Question

State any two repressive policies of Lord Curzon.

Answer 1

Hint: Lord Curzon became the youngest Viceroy of India. He has been accused of being a racist and spoke highly of the civilising mission of Britain which was also propaganda towards the Indians.

Complete answer:
Lord Curzon was known for the Partition of Bengal. It comprises present-day West Bengal, Bihar, parts of Chattisgarh, Orissa and Assam and Bangladesh today. Repressive policies of Lord Curzon include:
1. Official secrets act 1904 in which he suppressed and opposed the freedom of the Press.
2. The Calcutta Corporation Act 1889 in which he reduced the number of Indians in the Municipal Corporation.
Lord Curzon was a great imperialist and a ruthless leader. He looked down upon Indians and considered them to be useless and primitive. He described the Bengalis as cowards, windbags and unnecessary talkers. He was so arrogant and despised the Indians that he refused to meet the President of the Indian National Congress. The partition of Bengal created by Lord Curzon provoked great resentment among the people. British goods were boycotted, Marches were led by Rabindranath Tagore and he composed the song ‘Amar sonar Bangla’ which is now the National Anthem of Bangladesh. There were anti-British demonstrations and the message of patriotism spread.

Note: The Partition of Bengal was annulled in 1911 by Lord Hardinge due to massive mass protests against the British. Lord Curzon is a very unpopular and hated person in India history because of his oppressive measures and his attempts to tie India permanently to the British Raj.