Consider the following statements:

Assertion (A): The Civil rebellions began as British rule was established in Bengal and Bihar. From 1763-1856 there were more than forty major rebellions apart from hundreds of minor ones. Sanyasi rebellion was the first to rise up.
Reason (R): These almost continuous rebellions were massive in their totality but were wholly local in their spread and isolated from each other.

Select the correct answer from the code given below:

Correct option is D

The correct option is Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) does not explain (A).

Information Booster

Both the Assertion (A) and the Reason (R) are historically correct statements, but the Reason (R) does not serve as a direct explanation for the Assertion (A).

1. Assertion (A): The Civil rebellions began as British rule was established in Bengal and Bihar. From 1763-1856 there were more than forty major rebellions apart from hundreds of minor ones. Sanyasi rebellion was the first to rise up.
True. Civil rebellions against the East India Company's rule, driven by economic exploitation and the destruction of traditional socio-political orders, started almost immediately after the Battle of Plassey (1757) and the grant of the Diwani of Bengal and Bihar (1765). The Sanyasi Rebellion (c. 1763-1800) is widely regarded as the earliest and most notable of these uprisings. The period from 1763 to 1856 was indeed marked by continuous resistance.

2. Reason (R): These almost continuous rebellions were massive in their totality, but were wholly local in their spread and isolated from each other.
True. This describes the nature and limitation of the civil rebellions before 1857.
They were massive in totality (a large number of revolts across a vast period).
However, they were generally local in spread (e.g., the Kol Rebellion in a specific tribal area, the Poligar Rebellion in the South) and isolated from one another, lacking a centralized command or a common, all-India objective. This characteristic ultimately contributed to their failure.

3. Relationship between (A) and (R)
Assertion (A) describes the occurrence, timing, and scale (frequency) of the rebellions.
Reason (R) describes the organizational character and limitations (isolation/spread) of the rebellions.
The fact that the rebellions were local and isolated (R) does not explain why they began when British rule was established (A). The rebellions began (A) due to the introduction of oppressive British policies; they were local/isolated (R) due to poor communication, a lack of national consciousness, and decentralized leadership.

Therefore, both statements are correct historical facts, but R is not the cause of A.