CBSE Class 8 Social Science The Revolt Of 1857 Worksheet

EARLY REVOLTS OR MINOR REVOLTS

The British rule angered the people in every part of the country. In the process of conquest, the British not only enraged the rulers whose kingdoms were annexed and their nobles, but also a large number of other people. There were Number of revolts between 1765 and 1856 in different parts of the country. Many of these were revolts by Peasants and Tribals and also by Soldiers. There were others led by dispossessed rulers and Zamindars
and chiefs.

Some Minor Revolts before the Revolt of 1857 :-

(i) The first major revolt in Bengal was led by Sanyasis and Fakirs and spread to many areas of eastern India. Most of these rebels were peasants who formed their armies.

(ii) There were a number of tribal revolts during this period, the revolts of the Bhils in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, Kols in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, Gonds and Khonds in Orissa, Kolis in Maharashtra, Mers in Rajasthan.

(iii) From 1795 to 1805, an anti-British rebellion broke out in southern parts of the country. The rebellion was led by the Zamindars, or Poligars.

(iv) There were mutinies by the sepoys of the Company's army, Vellore Mutiny in 1806 and the Barrackpore Mutinty in 1824. The mutiny was brutally suppressed and hundreds of sepoys were sentenced to death.

(v) Another powerful revolt during this period was that of the Wahabis, the followers of a Muslim sect founded by Sayyid Ahmad Barehvi. They urged the people to join in a holy war to overthrow the British rule. The anti-British activities of the Wahabis continued from 1830 till after the revolt of 1857. Most of
these revolts were, however, localized occurrences. Even though it took the British a long time to suppress some of them, they did not pose a serious danger to the British rule in India.

CAUSES OF THE REVOLT OF 1857

(i) Political causes (ii) Social and economic causes (iii) Religious causes (iv) Military causes (v) Immediate causes

*Political Causes : The causes of discontent among the Indian rulers were as follows:

(i) The policy of conquest pursued by the British had created unrest among many rulers, and chiefs.

(ii) The strict enforcement of the policies of Subsidiary Alliance and Doctrine of Lapse made people angry

(iii) The annexation of Oudh and the Carnatic kindgom, on grounds of misgovernment, was greatly resented,

(iv) The Mughal Emperor himself was told that his successors would not be recognised as kings and he had to leave the historic Red Fort.

These actions of British created unrest among the ruling families who had lost their power and put fear in others that a similar fate awaited them.

*Social and economic Causes

(i) British started interfering in the social and religious customs like the abolition of the practice of Sati, widow remarriage, conversion of Hindu into Christians and the promotion of western education were considered to be damaging the fabric of the traditional Indian society.

The Revolt of 1857

1. The revolt of 1857 has also been referred to as the first war of ___________________.

2. Mangal Pandey refused to use greased ___________________________.

3. The sepoys the Meerut regiment captured Delhi and declared _____________________ as the emperor of India.

4. ______________________ has led the revolt at Bareilly.

5. Bahadur Shah zafar was exiled to _________________.

6. At Kanpur the revolt was led by _____________________.

7. ____________________ annexed Jhansi under the Doctrine of Lapse.

8. ___________________ led the revolt at Lucknow.

9. ____________________ was the able commander of Nana Sahib‟s forces.

10. The British soldiers were entitled to a foreign service allowance or _____________________.

11. ______________________ introduced the Doctrine of Lapse.

12. ____________________ was the last Mugal Emperor.

The Revolt of 1857

1. According to the _______________________ , if a ruler did not leave any male heir, the land became the property of the Bristish East India company.

2. Mughal Emperor Bahadurshah Zafar and his successors were ordered to leave the red fort by ______________________

3. ________________________ announced that Bahadurshah‟s successors would not be allowed to use the title of the king.

4. _______________________ was proclaimed the emperor of India by the rebels.

5. ________________________ had let the revolt at Bareilly.

6.At Kanpur, the revolt was led by ______________________, the adopted son of the last peshwa.

Fill in the blanks:

1. A massive rebellion that started in ____________, threatened the company’s very presence in India.

2. _________________ had been stationed in many courts of rajas and nawabs.

