Europe will enter into a period of colonization called imperialism, which would bring European control and oppression to many in the unindustrialized world. The most famous uprisings in a British colony was the Great Rebellion, otherwise known as the Sepoy Mutiny. Britain had gained control of India and the imperialistic goals of the British affected lives of Indians. There was a lot of tension within the colony. There was an insurrection by the Muslim and Hindu mercenaries in the British army that spread throughout northern and central India before it was finally crushed. A new rifle called a Lee-Enfield rifle caused bitter disputes between the Muslims and the Hindus. In order to load the rifle, you had to bite on the cartridge, which was greased with pig and cow fat. To the Muslims, the pig is an animal that they do not eat, nor would want to bite on. For the Hindus, the cow was a sacred animal. The Hindus and Muslims were the majority of religious groups in India. Both the Hindus and Muslims were insulted by this and began to revolt, spreading to other mutinies. Finally, this mutiny was broken up by the British. The result wasn't what the people expected, but it was one of the first steps toward Indian independence from the British.
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