Lord Curzon was the viceroy of India from 1899-1905. This was | Mains

Lord Curzon was the viceroy of India from 1899-1905. This was the formative phase of Indian National Movement. Lord Curzon with his policies tried to suffocate the INM in its early stage itself:

Reactionary policies of Lord Curzon:

1. Calcutta Corporation Act, 1899: reduced the no. of elected representatives, thus depriving Indians of self-governance.

2. Indian Universities Act,1904: to increase official control over universities and to keep a check on increasing nationalism.

3. Partition of Bengal: It was a political masterstroke to break the growing nationalism by dividing Bengal on the basis of religion and language.

Instead these policies proved disastrous for the British as the imperialistic policies sparked political reactions in India. A strong feeling of nationalism began to take birth during this period.

After the partition of Bengal in 1906, India‟s first mass movement took place in the form of the Swadeshi Movement. It intesified the nationalistic feelings in the whole of India and marked the beginning of the modern politics.

The social base of the movement widened with the masses including the women and students were brought into the movement‟s ambit.

Lord Curzon‟s reactionary policies stirred the Indian consciousness and provided an impetus to Nationalism. Thus, when leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Mahatma Gandhi emerged on the scene, people readily followed them.

Thus, Curzon‟s policies help kickstart the movement at a higher pace. The course and speed of the National movement would not have been the same if the Curzon‟s policies would not have been so imperialistic and reactionary.