The Beginnings of Revolt

Although the Indians first embraced the idea of reform in the early nineteenth century, the feeling soon faded and was replaced by heavy conservatism. The Indians felt violated, because the British cunningly conquered India with the help of Indian soldiers. The British also treated the Indians poorly. They were second class citizens in their own land and were denied higher positions despite of their abilities. The Indians were also traded as slaves to other British colonies. All of this led to the great revolt which divided India in May of 1857. The revolt took place in northern India. It began with a mutiny in the Bengal army, but it was not simply a military rising. This revolt was made up of a number of spontaneous intertwined manifestations which fed one another. It was neither Hindu nor Muslim, both parties were involved. In Delhi there was a Muslim effort to overthrow the British rule in the name of the heir to the Mughal dynasty. At the same time, many orthodox Hindus were alarmed by Western education and social reform. In the midst of all this choas, South India remained outside the disturbance. This was probably one of the main reasons the British were able to supress the revolt with a relatively small number of native troops.
There were three basic factors of unrest: one, the political frustration of the Indian aristocracy; two, the uneasiness produced by reform on the Western model; and three, the bitterness of the disinherited tax-farming class. With the British rapidly expanding their control, many Indians wondered what political future remained for Indians in India.