NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science (History – Our Pasts III) Chapter 5 When People Rebel 1857

Ans : Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi wanted the East India Company to recognise her adopted son as the heir to the kingdom after the death of her husband. This demand was refused by the British. Ultimately, the Company annexed the kingdom as per the Doctrine of Lapse. 

Ans : In 1850, a new law was passed to make conversion to Christianity easier. This law allowed an Indian who had converted to Christianity to inherit the property of his ancestors. 

Ans : The new cartridges were suspected of being coated with the fat of cows and pigs. Both Hindus and Muslim sepoys were offended by the introduction of these cartridges. Their religious sentiments were affected, and this was the reason they refused to use the cartridges. They felt that the British were trying to insult their religions. 

Ans : After the death of Aurangzeb, Mughal emperors held only symbolic value. Bahadur Shah Zafar was the last such Mughal emperor. During the 1857 revolt, the rebels needed someone who would rule the land once the British were thrown out of the country. They decided that this leader would have to be the Mughal emperor living in the Red Fort, in Delhi. Though a reluctant leader at first, Bahadur Shah did play an important role in the rebellion. Though Mughals had lost their earlier authority, a Mughal emperor's word still held importance for quite a number of smaller rulers and chieftains. Bahadur Shah sent letters to all such chiefs and rulers, urging them to come forward and support the rebellion. After the revolt was suppressed, Bahadur Shah was tried in court and sentenced to life imprisonment. He and his wife were sent to prison in Rangoon in October 1858. He died in the Rangoon jail in November 1862. 

Ans : Since the mid-eighteenth century, the power ot the nawabs and rajas was on its decline. The presence of British Residents in the courts further eroded their authority and curtailed their freedom to administer their kingdoms. The various kingdoms were forced to disband their armies and enter into a subsidiary alliance with the British. 
The terms of the subsidiary alliance, and later. ot the Doctrine of Lapse were such that the East India Company slowly but surely took control over the kingdoms one by one. From 1757 to 1857. the Company successfully annexed various Indian states. virtually unopposed, by using a variety of political, economic and diplomatic methods. It rarely had to use military power. Another reason for the confidence of the British was the decline of the Mughal dynasty The Company, through various measures, ensured that the dynasty came to an end. The name of the Mughal king was removed from the coins minted by the Company. It was also decided upon that Bahadur Shah would be the last Mughal king and after his death. none of his descendents would be recognised as kings. The fact that apart from the Company there was no other dominant authority in the Indian subcontinent. and the belief that there was absolutely no threat to its authority together contributed to its confidence about its position in India before May 1857. This 
is the reason why the revolt and the threatening form it took came as a shock to the British.