How Did the Queen's Proclamation of 1858 Impact Indian Society?

British Empire – The Documents of Indian Independence

This course examines the transformation of India from British colonial rule to independence, focusing on: (i) the 1858 Queen's Proclamation, which transferred power to the Crown and created religious divisions between Hindus and Muslims; (ii) the 1860 Indian Penal Code, which secularised religious offences and influenced modern legal responses; (iii) Gandhi’s Hind Swaraj (1909), advocating for nonviolent self-rule and moral governance; (iv) the 1928 Nehru Report, which prioritised liberty over equality, contributing to the 1947 Partition; (v) the 1940 Lahore Resolution, calling for a separate Muslim state and leading to the creation of India and Pakistan; and (vi) the 1950 Indian Constitution, which introduced universal suffrage but retained colonial-era powers.

How Did the Queen's Proclamation of 1858 Impact Indian Society?

In this lecture, we examine the Queen’s Proclamation of 1858 and its impact on British-Indian relations, focusing on: (i) the proclamation’s context following the 1857 revolt, marking the transfer of rule from the East India Company to the British Crown; (ii) promises to Indian princes, offering non-interference in royal appointments under British oversight; (iii) assurances to Hindus and Muslims of religious freedom and equal opportunity, intended to pacify tensions related to British interference in religious practices; (iv) the proclamation’s establishment of a secular model in India, distinct from Britain’s own Anglican-centered religious order; and (v) the unintended consequence of defining Indian society primarily by religious identity, positioning Hindus and Muslims as rival communities under British arbitration, which shaped the social and political dynamics of colonial India.