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History & Civics

The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. With reference to this, answer the following questions:

(i) Mention any three administrative changes made in India as a consequence of the Revolt.

(ii) How did the failure of this Revolt impact the Mughals and the Peshwas?

(iii) Mention any four changes made in the army after the Revolt.

Revolt 1857

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Answer

(i) The three administrative changes made in India as a consequence of the Revolt were:

  1. Transfer of Power — The Government of India Act of 1858 transferred the control of India from the East India Company to the British Crown. The power to govern India was vested in the Crown through the Secretary of State who was responsible to the British Parliament.
  2. Establishment of the Viceroy's Executive Council — In India, the Act of 1858 established an Executive Council, whose members would serve as heads of various departments and as official advisers to the Governor-General. The members of the Council occupied a position similar to that of Cabinet ministers.
  3. Foreign Policy — India's foreign policy was dictated by the interest of the British government.

(ii) The failure of the Revolt of 1857 had significant impacts on both the Mughals and the Peshwas:

  • Mughals — The Mughal dynasty, which had been in decline since the death of Aurangzeb, came to an end with the Revolt of 1857. The last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar II, was deported to Yangon in Myanmar. This marked the end of the Mughal rule in India.
  • Peshwas — Nana Saheb, the last Peshwa, fled to Nepal after the failure of the uprising. This marked the end of the Peshwaship.

(iii) Following are four significant changes were made in the Indian army after the Revolt of 1857:

  1. Increase in European Troops — The number of British soldiers in the Indian army was increased. This was done to ensure the dominance of the European branch of the army.
  2. Restructuring of the Artillery — The artillery, one of the most important branches of the army, was placed entirely in British hands.
  3. Change in Recruitment Policy — Discrimination on the basis of caste, region and religion was practised in the recruitment to the army.
  4. Isolating Indian army from Society — Newspaper, journals and nationalist publications were prevented from reaching the soldiers to keep the Indian army separated from the life of the rest of the population.

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