Struggle For Independence Of India MCQ Question and Answer | History MCQ Question

The British ruled over India for about two centuries. They started interference in the religious matters and other social practices of Hindus and Muslims and it infuriated the Indians and their anger resulted in the armed revolt of 1857. The roots of the 1857 revolt lay in Blatantly discriminatory policies, exploitative land revenue policy and the policy of greased cartridges.

The Revolt of 1857: Who Started It?
This question is about a very important event in Indian history – the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, also known as the First War of Independence. It was a large-scale rebellion against the British East India Company.

The question asks who began this rebellion. Let's look at the options:

Option A: The sepoys – Sepoys were Indian soldiers who served in the British East India Company's army.
Option B: The zamindars – Zamindars were landlords who collected taxes for the British.
Option C: The peasants – Peasants were farmers who worked the land.
Option D: The plantation workers – Plantation workers were laborers who worked on large farms, often owned by the British.

While many groups participated in the Revolt of 1857, it primarily began with the sepoys. The immediate cause was the introduction of new rifle cartridges greased with animal fat (pork and beef), which offended both Hindu and Muslim soldiers. This sparked widespread anger and mutiny within the sepoy ranks, leading to the wider rebellion.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option A: The sepoys. Although other groups joined the revolt later, the initial spark came from the sepoys' rebellion against the British.

The Indian Rebellion of 1857 is also called the Indian Mutiny, the Sepoy Mutiny, North India's First War of Independence or North India's first struggle for independence. It began on 10 May 1857 at Meerut, as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army.

The most important impact of revolt of 1857 is that the administration of India was transferred from the East India Company to the British Crown. The queen's proclamation of 1858 announced that the policy of territorial extension was to be abandoned. Unity was forged between the Hindus and Muslims.

The Revolt of 1857 was localized and poorly organized. Due to lack of communication facilities, the sepoys of the widely dispersed cantonments could not act simultaneously in a concerted manner. The sepoys lacked common ideal before them. The sepoys at Delhi decided to recovery the glory of the Mughal. At Gwalior and Kanpur, Nana Sahib was proclaimed a Peshwa. Rani Lakhmi Bai fought for her Jhansi. The orthodox section among the Hindus and the Muslims were concerned with their religions. There was no unity among the Hindus and the Muslims.

In 1913, Pacific Coast Hindustan Association was founded by Lala Hardayal with Sohan Singh Bhakna as its president, which was called Ghadar Party. The members of this party were the immigrant sikhs of US and Canada. The first issue of The Ghadar, was published from San Francisco on November 1, 1913.

Begum Hazrat Mahal, also called as Begum of Awadh, was the second wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. Wajid Ali Shah met her in his palace. She rebelled against the British East India Company during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. She finally found asylum in Nepal where she died in 1879.

On August 2, 1858, less than a month after Canning proclaimed the victory of British arms, Parliament passed the Government of India Act, transferring British power over India from the East India Company, whose ineptitude was primarily blamed for the mutiny, to the crown.

After the initial success of the Revolt of 1857, the objective for which the leaders of the revolt worked was elimination of foreign rule and return of the old order.

Govind Dhondu Pant, popularly known was Nanasaheb, and one of the principal leaders of the Revolt of 1857, was the adopted heir and successor of Peshwa Baji Rao II.