Uprising in a European Colony

On of the most well known uprisings of the British colonization era was the Indian Rebellion of 1857, also known as the "Sepoy Mutiny." Britain had gained control over two-thirds of India's land and imperialism affected every part of Indian life. As a result, there was tension that only needed a small spark to set off a violent revolt. This spark came in the form of the new Enfield rifles. Loading one of these rifles included biting a cartridge which was greased in pig or cow fat - the first an animal held unclean by the Muslims, and the second a sacred animal to the Hindus. Muslim and Hindu troops were equally insulted. Violence began in Meerut and soon erupted into other mutinies and civilian rebellions in central India. The mutiny was broken by the British within six months, but the effects had been felt, as this was only the first step toward's India's independence from colonialism.