Class 8 History Chapter 5 HOTS Questions - When People Rebel

Q1. What reforms did the British introduce in the Indian society? How did the people of India respond to them?
Ans:  The British introduced several reforms: 

• They passed laws to stop the practice of sati and to encourage the remarriage of widows. 
• They promoted English language education. 
• In 1850, the Company passed a new law that made the conversion to Christianity easier. Many Indians began to feel that the British were destroying their religion, their social customs and their traditional way of life. But at the same time there were other Indians who readily accepted the reforms introduced by the British. In fact, they wanted to change existing social practices. 

Q2. How did the Company plan to bring an end to the Mughal dynasty?
Ans:  

• First of all the name of the Mughal king was removed from the coins minted by the Company. 
• In 1849, Governor-General Dalhousie announced that after the death of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the family of the king would be shifted out of the Red Fort and given another place in Delhi to live in. 
• In 1856, Governor-General “Canning decided that Bahadur Shah Zafar would be the last Mughal king and after his death his descendants would be known as princes. 

Q3: How did the British try to win back the loyalty of the people after they recaptured Delhi?
Ans:  

• The British announced rewards for loyal landholders by allowing them to continue to enjoy traditional rights over their lands. 
• Those who had rebelled were told that if they submitted to the British and if they had not killed any white people, they would remain safe and their rights and claims to land would not be denied. 

Q4: Why were the Indian sepoys in the employ of the Company discontented? Give sufficient reasons.
Ans:  Reasons for discontentment among Indian sepoys:

• The Indian sepoys were given poor salaries and allowances.
• The conditions of service also made them unhappy.
• Some of the new rules even violated their religious sentiments and beliefs.
• Those were the days when many people in the country believed that if they crossed the sea they would lose their religion and caste. So when in 1824 the sepoys were told to go to Burma by the sea route to fight for the Company, they refused to follow this order. As a result they were given severe punishment. In 1856, the Company passed a new law which stated that every new person who took up employment in the Company’s army had to agree to serve overseas if required.

Q5: What did the Company do to bring the Mughal dynasty to an end?
Ans: The Company did not want tob continue the Mughal dynasty any more. For this it made a cautions plan which it executed by one. First of all the name of the Mughal king was removed from the coins minted by the Company. In 1849, Governor-General Dalhousie announced that after the death of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the family of the king would be shifted out of the Red Fort and given another place in Delhi to reside in. In 1856, Governor- General Canning decided that Bahadur Shah Zafar would be the last Mughal king and after this death none of his descendants would be recognised as kings. Instead they would be called princes. 

Q6: How did the ruling families try to protect their interest?
Ans: Since the mid-eighteenth century, nawabs and rajas had seen their power and influence wear away gradually. They had gradually lost their authority and honour. Hence, many ruling families tried to negotiate with the Company to protect their interests so that they could enjoy their influence to a considerable extent. For example, Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi wanted the Company to recognise her adopted son as the heir to the kingdom after the death of her husband. Nana Saheb, the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II, pleaded that he be given his father’s pension when the latter died. But the Company turned away these pleas. 

Q7: What did the British do to win back the loyalty of the Indian after the defeat of rebel forces?
Ans: The British tried their best to win back the loyalty of the people of India. They announced rewards for loyal landholders by allowing them to continue to enjoy traditional rights over their lands. Those who had rebelled were told that if they submitted to the British, and if they had not killed any white people, they would remain safe and their rights and claims to land would not be denied. 

Q8: How did the British deal with the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar during the last years of his life?
Ans: The British recaptured Delhi from the rebel forces in September 1859. Just after that they turned their eyes to Bahadur Shah Zafar. He was tried in court and sentenced to life imprisonment. He and his wife Begum Zinat Mahal were sent to prison in Rangoon in October 1858. Bahadur Shah Zafar died in the Rangoon jail in November 1862. Thus, the last years of his life were very pathetic because the British dealt with him so ruthlessly.

Q9: How did the British succeed in securing the submission of the rebel landowners of Awadh?
Ans: The British had to face defeat in several battles during their revolt. This caused a number of uprisings against the British in various states of India. 

• One such rebellion occurred in the region of Awadh. The villagers took to arms and the landlords led them. But unfortunately, they were defeated by the British forces. The defeat of the rebel forces encouraged the British. 
• They applied two major methods to suppress the rebellion. First of all, they tried and hanged a large number of rebel leaders who had dared to challenge their authority. But at the same time they showed a little bit soft altitude to those landholders who were loyal to them during the revolt. 
• They announced rewards for them by allowing them to continue to enjoy traditional rights over their lands. Those who had killed any white people, they would remain safe and their rights and claims to land would not be denied.

Q10: How did the rebellion spread to other regions of the country?
Ans: The position of the British became very weak in Delhi and they were almost defeated by the rebel force. Therefore, there was no uprising for almost a week. Afterwards a spurt of mutinies began in several parts of India. 

• Regiment after regiment mutinied and took to join otlter troops at nodal points like Delhi, Kanpur and Lucknow. After them, the people of the towns and villages also” rose up in rebellion. They rallied around local leaders, zamindars and chiefs who were prepared to establish their authority and fight the British. 
• Nana Saheb, the adopted son of the late Peshwa Baji Rao who lived near Kanpur, gathered armed forces and expelled the British Garrison from the city. He proclaimed himself Peshwa. He delcared that he was a Governor under emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. In Lucknow, Birjis Qadr, the son of the deposed Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, was proclaimed the new Nawab. He too acknowledged the suzerainty of Bahadur Shah Zafar. 
• In Jhansi, Rani Lakshmibai joined the rebel sepoys and fought the British along with Tantia Tope, the General of Nana Saheb. 
• A situation of widespread rebellion also developed in the region of Awadh. Many new leaders also came up and joined the revolt. Ahmadullah Shah, a maulvi from Faizabad, raised a large force of supporters. He came to Lucknow to fight the British. 
• In Delhi, a large number of religious warriors came together to wipe out the white people. Bakht Khan, a soldier from Bareilly, took charge of a large force of fighters who came to Delhi. In Bihar, an old zamindar, Kunwar Singh, joined the rebel sepoys and battled with the British for several months.

Q11: What were the consequences of the Revolt of 1857?
Ans: After the end of the popular rebellion of 1857, the British introduced some important changes in their policies. These changes were: 

• The British Parliament passed a new Act in 1858 and transferred the powers of the East India Company to the British Crown in order to ensure a more responsible management of Indian affairs. 
• The Governor-General of India was given the title of viceroy, that is, personal representative of the crown. 
• All ruling chiefs of the country were assured that their territory would never be annexed in future. They were allowed to pass on their kingdoms to their heirs, including adopted sons. 
• It was decided that the proportion of Indian soldiers in the army would be reduced and the number of European soldiers would be increased. 
• The land property of Muslims was confiscated on large scale because the British held them responsible for the rebellion. 
• The customary religions and social practices of the people of India were given due respect. 
• Policies were made to protect landlords and zamindars and give them security of rights over their lands.