3. The armed forces of the ___________ and ___________were disbanded.

4. ____________ was one of the last territories to be annexed by the British.

5. The name of the _____________ was removed from the coins minted by the company.

6. Awadh was taken over by the British in the year _____________.

7. The ____________ were unhappy about their pay, allowances and conditions of service.

8. The book ‘Majha Pravaas’ was written by ______________ .

9. ‘Sepoy to Subedar’ is an autobiography written by ________________ .

10. ____________,a soldier from Bareilly was a key military leader of the rebellion.

11. The ____________was the personal representative of the crown.

12. Thousands of labouring poor people were led by ___________ to fight for the establishment of the Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace, This was known as the __________________(China).

State whether true or false:

1. Many peasant families tried to negotiate with the company to protect their interest. ( )

2. Peshwa Baji Rao II was the adopted son of Nana Saheb ( )

3. In 1801, a subsidiary alliance was imposed on Bengal ( )

4. After the death of Bahadur Shah Zafar his son was recognized as king ( )

5. Many people in India believed that if they cross the sea they would lose their religion and caste ( )

6. In 1850 a new law was passed to make the conversion to Christianity easier. ( )

7. The Nawab Wajid Ali Shah’s decision to bless the rebellion changed the entire situation. ( )

8. Ahmadullah Shah prophesied that the rule of the British would come to an end soon. ( )

9 Kunwar Singh an old zamindar from Bihar joined the rebels and fought the British many months. ( )

10. The British had to fight for two years to suppress the massive forces of the rebellion. ( )

13. Ruling of India came directly under the British crown after the revolt. ( )

15 The proportion of Indian soldiers was increased after the revolt. ( )

Tick the correct answer:

1. The main centers of the revolt were

a. Delhi b. Meerut c. Lucknow d. All of them

2. ___________ proclaimed himself Peshwa.

a. Nana Saheb b. Baji Rao c. Tantia Tope d. Mangal Pandey

3. _____________took an active part in organizing the uprising against the British

a. Zeenat mahal b. Begum Hazrat mahal c. Mumtaz Mahal

4. The company brought reinforcements from

a. Madras b. Bombay c. England d. Delhi

5. Delhi was recaptured from the rebel forces in ______________

a. September 1857 b. May 1857 c. June 1858

6. Lucknow was taken over by the British in

a. March 1858 b. September 1857 c June 1858

7. Hundreds of ____________ were tried and hanged.

a. sepoys b. nawabs c. rebels d. all of them

Put the following events in order:

1. 85 sepoys were dismissed from service and sentenced to ten years in jail. [ ]

2. A young soldier, Mangal Pandey was hanged to death in Barrackpore. [ ]

3. The soldiers marched to the Jail and released the imprisoned sepoys. [ ]

4. Sepoys at Meerut refused to do the army drill. [ ]

5. The regiments stationed in Delhi rose up in rebellion. [ ]

6. The sepoys declared war on the firangies. [ ]

7. The sepoys of Meerut rode all night of 10 May and reached Delhi the next morning. [ ]

8. They forced their way in to the palace and proclaimed BahadurShah Zafar as Their leader [ ]

I. Answer the following:

1. What were the causes of discontent among the Indian rulers and landlords?

2. Why were the social reforms initiated by the British resented by a section of Indian Society?

3. In what way were the Peasants and the Sepoys discontented by the British Company?

4. Explain the beginning of the Great Rebellion at Meerut? How did it reach Delhi?

5. The Soldiers proclaimed Bahadur Shah II as their leader. What was the political significance of this act?

6. List the main centers of revolt along with their leader’s role.

7. How did the East India Company fight back against the rebels of the Great uprising?

8. What were the main causes of the failure of the Revolt?

9. In what ways did the British change their policies after the rebellion of 1857?

10 On an outline map of India, show centers of Revolt.

II .Answer in a line:-

(a) Who was the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II?

(b) Name the last territory annexed by the British in India.

(c) Who was the last Mughal king of India as decided by the Governor-General in 1856?

(d) In what way did the Act of 1856 prove to be crucial in Indian history?

(e) Why did the sepoys refuse to use the new cartridges?

(f) Name the three nodal points of the revolt of 1857.

(g) What were the changes made in the army by the Act of 1858?