1857 and 1865: Revolutions that Reshaped History

Global Perspectives

  • Not necessarily globally encompassing

  • Beyond artificial boundaries

  • Questioning categories

  • Global/Local

Goals this Week

  • Understand the spirit of reform in the early to mid-19th century

  • What was the Indian Revolt of 1857 and what were the global ramifications?

  • What did the Morant Bay Rebellion mean for the future of the Empire?

  • Broader and long-term consequences

Plan this Week

  1. The Age of Reform

  2. The Revolt of 1857

  3. The Morant Bay Rebellion of 1865

  4. The Future of the Empire

The Age of Reform

  • The Liberal Turn

    • The Industrial Revolution of the Age of Reform

      • The Rise of Nationalism: National identity became increasingly important, leading to movements that sought independence and self-determination across various regions.

    • Mercantile conservatism

    • Radical utilitarianism

    • Parental despotism towards the empire

  • The Problem of Freedom

    • Of dam tiefs and ol rogues

    • Is this what you call free?

    • Labour migrations

  • The Debate on the Colonies

  • Thomas Carlyle

  • John Stuart Mill

Revolt of 1857

  • The Long Path of 1857

    • The liberalism of Bentinck

    • Departure from traditional neutrality

    • Abolition of sati

    • Reform Bill of 1832

    • Ellenborough

    • Dalhousie

  • The Political Order

    • Doctrine of Lapse

    • Annexation of Awadh

    • The Mughal Emperor

  • The Economic Order

    • Land Revenue System

    • Taxation

    • Non-intervention in famines

    • Decimation of industries

    • Cash-crop cultivations

    • Widespread poverty

  • Social and Military Context

    • Social reforms

    • Judicial intrusions

    • Religious intolerance

    • Military Administration

    • Untenable employment

  • Crushing the Revolution and Aftermath

    • death toll

      • 6,000 British soldiers and civilians out of 40,000 British people in India

      • 880,000 Indians were killed after the revolt was crushed

      • not only soldiers but also civilians

    • Extreme cruelty

    • The last Mughal Emperer

      • exiled to Rangoon in 1857, marking the end of the Mughal Empire and symbolizing the significant political shifts occurring in India during this tumultuous period.

    • International reaction

      • the Irish take the side of the Indian rebels, viewing their struggle against British rule as part of a broader fight for freedom and self-determination.

      • The French took the side of the Indian rebels as well, providing moral support and condemning British imperialism, which they viewed as a threat to democratic ideals.

      • The Germans took the side of the Indian rebels as well, seeing parallels between their own aspirations for national unity and the fight against colonial oppression.

      • The Italians took the side of the Indian rebels too, inspired by their own struggles for unification and independence, and expressing solidarity with those seeking to overthrow colonial rule.

    • Mass-scale emigration

      • 2 million Indians migrated to various parts of the world during this period, seeking better opportunities and escaping the oppressive conditions under British rule.

      • plantations were established in regions like the Caribbean and Southeast Asia, where Indian laborers were recruited to work, significantly impacting local economies and demographics.

      • people escaped the harsh realities of colonialism and sought refuge in countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia, contributing to the diverse cultural tapestry of these nations.

    • Crown rule

      • India comes under crown rule

        • This marked a significant shift in governance, as the British Crown took direct control over India, leading to major political, social, and economic changes that would shape the subcontinent's future.

          • British East India Company

        • Queen Elizabeth II's reign saw the decolonization of many territories, further influencing India's path towards independence and self-governance.

          • she became the empress of India in 1876, which solidified British imperial rule and expanded the British influence over the region, setting the stage for the rise of nationalist movements in the early 20th century.

The Morant Bay Rebellion of 1865

  • smaller death toll

  • brutality

    • similar to the Revolt

  • Background/Larger Contexts

    • Jamaica became a British Colony in 1665

      • took over from the Spanish

      • 18th century - becomes a cash crop plantations

      • successful sugar company ies

    • slavery ended and was replaced by apprenticeship, which aimed to transition former slaves into wage laborers under a system that still imposed significant restrictions and obligations on them.

    • enslave peoples succeeded

    • British officials are nervous of this

      1. How are they going to answer to the plantation owners who are going to lose their property?

      2. What is going to happen to society if they give the enslaved freedom overnight?

    • enslave people can be brought in line and made to conform but that cannot happen right away

    • Apprenticeship System

      • You worked for a certain number of hours each day in exchange for basic necessities, while still being bound to the landowner for several years until fully released from servitude.

      • If you worked more than your required hours, you could earn a small wage that might allow for some personal savings, but this was often limited by the demands of the landowner and the need to fulfill your obligations.

  • The Jamaican Panopticon

    • Jeremy Bentham's concept of the Panopticon emphasized surveillance and control, proposing a design for a prison that would allow a single guard to observe all inmates without them knowing whether they were being watched, thus instilling a sense of constant observation that shaped modern ideas of governance and social order.

  • The Empire against the Colony

    • Torture Regime

      • makes the British population mad because slavery was ended by this point

        • Questioned if this was a new form of slavery.

  • Failure of Apprentice

    • Apprenticeship fails in 1838

    • English homogenous society

  • Dreams of Direct Rule

    • Democracy is unattainable

      • Planning to take over directly

    • “Having failed to master themselves, now they have to have a master”

Colonial Difference

  • the colonies will always be different from the Metropolitan centers due to their unique social, economic, and cultural dynamics, which often lead to tensions and conflicts that can spark revolutionary movements.

  • The Glenelg Doctrine

    • colonial secretary

      • biggest official

      • highest official making decisions about happenings and affairs

    • dreams about equality

      • “we must strive for complete and absolute freedom in the colonies”

      • “every person should have the right to vote”

        • The Mighty Experiment

          • to see if complete equality and freedom can be achieved

            • realized it cannot work because the divide

  • Ominous Reversal

    • people move away from the optimism of colonial self-governance and Direct Rule

    • 1850s - pessimism about the future of democratic governance begins to take hold, as the failures of revolutions and the harsh realities of imperial control lead to widespread disillusionment.

  • Impossibility of democratic governance

    • John Stuart Mill: A prominent philosopher and political economist, Mill advocated for liberal democracy and individual liberties, arguing that the failures of democratic governance were not inherent to the system itself but rather due to the oppressive structures imposed by colonial powers.