Discuss the general causes for the Revolt fo 1857.

The following were the general causes for the Revolt of 1857 :

(i) Many Indians had turned against the British because of the policy of Lapse initiated by Lord Dalhousie.

(ii) The British considered India as a market for raw material of factories in England. So they made many efforts to destroy the Indian trade and industry. It increased poverty in the country. So the people started despising the British rule.

(iii) The Indian sepoys had a feeling of discontentment against the imperial rule. They got low salary as compared to the British soldiers. They were also maltreated. They could not bear this insult for long.

(iv) In 1856, the soldiers were given the new ‘Enfield’ Rifles. The cartridges of these rifles ere coated with the fat of cows and pigs. So the Indian soldiers refused to accept and use these cartridges. Slowly and steadily this incident led to the emergence of the Revolt of 1857.