Whether or Not Lord Curzon Was a Successful Viceroy of India and Whether or Not He Had an Impact on Strengthening British Control over India

694 Words3 Pages
In this essay I will discuss whether or not Lord Curzon was a successful viceroy of India and whether or not he had an impact on strengthening British control over India. I believe that Lord Curzon had a very significant effect on India during his time as viceroy, so much so that the effects of his policies are still visible in India today. One of the changes I believe to of had such lasting effect on India was the frontier policy, one of Curzon’s first policies as viceroy. By pulling British forces out of areas that were not fully governed by the British, Lord Curzon managed to create something similar to a power vacuum. This left the tribes in the areas suddenly changing their view of British colonists from that of oppressors to peacekeepers. At first the British had come into the tribes land and simply said it was theirs, offering them nothing in return. However they did bring stability and unity to the once rival tribes. The British did two things, they united the tribes through a dislike or distrust of the colonists, but they also protected the tribes; be it from each other or western powers. Lord Curzon also helped improved the development of India, helping add around 6000 miles of railway to India’s network, and settling up a railway board. Although it doesn’t seem all that important these new lines meant that it became even easier for Indian goods to be delivered to the west. To the people in British ruled areas of India this would have shown them that they could also benefit from British rule, all of this again helped to try and sway the view and opinion of the Indian people that the British were not oppressors, but instead protectors. Lord Curzon also took great care in addressing the poor state and inefficiency of the Indian civil service. He personally took control and remodelled the way the civil services worked to deliver good governance.

More about Whether or Not Lord Curzon Was a Successful Viceroy of India and Whether or Not He Had an Impact on Strengthening British Control over India

Open Document