whether 1857 was a sepoy mutiny or a turning point in India's First war of Independance?

Question

History witnesses 150 years of the ocuurance of 1857 in Indian history. Some historian counts this event as a sepoy mutiny. Some think that it was a first war of Indian Independance to free it from British colonialism, racial and national discrimination and so on.

Answer 1

1857 is popularly recorded as sepoy mutiny in the history. But it was also the first war of Independence for Indians of its size. If this was organised properly..and if the revolt was triggered in the right way..at the right place as planned by the leaders..definetely India would have got freed by then itself. It was surely a turning point in the history of India as it paved the way for the future fight against the foreigners in a more organised way. The leaders of that time realised what was lacking in this mutiny and corrected the same in the future fight. It is called as Sepy mutiny as it was triggered off...started off by the Sepoys...or the Indian soldiers of the British Army. But surely it is also the first war of Independence for Indians..

Answer 2

One could see it that way. A sort of avatar of independence. Two problems that I see with this. One is there is no India. There is a collection of regional States, some of them corresponding to administrative units of old Mogul India, some of it is hereditary lordships, feudal satraps bits and pieces really.

The other issue is that its fueling truth and incitement was a rumor concerning the nature of the lubricant on the paper cartridges on issue, and colonial military severity in responding to the troops insubordination. Which of course was nothing to the severity that followed. This rumor was used as a pretext to incite mob violence and irrational murder, with which the British; never ones for original thinking in colonial situations, responded with even more irrational murder.

I have to think that trying to use this as the basis for an effort to "throw the rascals out" was not well organized and was certainly no developed strategy on the part of the founders and feeders of the rumor and the rulers who fostered and supported it. Did they not think of the reprisals that were going to be brought down or did they think that their exalted social rank as puppets of the colonial regime, was going to protect them.

While I don't really know anything about Indian political history, I've read a bit in the general history of the Colonial Experience of Britain. This event did more to isolate the Indian and British populations from one another within India, and re enforced the naturally pan global xenophobia of the Brits world wide. Its always been tough being God's chosen people, what with all the poor clay they have to work with. I suppose it could have been worse, you could have gotten the Belgians or the Germans.

Answer 3

It was surely the first war of independence started by the sepoys (soldiers), but their plan failed as they had first planned to revolt against the british on the same day all over India, but some of them in eagerness started off sooner and the british slaughtered all the groups one by one easily.
Both Hindues and Muslims had taken part in the sepoy mutiny, which continued as revolt, ( mostly by muslims), to bring back Bahadur Shah on the throne. For three months every tree in Delhi was used for hanging mostly muslims and in evey street, streams of human blood were gushing.

Answer 4

In 1857 there was no concept of one nation.India was made up of many small kingdoms.The Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was weak and incompetent.Various rulers were unhappy with the British for various reasons,the most important being that the British had annexed the kingdoms of these rulers on some pretext or the other.Some of these rulers decided to rise against them to regain their kingdoms and they were joined by some of the Indian sepoys in the British army who had their own grievances against their British masters.All these people were working only for their own interests.There was no feeling of patriotism or nationalism as there was no concept of one undivided country.So,to call the Sepoy Mutiny the 1st War of Indian Independence is to romanticise the whole event.

Answer 5

It depends on your perspective. If you are British then it sepoy mutiny. If you are an Indian, it is first war of independence.

Answer 6

It was not the first war of Indian independence but the first revolt.

Answer 7

yes it was the first war of independence for india

Answer 8

What Is A Sepoy

Answer 9

You're a bit behind the times.
Now they're starting to call it a Jihad.

Answer 10

the seed for indepemdence was sown