal sovereignty was likewise abolished. As a result, they began to oppose the British.

Economic Causes of Revolt of 1857

The Economic Causes Of the Revolt of 1857 are explained in the sections below:

Economic Drain

  • The British government’s colonial control in India had a policy of draining India’s wealth to England using legitimate or unfair means or tactics.
  • British servants and officials enjoyed India’s privileges and used all legal and illegal ways to amass the country’s wealth.
  • The greatest incomes were paid to British soldiers, civil officers, and employees who worked in India.
  • Their savings, pensions, and other profits from India were being sent to England as wealth.
  • In every way imaginable, the drain of Indian wealth was carried to England. The British’s continuous agenda of economic exploitation had a negative impact on the average man.

Exploitation of Sections

  • The Company’s sole goal was to gather as much money as possible with the least work.
  • Industry, trade, commerce, and agriculture declined due to their colonial practices of economic exploitation, and India became de-industrialized, poor, and debt-ridden.
  • The annexation of Indian states resulted in the loss of jobs and authority for Indian aristocrats and their economic and social position and advantages.
  • The British colonial strategy shattered Indian society’s conventional economic framework.

Ruin of the Mercantile Class

  • By putting high tariff levies on Indian commodities, the British purposefully hampered Indian trade and commerce.
  • They supported the import of British goods into India on the other side.
  • As a result, by the middle of the nineteenth century, Indian cotton and silk exports had all but disappeared.

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Destruction of Indian Manufacturers

  • All Indian producers were devastated by the British policy of pushing the import of cotton items from England to India.
  • India’s villages were self-sufficient in every field prior to British rule. Village residents used to create their things to meet their needs and requirements.
  • When British goods began flooding the Indian market, Indian manufacturers faced extinction.

Discontent Among the Zamindars

  • By removing the middlemen, the British created a new land revenue system.
  • The great Talukdars and Zamindars, who had previously collected land revenue, lost their money and positions.
  • Those with land freeships were required to produce the letters of grant they had received from the government to confirm the legitimacy of their proprietary rights in the land.
  • Those who failed to show documentary proof to support their property rights had their rights taken away.

The Exploitation of European Plantations

  • They needed raw materials due to the Industrial Revolution in England, which they couldn’t get from the English industry.
  • As a result, British colonists in India monopolised plantation businesses such as indigo, jute, tea, and coffee. In addition, they used various land revenue strategies to maximise their profits.
  • Farmers found it increasingly more work to make ends meet—particularly the lives of Indigo planters.
  • The Indigo producers’ lives were made more difficult by the European plantation owners’ inhumane treatment and persecution.

Pressure on Land

  • Several individuals lost their jobs due to the collapse of Indian industry and trade. A lack of alternative occupations forced a huge portion of the urban population to rely on the village economy.
  • As a result, millions of destroyed artisans and craftsmen, including spinners, weavers, smelters, smiths, and others, had little choice but to engage in agricultural activity, putting a strain on the land.
  • India was turned from an agricultural country into a British Empire agricultural colony.

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What was the Impact of the Revolt of 1857?

The Revolt of 1857 had a profound impact on India's history and British colonial rule. Here are some key impacts of the revolt:

  • End of the East India Company: The revolt exposed the weaknesses and misrule of the British East India Company. As a result, the British government dissolved the company and took direct control of India under the British Crown. 
  • Consolidation of British Power: This led to the consolidation of British power in India, with the British adopting more stringent policies and maintaining a tighter grip on the country.
  • Changes in Administration: The revolt prompted the British government to reassess and revamp their administrative policies in India. The British also made efforts to understand Indian customs and cultural practices better.
  • Impact on Indian Society: The revolt had a lasting impact on Indian society. It fostered a sense of unity and nationalism among Indians who fought against British colonialism.
  • Religious and Communal Divide: The revolt exposed religious and communal fault lines in Indian society. The British employed a divide-and-rule policy, accentuating differences between Hindus and Muslims.
  • Influence on Freedom Struggle: The revolt served as a source of inspiration for future freedom fighters and revolutionaries. The sacrifice and bravery displayed by the rebels became a symbol of resistance against British oppression and played a significant role in shaping India's struggle for independence.

Immediate Cause of 1857 Revolt

The immediate cause of the 1857 revolt was the introduction of the new Enfield rifle by the British East India Company. The cartridges for this rifle were rumored to be greased with animal fat, including beef and pork fat. This created significant resentment and religious tensions among Indian soldiers, known as sepoys, as the use of such cartridges violated their religious beliefs. The sepoys' refusal to use the cartridges led to their rebellion, which quickly spread to various parts of India and escalated into a larger uprising against British colonial rule.

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Political and Economic Causes of 1857 Revolt FAQs

The Indian Mutiny, which raged against British control in India from 1857 to 1859, sparked the Revolt of 1857. Delhi, Agra, Kanpur, and Lucknow were all affected.

The distribution of new gunpowder cartridges for the Enfield rifle in February 1857 provoked a mutiny in certain sepoy units of the Bengal army.

The British Expansionary Policy and the Doctrine of Lapse were two major elements that affected the Revolt of 1857.

In Lucknow, Begum Hazrat Mahal headed the Revolt of 1857.

The 1857 Revolt lasted more than a year. By the middle of 1858, it had been suppressed. Canning ultimately declared peace on July 8, 1858, fourteen months after the uprising at Meerut.
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