Causes of the Great Rebellion

What were the causes of the Great Rebellion?

There were a great number of causes of the Great Rebellion in India, which encompassed political, economic, cultural, and military factors.

What were the political causes of the Great Rebellion?

There were long and short-term political causes of the Great Rebellion.

• ❖ Long-term: since the victories of Robert Clive and the Treaty of Allahabad in 1765, many Indian rulers had lost their power, or had been forced to accept British 'protection' (which had essentially reduced them to subservience).
• ❖ Long-term: Lord Dalhousie had introduced the 'Doctrine of Lapse', which banned an Indian prince without a natural heir from adopting a successor.
• ❖ Short-term: the Doctrine of Lapse had been used to take control of Oudh in 1856. Neighbouring Indian rulers felt threatened by this and began to support any moves to undermine British rule in India.

What were the economic causes of the Great Rebellion?

The wealth of India was being taken by the British, to the detriment of Indians themselves. This was probably more noticeable to the local rulers, who were losing the economic advantages of their position.

What were the cultural causes of the Great Rebellion?

There were long and short-term cultural causes of the Great Rebellion.

• ❖ Long-term: the British imposed an education system that promoted western values, to create what Macaulay described as 'brown Englishmen'. This was resented by the Indians, who enjoyed a long-established Indian culture.
• ❖ Long-term: the British introduced a law that allowed Hindu widows to remarry, which angered many Hindus.
• ❖ Long-term: the British banned the practice of suttee, which was when a widow threw herself on top of her dead husband's funeral pyre during the cremation ceremony.
• ❖ Long-term: the Indians were alarmed at the increase in Christian missionaries arriving in India. They thought that the British were going to try to convert them to Christianity.
• ❖ Short-term: the sepoys in the EIC army were alarmed when a new cartridge (bullet) was introduced, which they were told were made with cow and pig fat. This was offensive to Hindus and Muslims alike, and was seen as another British attempt to make the Indians break their religious and caste rules.

What were the military causes of the Great Rebellion?

There were long and short-term military causes of the Great Rebellion.

• ❖ Long-term: over time, the sepoys in the EIC army felt they were losing their respected positions - they had a good reputation, but were always subordinate to British officers and could not rise above a certain rank.
• ❖ Long-term: in 1799, the defeat of Tipu Sultan at Seringapatam extended the EIC's power even further, and ended French influence in India.
• ❖ Short-term: A group of sepoys were court-martialled when they refused to use the new cartridges. They were humiliated by having their uniforms stripped from them and being put in chains. This humiliation led to a mutiny by the sepoys who witnessed it - sparking the rebellion.