VICEROYS OF INDIA
governor general of bengal notes
governor general of india notes
Lord Canning (1856-1862)
● Revolt of 1857.
● Universities of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras were opened in 1857.
● He was last Governor-General appointed by the East India Company and the first Viceroy.
● Passed the Government of India Act of 1858, which ended the rule of the East India Company.
● The Doctrine of Lapse was withdrawn. The Indian Penal Code (1859) was passed. Income tax was introduced for the first time in 1858.
● The Indigo riots in Bengal.
● The Indian Councils Act of 1861 was passed, which proved to be a landmark in the constitutional history of India.
● Indian High Court Act, (1861). Under this act, High Courts were opened in 1865.
● Bombay and Madras founded in 1857.
● Wahabi Movement suppressed.
Sir John Lawrence 1864-69
● High Courts were established at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras in 1865. War with Bhutan in 1865.
Telegraphic communication was opened in Europe.
created the Indian forest department.
Lord Mayo (1869-72)
● Introduction of financial decentralisation in India and made the first Provincial Settlement in 1870.
● He established the Department of Agriculture and Commerce.
● He organised the Statistical Survey of India. In 1872, the first Census was done in India. He established the Rajkot College in Kathiawar and Mayo College at Ajmer for indian princes.
● He was the only Viceroy to be murdered in office by a convict in the Andaman in 1872.
● He introduced state railways.
Lord Northbrook (1872-76)
● In 1872, Kuka Rebellion in Punjab led by Ram Singh. Famine in Bihar (1876).
● He resigned over Afghanistan question.
Lord Lytton (1876-80)
● Most unpopular Viceroy of India. (viceroy of reverse character)
● Arranged the Grand Darbar in Delhi (in 1877), when the country was suffering from severe famine.
● Passed the Royal Title Act, (1876) and Queen Victoria was declared as Kaiser-i-Hind.
● He passed Arms Act, (1878) the infamous Vernacular Press Act, (1878) and lowered the maximum age of ICS from 21 to 19 years.
● Second Anglo-Afgan War 1878-80.
● Famine Commission under Starchy was appointed by him in 1878.
● In 1876, Deccan Agrarian Relief Act was passed.
Lord Ripon (1880-1884)
He was appointed by the Liberal Party under Gladstone.
Repealed the Vernacular Press Act in 1882.
The first Factory Act, came in 1881 (Improve the labour condition). In rural areas, Local Boards were set-up in 1889, Madras Local Board Act, was passed. He was famously known as “Father of Local Self Government”.
● First Official Census in India (1881).
● Famine code was adopted (1883).
● Appointed Hunter Commission for Educational reforms in 1882.
● Ilbert Bill Controversy (1883-84), which empowered Indian Judges to inquire into European cases.
● Foundation of Punjab University.
Lord Dufferin (1884-88)
● Third Anglo-Burmese War and annexation of Burma (1885).
● Formation of Indian National Congress (INC) in 1885.
● Bengal Tenacy Act, in 1885.
● Dufferin called the Indian National Congress as ‘microscopic minority’.
Lord Lansdowne (1888-94)
● Factory Act, of 1891.
● Indian Council Act, of 1892.
● Civil Services were classified- Imperial, Provincial and Subordinate services.
● In 1891, Age of Consent Act, under which marriage of girl below 12 years was prohibited.
● Appointment of Durand Commission in 1893 to define the line between British India and Afghanistan.
Lord Elgin II (1894-1899)
● The Santhal uprising of 1899.
● Munda uprising of 1899.
● Great famine of 1896 -97. Lyall Commission appointed after famine.
● Assassination of two British officials by the Chapekar brothers in 1897.
● Plague spread in Bombay.
Lord Curzon (1899-1905)
● Appointed a Police Commission in 1902 under Andrew Frazer.
● Universities Commission appointed in 1902, under Thomas Railey.
● Indian Universities Act, passed in 1904.
● Famine Commission under Macdonell.
● A new Department of Commerce and Industry established.
● Partition of Bengal (16th October, 1905). cardinal blunder of curzon.
● The risings of the frontier tribes in 1897-98 led him to create the North-Western Frontier Province.
● He passed the Ancient Monuments Protection Act, (1904) to restore India’s cultural heritage. Thus, the Archaeological Survey of India was established.
● Passed the Indian Coinage and Paper Currency Act, (1899) and put India on a gold standard.
● PUSA Agricultural Institute in 1903.
Lord Minto-II (1910-1910)
● Swadeshi Movement.
