What Led To The Rebellion Of The 18th Century?

During the 18th century, the British East India Company came to India and established three main presidencies: the Bengal Presidency, the Madras Presidency, and the Bombay Presidency. Company rule was significantly centered around getting as much wealth from India as possible. This type of financial-based rule was a fundamental trigger for the Rebellion of 1857-58. Another major factor that caused the Rebellion was a direct insult to the Sepoy soldiers’ religious adherences. The Rebellion was a turning point in the British rule of India, because in the prior century, the Company governed, but afterwards the Crown ruled. Along with this switch in power, the Rebellion caused the Indian landscape and governmental hierarchy to change. In this essay,

Groups who were resentful of getting conquered by the British, like the Marathas, also joined forces to fight against the Company at this time. The Indians tried bringing the then Mughal ruler Bahadur Shah ‘Zafar’ back into power, but were unsuccessful. This Rebellion was a great show of united opposition against the Company rule. It also was a turning point because it confirmed to the British crown that the Company was incapable to govern India (since the Company was a purely financial, trading agency with chartered powers). This realization resulted in the start of Crown Rule in India with Queen Victoria as the Empress of India. Crown rule was a significant change in Indian governance, because it was the start of British direct rule in India, solidifying India’s role as a British colonial

The British realized that they couldn’t control India if they didn’t create a sort of “safety valve” to appease the Indians in the political representation realm. So, they formed the Indian National Congress in 1885 for the educated Indian barristers and elite to feel like they are part of the administration. Also, the British incorporated more Indians into the army to include them in the British bureaucratic hierarchy. These incorporations were limited though because they still used their British “residents” and governors to keep the local rule (some areas under indirect rule) in check. Another impact of the Crown rule taking over was that in 1871 the first census of the population of India was administered. This was a significant event because it was both remarkable and foreboding. It was a feat because unlike the Company, the Crown created a system to keep track of all its colonial citizens. Furthermore, these surveys indicated critical data about the Indian population for analyzing the country’s population growth rate; there were high birth rates and very low life expectancies after 1858. But, the census was also a negative accomplishment because the results from these population surveys (like religious distributions) aided the British in splitting India