When Eric Stokes, the foremost British historian of India of his generation, died in 1981, he left behind in this work a substantial part of what would have been his definitive statement on the social origins of the Indian Mutiny-rebellion of 1857. This book provides an in-depth analysis of the roots of the rebellion and the various rural groups that participated in the revolt against the English. Stokes also presents a vigorous account of the course of the Mutiny, which illuminates the reason for the British victory and the failure of the mutineers to consolidate their revolt.