Question

State any two political causes responsible for the First War of Independence.

Answer 1

Hint:India's first independence war, best known as the 1857 Indian Rebellion.
It started on this day, the 10th of May, 1857.
Mangal Pandey was the first martyr of the rebellion and the war was the result of the accumulation of several variables over time.

Complete answer:
Rebel of 1857:-
- The rebellion started at Meerut as a sepoy mutiny on May 10, 1857. Sepoys against British officers were launched during the Bengal Presidency.
- The end of rule by the British East India company was marked by this war of independence. After this, India was directly governed by the British government through members known as the Governor-General.
- The rebellion of 1857 was the deliberate beginning of the war for independence against British colonial tyranny.
- For the rebellion of 1857, there are different names: India's First War of Independence, Sepoy Mutiny, etc.

Two of the major political factors that were responsible for the First Independence War were:-
1. The British strategy of annexing the kingdoms on the basis of an ineffective administration by the kings.
2. The Lapse Doctrine introduced by Lord Dalhousie that in the absence of a natural heir, enforced an unsentimental law of no adoption policy' for rulers and the lapse of the kingdom.

Note:Reason of Revolt of 1857
The immediate reason was the 'Enfield' rifle's introduction. Prior to loading it into the pistol, the cartridge had to be bitten off.
The cartridge was greased with either pig fat or made of cow fat, Indian sepoys thought.
This was against religious philosophies and Hindu and Muslim feelings. They were therefore hesitant to use the 'Enfield' rifle.
This was a flashpoint for the troops to provoke the British. This was considered to be the immediate cause in the 1857 rebellion.