How far were the following responsible for the Great Uprising of 1857?

(a) The native rulers.

(b) The Jagirdars and the Zamindars.

(c) The educated Indians.

(d) The sepoys of the British army.

(a) The native rulers were significantly responsible for the Great Uprising of 1857. Their political and personal losses pushed them to either lead or support the revolt.

1. The last Mughal King, Bahadur Shah II, was declared the Emperor of India. Bahadur Shah became the symbol of India's political unity. He became a rallying point of all those who wanted to put an end to the foreign rule. Thus, Bahadur Shah acted as a unifying force.
2. At Kanpur, the Great Uprising was led by Nana Sahib, the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II. He captured the fort and proclaimed himself the Peshwa.
3. The Great Uprising at Lucknow was led by the Begum of Oudh (Awadh). She organised an all-out attack on the British and besieged Sir Henry Lawrence and other Englishmen in the residency. Sir Henry Lawrence was shot dead.
4. Kunwar Singh organised this movement in Bihar and extended his operation to Rewa, Banda and Kalpi and also helped Nana Sahib.
5. The rebels in Central India were led by a brave and patriotic lady, Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi. She was joined by the valiant general, Tatya Tope. Along with Tatya Tope she fell on Gwalior like a lioness and seized it from Scindia who was loyal to the English.

(b) Jagirdars and Zamindars became staunch enemies of English and the leaders of the uprising. They were unhappy when the English resumed the tax-free lands and confiscated jagirs. They had once enjoyed great local power, so they saw the British as a threat to their status and privileges. The British also confiscated the estates of the taluqdars or zamindars. Hence, they provided men, arms and funds to the rebels during the Great Uprising.

(c) Educated Indians became jobless under British rule. High posts and high wages were only available for the British people and not the educated Indians. Their lot became miserable and they felt discontented. They provided support during the Great Uprising, however their political awakening occured more in the later decades.

(d) The sepoys of the British army, i.e. Indian soldiers were the backbone of the revolt. They had many grievances against the British, such as:

1. Indian soldiers were ill treated, paid low wages and had no chance of promotion either. No Indian could rise higher than the post of Subedar.
2. Passing of the General Service Enlistment Act created bitterness among the sepoys as it bound them to be sent to fight even to an overseas front.
3. The beating received by the British in the First Afghan War made the Indians believe that the British could also be defeated.
4. A large number of European soldiers were pulled back to Europe during the The Crimean War (1853-56). The fall in the number of European troops in India encouraged the Indian sepoys to break out in an open revolt.
5. Annexation of Awadh made the Bengali sepoys resent the British as most of them were from Awadh.
6. The Greased Cartridges incident made both Hindu and Muslim sepoys feel that the British wanted to defile their religion. Both refused to use these cartridges and when force was used against them, they became infuriated and rose in revolt.
7. Revolts were carried out in various cities with the help of these Sepoys.