Political Causes
Starting from Warren Hastings to Lord Dalhousie, by mid-19th century, the English had become the virtual masters of the whole of India and little was left for them to conquer. However, even though the English conquered the states, yet curiously their method was not spontaneous, as the Muslims were during the Middle and Early Modern Ages. Instead, the British sought to gradually bring the native states under their belt. This not only reduced the native rulers as mere puppets controlled by the powerful Europeans but also added to the cumulative misery of the common people. But with the arrival of Lord Dalhousie in 1848, suddenly the English took a u-turn in their policies. Dalhousie abolished all royal titles used by the native rulers and began a policy of direct annexation either by waging wars or through his Doctrine of Lapse. Furthermore, he declared the Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Jafar II, as defunct, a move that greatly angered the Muslims and the right to adoption was also denied to the Hindu princes.
Administrative and Economic Causes
This gradual annexation of the Indian states by the British created wide administrative and economic repercussions not only for the native princes but for the common people as well. Firstly, the rule of the Company was marred by a sense of European superiority that made them look down upon their dark-skinned compatriots. In the military service, the highest post available to an Indian was that of a Subedar, while in civil services the Indians could only reach to a post of Sadr Amin or a court official. The pay was miserable and all the higher posts were reserved for the Europeans.
