7th Standard, Social, History, Chapter 16
FIRST WAR OF INDIAN INDEPENDENCE (1857 – 58 C.E)
EXERCISES
I Fill up the blanks with a suitable word.
1 Common Military Service Act was enforced by Lord Canning.
2 The Indian soldier who refused to use the fat-smeared rifle in Barackpore was Mangal Pandey.
3 The mutiny was lead by Kunwar Singh in Bihar.
4. 1857 protests were called “the First war of Independence by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.
II Answer the following in a word or a sentence each.
1 What was the immediate cause of the 1857 C.E. struggle for Independence?
Answer: The immediate cause of the 1857 C.E. struggle for Independence are as follows.
1 . In 1857 C.E. a new kind of gun (Enfield Rifle) that was brought into the army became the immediate cause for the revolt.
2 . Before the cartridges were loaded into these guns by the soldiers, the paper covering them had to be torn off with their teeth.
3. A news spread like wild fire that pig and cow fat were smeared on this paper coverings.
4. This hurt the religious sentiments of both Hindu and muslim soldiers.
5. When the soldiers showed reluctance to use such cartridges, they were punished by the British.
2 Mention the results of the 1857 C.E. revolt.
Answer: The results of the 1857 C.E. revolt are as follows.
1 . As a result of this revolt, the rule of the East India Company ended.
2 . The British Queen took over the administration of India.
3 . In 1858 C.E. Queen Victoria issued a ‘Proclamation’. This proclamation promised to respect the rights, customs and traditions of the Indians.
4 . It also emphasized that there would be no interference in the religious life of the people.
5. The 1857-58 C.E. war paved the way for the modern national movement for independence. It became a constant source of inspiration for the freedom struggle.
3 Which were the states that were occupied by the British, under the doctrine of Subsidiary Alliance?
Answer: The provinces annexed by the British through the subsidiary alliance system include Hyderabad, Mysore, Awadh, Tanjore, the Peshwa’s territories, the Bhonsle Raja of Berar, and several Rajput states like Jodhpur, Jaipur, and Bundhi. These states lost their sovereignty and came under British control, allowing the British to maintain troops at the local rulers’ expense.
III Write short notes on.
1 The causes for freedom struggle.
2 Jhansi Rani Laxmibai
3 Bahadur Shah II
1 . The causes for freedom struggle: India’s economy had weakened due to the long period of British rule. People of different classes were subjected to great suffering. Farmers were crushed under the burden of taxes. Cottage industries had been destroyed and the professions being followed traditionally had lost their relevance. People had become destitutes. The causes for the revolt can be classified into political, economic, social, religious, administrative and military in nature. Some of these were direct causes whereas others were indirect.
2 . Jhansi Rani Laxmibai: Jhansi Rani Laxmibai the Queen of Jhansi, was a pivotal and fearless leader in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, resisting the British East India Company’s oppressive rule. After her husband’s death in 1853, the British East India Company’s Governor-General, Lord Dalhousie, applied the “Doctrine of Lapse” to Jhansi. When the rebellion broke out in 1857, angered Rani organized and led her troops, which included both men and women, to defend Jhansi against a British siege. In March 1858, British forces under General Hugh Rose attacked Jhansi. When Jhansi fell in the battlefield, she made a legendary escape on horseback with her young son tied to her back and galloped to Kalpi to join other rebel forces. She and other rebel leaders, including Tatya Tope, successfully captured the fort of Gwalior. However, a British counterattack followed. Rani Lakshmibai fought her final battle near Gwalior in June 1858. Dressed as a soldier, she was mortally wounded in combat and died on the battlefield. Rani Lakshmibai remains a powerful symbol of Indian independence, women’s empowerment, and defiance against oppression.
3 Bahadur Shah II: Bahadur Shah II, popularly known as Bahadur Shah Zafar, was the last Mughal emperor of India. A ruler in name only, he was a noted Urdu poet and a key symbolic figure in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. His exile by the British in 1858 marked the official end of the Mughal Empire. Born in Delhi in 1775, Bahadur Shah II was the second son of Emperor Akbar II. He succeeded his father to the throne in 1837 at the age of 62. The period of 1857 C.E. in Meerut, soldiers killed each and every European they set their eyes on. The enraged mob screamed ‘Maro farangiko’ (Kill the foreigners!) and advanced towards Delhi. In Delhi, they declared the old and the last Mughal King, Bahadur Shah II as the Emperor of India.
Additional questions:
1 . Which were the states that were occupied by the British, under the doctrine of Lapse policy?
Answer: Doctrine of Lapse made many kings and Nawabs lose their positions. Satara, Jaipur, Sambalpur, Udaipur, Jhansi, Oudh and others had been occupied by British. Due to this problematic situation and political pressures, the Mughal king, Bahadur Shah had been reduced to a name-sake king. The pension of some kings had been withheld. Royal titles of a few kings were cancelled.
2. Name the causes of the revolt of 1857 C.E.
Answer: The causes of the revolt of 1857 C.E. are as follows.
1 . Political cause
2. Economic cause
3. Social cause
4. Religious cause
5. Administrative cause
6. Military cause
7. Immediate cause
Activity: Read the life histories of Mangal Pandey, Jhansi Rani Laxmibai, Tatya Tope, Nana Saheb, Begum Hazrat Mahal, Kunwar Singh, Mundargi Bhimrao and other revolutionaries. (Refer to the Bharata-Bharati series of books).
