People's Revolt — Class 8 Social Science (Samacheer Kalvi)
TN State Board (Samacheer Kalvi) Class 8 Social Science, History — Chapter 4. The Great Revolt of 1857 — India's first large uprising against British rule.
1. About this lesson
This lesson covers the causes of the Revolt of 1857, its immediate spark, the main leaders and centres, and why it failed.
2. Causes of the revolt
- Political: annexation policies — the Doctrine of Lapse and Subsidiary Alliance — and the annexation of Awadh (Oudh) angered rulers.
- Economic: heavy land revenue, the ruin of artisans and the economic exploitation of India hurt peasants and craftsmen.
- Social & religious: fear that the British were interfering with religion and customs through Christian missionaries and reforms such as banning sati and allowing widow remarriage.
- Military: Indian sepoys were paid less, badly treated, and resented serving overseas.
3. The immediate cause
- The new Enfield rifle used cartridges whose ends had to be bitten off; rumour said they were greased with the fat of the cow and the pig, offending both Hindus and Muslims.
- On 29 March 1857, Mangal Pandey of the 34th Native Infantry at Barrackpore revolted and was hanged — the revolt soon spread.
4. Leaders and centres
| Centre | Leader |
|---|---|
| Delhi | Bahadur Shah II (Zafar) — proclaimed emperor |
| Kanpur | Nana Sahib (with Tantia Tope) |
| Jhansi / Gwalior | Rani Lakshmi Bai |
| Lucknow | Begum Hazrat Mahal |
5. Why the revolt failed
- No common leader or plan; Bahadur Shah II was old and weak.
- Limited area — the south and many princely states stayed loyal to the British.
- The British had better organisation, modern weapons and resources.
6. Worked examples
Example 1. What was the immediate cause of the revolt? The greased Enfield cartridges.
Example 2. Who revolted at Barrackpore in March 1857? Mangal Pandey.
Example 3. Who led the revolt at Jhansi? Rani Lakshmi Bai.
7. Book-back questions (Samacheer Kalvi)
I. Choose the correct answer
- The immediate cause of the 1857 revolt was the — (a) greased cartridges / (b) Doctrine of Lapse. Ans: (a) greased cartridges.
- The sepoy who revolted at Barrackpore was — (a) Mangal Pandey / (b) Tantia Tope. Ans: (a) Mangal Pandey.
- The revolt at Kanpur was led by — (a) Nana Sahib / (b) Bahadur Shah. Ans: (a) Nana Sahib.
- The leader of the revolt at Jhansi was — (a) Begum Hazrat Mahal / (b) Rani Lakshmi Bai. Ans: (b) Rani Lakshmi Bai.
- The Mughal emperor proclaimed leader of the revolt was — (a) Bahadur Shah II / (b) Shah Alam II. Ans: (a) Bahadur Shah II.
II. Fill in the blanks 6. The new rifle that sparked the revolt was the Enfield rifle. 7. Tantia Tope fought alongside Nana Sahib. 8. The revolt began on 29 March 1857 at Barrackpore.
III. Answer briefly 9. State any three causes of the Revolt of 1857. 10. Why did the revolt fail?
8. Common mistakes
- Mistake: Calling the greased cartridges the only cause. Fix: They were the immediate cause; deeper political, economic, social and military causes existed.
- Mistake: Confusing the leaders and their centres. Fix: Delhi → Bahadur Shah; Kanpur → Nana Sahib; Jhansi → Rani Lakshmi Bai; Lucknow → Begum Hazrat Mahal.
- Mistake: Saying the whole of India revolted. Fix: It was limited mainly to the north; the south and many states stayed loyal.
9. Quick revision
- History Ch 4 · Revolt of 1857.
- Causes: political (annexations), economic (exploitation), social/religious (interference), military (sepoy grievances).
- Immediate cause: greased Enfield cartridges (cow + pig fat) → Mangal Pandey, 29 March 1857.
- Leaders: Bahadur Shah II (Delhi), Nana Sahib + Tantia Tope (Kanpur), Rani Lakshmi Bai (Jhansi), Begum Hazrat Mahal (Lucknow).
- Failed: no common leader/plan, limited area, superior British power.
