History chapter-(when people rebel)
Solutions of questions by quanta learning academy
Exercises Page No. 64
1. What was the demand of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi that was refused
by the British?
Answer.
Rani Lakshmibai was the queen of Jhansi. She had adopted a son. Hence,
she wanted her son to be the ruler of Jhansi. However, according to Lord
Dalhousie’s Doctrine of Lapse policy, an adopted heir would not be allowed to
acquire the kingdom once the father dies and the same would be annexed by
the British. Hence, Rani Lakshmibai’s demand for recognizing her adopted
son as the male heir of the kingdom was refused by the British.
2. What did the British do to protect the interests of those who
converted to Christianity?
Answer.
After 1830, the Company allowed Christian missionaries to function freely in
its domain and even own land and property. In 1850, a new law was passed
to make conversion to Christianity easier. This law allowed an Indian who had
converted to Christianity to inherit the property of his ancestors. Many Indians
began to feel that the British were destroying their religion, their social
customs and their traditional way of life.
3. What objections did the sepoys have to the new cartridges that they
were asked to use?
Answer.
The new cartridges were unacceptable to the Indian sepoys, as they held the
belief that these had been coated by the fat of cow and pigs. The sepoys had
to bite the cartridges to load them. But their religion did not allow them to even
touch these cartridges. Hence, they denied using the new cartridges.
4. How did the last Mughal emperor live the last years of his life?
Answer.
The last Mughal emperor was Bahadur Shah Zafar. His title as the Mughal
emperor was a symbolic one. After the death of Aurangzeb, the Mughal rulers
had lost their power and held only a symbolic stature. Zafar was also the
symbolic head of the 1857 revolt. However, once the revolt was crushed,
Bahadur Shah Zafar was tried in court. He was blinded by the British and was
imprisoned. Later in 1858, he along with his wife was sent to Rangoon, where
he died in 1862.
5. What could be the reasons for the confidence of the British rulers
about their position in India before May 1857?
Answer.
The British became confident about their position in India because of the
following reasons:
a. The Mughal rulers, after the death of Aurangzeb, were not strong and
powerful. Hence, it was easier for the British to annex states.
b. The disunity among nawabs and the Mughal rulers helped the British have
a firm stronghold over Indian society, starting from Bengal.
c. The policies, like Subsidiary Alliance, helped British annex territories one
after another, without the use of any military power.
d. The revolt of 1857 was crushed by the British leading to their supremacy
over Indian society.
6. What impact did Bahadur Shah Zafar’s support to the rebellion have
on the people and the ruling families?
Answer.
Aurangzeb was considered as the last strong and powerful Mughal ruler of
India. After his death, the Mughal rulers only had a symbolic presence. But
Mughal rulers still had their influence over small chiefs and rulers across the
country. The revolt of 1857 started only when Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last
ruler of the Mughals, gave his permission. His support for the revolt made
leaders from various places become confident about opposing the British.
Zafar asked all the leaders to form a confederacy to fight against the British.
Many small, large kingdoms, rulers and chieftains supported the revolt after
Bahadur Shah Zafar extended his support to the revolt. Hence, his support for
the rebellion had a widespread effect on the people and the ruling families.
7. How did the British succeed in securing the submission of the rebel
landowners of Awadh?
Answer.
The British followed a two-pronged approach to suppress the rebel
landowners of Awadh:
a. The first approach was to hang the rebel landowners who had killed British
personnel, in order to threaten the people of Awadh by showing them the
consequences of any revolts in future.
b. The second approach was to reward the loyal landowners of Awadh. The
British stated that if the landowners had not killed any British personnel and if
they agreed to submit before the British, they would be offered safety and
could retain their share of lands.
8. In what ways did the British change their policies as a result of the
rebellion of 1857?
Answer.
After the revolt of 1857, the British Crown directly took over the Indian
administration. The powers of the East India Company were transferred to the
Crown. The following changes were made:
a. Doctrine of Lapse policy was abolished
b. The number of Indian sepoys was reduced in the army, so that in future
they would not be able to rebel against the British
c. Zamindars’ and landowners’ rights were further enhanced
d. The Crown promised that it would not interfere with the religion of the
people.
e. A Viceroy and a Secretary of the state were appointed for the
administration of Indian society.