● Surat split (split in Congress between the moderates and the extremists, 1907).
● Indian Councils Act, 1909 and Morley-Minto Reforms.
● Foundation of Muslim League, 1906.
● Newspapers Act, 1908.
Lord Hardinge-II (1910-1916)
● Annulment of the Partition of Bengal in 1911.
● Bomb was thrown at Hardinge near Chandni Chowk, but escaped unhurt.
● Transfer of capital from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911.
● Darbar in Delhi and Coronation of George V in 1911.
● In 1912, Bihar and Orissa separated from Bengal and, became a new state.
● Establishment of Hindu Mahasabha by Madan Mohan Malviya (1915).
● Gandhiji came back to India from South Africa (1915).
Lord Chelmsford (1916-21)
● Government of India Act, 1919 also known as Montague-Chelmsford Reforms.
● Repressive Rowlatt Act, (1919).
● Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (13th April, 1919).
● Home Rule Movement both by Tilak and Annie Beasant.
● Saddler Commission on Education in 1917.
● Appointment of Hunter Commission to look into Jallianwala Bagh Tragedy.
● Chambers of Prince, 1921, established.
● Non Co-operation Movement Started, Khilafat movement initiated.
● An Indian Sir SP Sinha was appointed as the Governor of Bengal.
● Death of Tilak (1920).
Lord Reading (1921-1926)
● Rowlatt Act was repealed along with Press Act of 1910.
● Holding of simultaneous examination for the ICS in England and India from 1923. Prince of Wales visited India in November, 1921.
● Moplah Rebellion (1921) took place in Kerala.
● Chauri-Chaura incident and withdrawal of Non-Coperation Movement.
● Formation of Swaraj Party by CR Das and Motilal Nehru (1923).
● Communist Party of India founded by MN Roy (1925).
● Kakori Train Conspiracy (1925).
● Vishwabharati University (1922).
● Lee Commission (1924) for public services. Young Hilton Committee for currency notes (1926).
● Royal Commission on agriculture.
● RSS founded in 1925.
● Murder of Swami Shraddhanand.
Lord Irwin (1926-1931)
● Simon Commission visited India in 1928. Buttler Commission in 1927.
● Deepawali declaration by Lord Irwin (1929).
● All India Youth Congress, 1928.
● Nehru Report, 1928.
● Lahore Session of the Congress, (1929) and Poorna Swaraj declaration.
● First Round Table Conference 1930, Congress boycotted it.
● Civil Disobedience Movement, 1930 started with.
● Dandi March (12th March, 1930).
● Gandhi-Irwin Pact, 5th March, 1931.
● Sharda Act, 1929, under which marriageable age of girls (14 years) and boys (18 years) was raised.
● Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhash Chandra Bose founded Independence of India League.
Lord Wellington (1931-1936)
● Second and Third Round Table Conferences.
● Communal Award by Mcdonald (British PM). Government of India Act, 1935.
● Poona Pact was signed.
● During his period Orissa was separated from Bihar (1936) and a new province Sind was created (1936), Burma separated from India as well in 1935.
● All India Kisan Sabha, 1936.
● Foundation of Congress Socialist Party, 1934.
Lord Linlithgow (1936-43)
● First General Election (1936-37) Congress Ministries.
● SC Bose president of 51st INC (1938).
● Forward Bloc founded in 1939.
● Deliverance day by Muslim League 1939.
● Lahore Resolution of Muslim League (1940) demand of Pakistan.
● August Offer, 1940.
● ‘‘Divide & Quit’’ at the Karachi Session (1940). Passing of Quit India resolution (1942).
● In Haripura Session (1939) of Congress, declared Complete Independence.
● Cripps Mission, 1942.
● Quit India Movement, 1942.
● In 1943, Muslim League celebrated ‘Pakistan day’.
Lord Wavell (1943-47)
● CR Formula (Rajaji Formula), 1944.
● Wavell Plan and Shimla Conference, 1945.
● Cabinet Mission came to India in May, 1946. The Congress and the Muslim league both rejected its proposals.
● Muslim League celebrated 16th August, 1946 as ‘Direct Action Day’.
● INA trials and the Naval Mutiny, 1946.
Lord Mountbatten (March to August, 1947)
● June third plan.
● Last British Viceroy of British India.
● First Governor-General of free India.
● Boundary commissions under Radcliffe.
● Introduction of Indian Independence Bill in the House of Commons.
C Rajagopalachari Last Governor-General of India.
● The only Indian Governor-General to remain in office from 21st June, 1948 to 25th January, 1950.
