Topic

Causes of the Indian Rebellion and how they inform About the Legacy and Memory of the British Empire

Instructions

Requirement:

Answer ONE of the questions below in essay format:

To what degree was race and racial prejudice fundamental to plantation colonialism?
What were the primary causes of the Indian Rebellion of 1857? And how do they inform contemporary debates on the legacy and memory of the British Empire?
How did imperialism shape the onset of the First World War?
In what ways was the Nazi Holocaust an example of modern colonialism?
What was the significance of the politics of Bandung (if any) in forging subsequent transnational solidarities in the Global South?
“The politics of 1968 shows that protest movements are contagious across borders”. Do you agree? If so, explain the mechanisms that allow for contagion.

Answer Preview

The first cause of the Indian Revolt in 1857 boiled down to the British resolve to usurp control of the Hindu princely states through alliances. The move could have detrimental impacts on the political, social and economic organizations of the Indian society. For instance, the replacement of the old Indian aristocracy with British officials was an insult to the traditional Indian regimes (Britannica, 2018). Worse still, the British employed the Doctrine of Lapse, which prohibited a Hindu ruler from adopting a successor if he did not have an heir. The implication of this trend implied that Indian leadership would lack continuity and it would be wiped out completely. After such a ruler died or got abdicated, his land would be annexed, making succession a monumental task (Marshall, 2017). Consequently, the Indians, especially the Sepoys, had to stage revolts that would redeem the leadership of their land. They would not watch as their long-held ruling practices were being replaced haphazardly with the British systems. They considered this action as a loss of their independence and they would go to whatever extent to reclaim their autonomy.

Word Count: 1600