Basically, the revolts were collisions between the Meiji Government that hoped to impose a uniform ratio of integrated land-tax on peasants at a level as high as, or even higher than, the conventional one, and peasants that hoped to preserve the surplus products in order to maintain and improve their standards of living.
基本的には「全国画一」の地租への統合を従来通りあるいはそれ以上の水準で農民に賦課しようとする明治政府と生活の維持・改善のために生産余剰の確保を求める農民側との対立ということになる。