Reasons for Failure in the War of Independence 1857–58

Lack of Unity, Planning and Coordination

Although resentment of the British was a single cause to fight for, the Indians were not coordinated or united in what they hoped to achieve. There was no general plan and no attempt to work together. In different places, different groups fought for different reasons. Although the Mughal Emperor was something of a figurehead, most Indian princes did not really want to see imperial power restored. Nor was there any real sense of national patriotism. India was too divided for such a feeling. For example:

• Punjab and Sindh:

The Punjab and Sindh had been conquered by troops from Bengal and Central India under the command of British officers. So, when those troops rebelled against the British, it is not surprising that the Punjab was not interested in supporting them.

• Kashmir:

Some of the Indian princes were interested only in restoring their own feudal powers. Sometimes, their powers actually depended on the support of the British. This explains why the rule of Kashmir sent 2,000 troops to help the British win the War. His position was closely tied to the continuation of British rule.

The foremost cause was the sudden start of the war in confusion, without any preparation or proper planning. Since there was an extreme lack of communication and coordination among various groups of freedom fighters who started their uprising according to their own wishes, it became easy for the British troops to curb the revolt of different areas one by one.

Opposition to the Mughal Emperor from Other Religions

The only real uniting force in the War was Islam. The Mughal Empire had been created by Muslims and they were keen to see Bahadur Shah Zafar regain his powers. However, any degree of unity among the Muslims alarmed the Hindus and the Sikhs who were not prepared to fight to restore power to the Muslim Mughal Empire. This may well explain why the British came to see the War of Independence 1857-58 as predominantly a ‘Muslim Revolt’.

Weak Economy and Lack of Funds

The economic conditions of Indian troops also entailed an obvious cause of their defeat. On one hand, the war started out of awkwardness, mismanagement and lack of planning, and even the Emperor was practically penniless who was asking for loans from Delhi landlords. Yet, they were determined to save their money, not their freedom. Contrariwise, the British troops had been wealthy because the prosperous regions of India were totally under their control.

Lack of Strong Leadership

There was no experienced leader among the Indians to lead their soldiers. They had declared the Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, their leader. However, instead of warfare, he was devoted to poetry and was too old and incompetent to lead the revolutionaries. On the other hand, the British troops were endowed with extremely competent generals, like Edwards and Neil.

Lack of Communication

The Indians were devoid of such means and, that is why, they utterly fell behind and got defeated. In contrast, British troops were modern and strikingly advanced, not only in warfare but, also in new ways of swift and speedy communication. They did not have to cross long roads and grounds to deliver a message or order but could simply wire it within a few minutes.

Army & Weaponry

The British had experienced the Industrial Revolution and were technologically much more superior. Thus they had advanced weaponry, giving them an edge over the Indian forces that had traditional and outdated weaponry. The British generals fought with devotion and loyalty to the British Queen, Queen Victoria. Conversely, the rebel leaders were indecisive and short-sighted and, hence, were easily defeated by the British.

British Strengths

Power:

The major reason for the failure of the Indians was that the British were too strong. Britain was one of the most powerful nations in the world at this time and its troops were experienced in warfare and highly trained in modern methods of fighting. They also had a good reputation for discipline on the battlefield.

Strategy:

The only hope for the Indians had to defeat the British was that there should be a general uprising across most of India and for the Indian troops to act together. As it was, the British kept control in more than three quarters of their possessions. The British were skilled diplomats and they knew that most of the Indian rulers were fighting to restore their own rights, not to establish a united India. So, they found it easy to play the various groups off against each other. Although there were a number of serious uprisings against the British, but being uncoordinated, it was only a matter of time before the highly efficient British military machine restored order.

Negotiations:

The Governor-General of India, Lord Canning, adopted a conciliator policy towards the rebels. He allowed many concessions for them. He announced that the rebels who gave up their arms were to be forgiven. He also bribed some freedom fighters as well. Thus, quite a few leaders left the battlefield to join in negotiations with the government.