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Governors-General and Viceroys of India along with MCQs

The content outlines the timeline and key actions of the Governors-General and Viceroys of India from 1773 to 1947. It details significant laws, wars, reforms, and social changes affecting Indian governance under British rule, along with multiple-choice questions for competitive exam preparation. The focus is on historical milestones and their impact.


Governors-General of India (1773-1858) – Under East India Company

1. Warren Hastings (1773-1785) – First Governor-General of Bengal

Regulating Act of 1773 – First law to control the East India Company.
Pitt’s India Act (1784) – Gave British government more control over India.
First Anglo-Maratha War (1775-1782) – Ended with the Treaty of Salbai.
Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780-1784) – Against Hyder Ali & Tipu Sultan.


2. Lord Cornwallis (1786-1793) – Introduced Permanent Settlement

Permanent Settlement of Bengal (1793) Zamindari system introduced.
Civil Service Reforms – Only Britishers could get high posts.
Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790-1792) – Defeated Tipu Sultan.


3. Lord Wellesley (1798-1805) – Expansionist Policies

Subsidiary Alliance System (1798) – Indian states forced to accept British protection.
Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799) – Defeated & killed Tipu Sultan.
Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803-1805) – Defeated Marathas.


4. Lord Hastings (1813-1823) – Defeated Marathas

Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817-1818) – Ended Peshwa rule.
Anglo-Nepalese War (1814-1816) – Led to Treaty of Sugauli.


5. Lord William Bentinck (1828-1835) – Social Reforms

Abolished Sati (1829) – With help of Raja Ram Mohan Roy.
Introduced English Education System (1835).
Suppressed Thuggee (criminal gangs).
Charter Act of 1833 – Ended East India Company’s commercial activities.


6. Lord Dalhousie (1848-1856) – Doctrine of Lapse & Modernization

Doctrine of Lapse Annexed Satara, Jhansi, and Nagpur.
First Railway Line (1853) – Mumbai to Thane.
Electric Telegraph (1853) & Postal Reforms (1854).
Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848-1849) – Punjab annexed.


7. Lord Canning (1856-1862) – First Viceroy of India

Governor-General during the Revolt of 1857.
Government of India Act (1858) – Ended Company rule, started British Crown rule.
Introduced Indian Penal Code (1860).
Established Universities in Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras (1857).


Viceroys of India (1858-1947) – Under British Crown

1. Lord Canning (1858-1862) – First Viceroy of India

Revolt of 1857 Suppression.
Indian Councils Act (1861) – Allowed Indians in the legislative process.


2. Lord Lytton (1876-1880) – Vernacular Press Act

Vernacular Press Act (1878) – Restricted Indian newspapers.
Delhi Durbar (1877) – Declared Queen Victoria as Empress of India.
Famine of 1876-78 – British failed to help.


3. Lord Ripon (1880-1884) – Father of Local Self-Government

Repealed Vernacular Press Act (1882).
Introduced Local Self-Government (1882).
First Factory Act (1881) – Limited working hours for women and children.


4. Lord Curzon (1899-1905) – Partition of Bengal

Partition of Bengal (1905) – To divide Hindus and Muslims.
Established Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).


5. Lord Minto (1905-1910) – Morley-Minto Reforms

Morley-Minto Reforms (1909) – Introduced separate electorates for Muslims.


6. Lord Hardinge (1910-1916) – Capital Shifted to Delhi

Delhi became the capital of India (1911).
Bihar and Orissa were separated from Bengal.


7. Lord Chelmsford (1916-1921) – Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms

Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (1919) – Gave limited self-rule to Indians.
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (1919) – General Dyer killed hundreds of peaceful protesters.

Rowlatt Act


8. Lord Irwin (1926-1931) – Gandhi-Irwin Pact

Simon Commission (1927) – No Indian members, led to protests.
Civil Disobedience Movement (1930).
Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931) – Ended Civil Disobedience Movement.


9. Lord Linlithgow (1936-1943) – Quit India Movement

Government of India Act (1935) – Gave limited Indian self-rule.
Quit India Movement (1942) – British suppressed it.
Second World War – India forced to participate.


10. Lord Mountbatten (1947) – Last Viceroy of India

Indian Independence Act (1947) – India & Pakistan became independent.
Partition of India (1947) – Led to mass violence and migrations.


Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs)

Governors-General of India (1773-1858)

  1. Who was the first Governor-General of Bengal?
    a) Lord Cornwallis
    b) Lord Dalhousie
    c) Warren Hastings
    d) Lord Canning
    Answer: c) Warren Hastings
  2. Which Governor-General introduced the Permanent Settlement of Bengal?
    a) Lord Wellesley
    b) Lord Cornwallis
    c) Lord Hastings
    d) Lord Dalhousie
    Answer: b) Lord Cornwallis
  3. Which Governor-General introduced the Doctrine of Lapse?
    a) Lord Dalhousie
    b) Lord Curzon
    c) Lord Lytton
    d) Lord Ripon
    Answer: a) Lord Dalhousie

Viceroys of India (1858-1947)

  1. Who was the first Viceroy of India?
    a) Lord Canning
    b) Lord Ripon
    c) Lord Curzon
    d) Lord Minto
    Answer: a) Lord Canning
  2. During whose tenure was the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (1919)?
    a) Lord Curzon
    b) Lord Chelmsford
    c) Lord Lytton
    d) Lord Mountbatten
    Answer: b) Lord Chelmsford
  3. Who was the last Viceroy of India?
    a) Lord Linlithgow
    b) Lord Mountbatten
    c) Lord Curzon
    d) Lord Hardinge
    Answer: b) Lord Mountbatten

This content covers key facts and MCQs for competitive exams like UPSC, SSC, and State PSCs. Let me know if you need further modifications or additions! 😊

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