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Resistance and rebellion from "summary" of The Anarchy by William Dalrymple
The resistance and rebellion against the British East India Company's rule in India was widespread and varied. Local rulers, dispossessed nobles, and common people all sought to challenge the Company's authority in different ways. Some, like the Mughal Emperor and the Maratha Confederacy, fought pitched battles against the Company's forces in attempts to reclaim lost territories. Others, like the Sannyasi rebels and the Wahhabi jihadists, engaged in guerrilla warfare and acts of sabotage to disrupt Company operations. The Company's policies of territorial expansion, taxation, and land revenue collection often sparked resistance from the local population. Peasants who were heavily taxed and oppressed by Company officials sometimes rose up in open rebellion, leading to violent clashes and unrest in the countryside. The Company's alliances with certain Indian rulers and the use of sepoys in its army also created tensions and divisions within Indian society, leading to further acts of resistance and rebellion. Religious and cultural factors also played a role in shaping resistance movements against the Company. The Wahhabi jihadists, for example, were motivated by their belief in a puritanical form of Islam and their desire to establish an Islamic state free from foreign domination. The Sannyasi rebels, on the other hand, were inspired by their devotion to Hinduism and their opposition to the Company's policies that threatened their way of life.- The resistance and rebellion against the British East India Company in India was a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that encompassed a wide range of actors and motivations. From local rulers to peasants, from religious zealots to dispossessed nobles, all sought to challenge the Company's hegemony in different ways. Despite facing overwhelming odds and superior military power, these various resistance movements persisted and continued to pose a threat to the Company's rule in India.
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