The Acts that shaped British rule (1773 to 1947)
A chain of British Parliament laws, from 1773 to 1947, that step by step built the government India inherited.
What the paper can ask
- Regulating Act 1773: Governor of Bengal became Governor-General of Bengal (Warren Hastings first); Supreme Court at Fort William, Calcutta, in 1774 under Elijah Impey.
- Indian Councils Act 1909 (Morley-Minto): enlarged councils with elections through electoral colleges; Satyendra Sinha became the first Indian in the Viceroy's Executive Council.
- Government of India Act 1919 (Montagu-Chelmsford): a bicameral central legislature with a Legislative Assembly of 145 and a Council of State of 60; a ten-year review that led to the Simon Commission.
- Government of India Act 1935: provincial autonomy, an all-India federation that never came into being, Sindh and Orissa created, Burma separated; Nehru called it 'a machine with strong brakes but no engine'.
Why exams ask
Setters ask which Act introduced a feature (separate electorates, dyarchy, the Federal Court, Crown rule) or which Governor-General came first.
The full story
The British Parliament passed a series of Acts for India. The Regulating Act of 1773 first put the East India Company under parliamentary control, creating a Governor-General of Bengal and a Supreme Court at Calcutta. Pitt's India Act (1784) tightened Parliament's control over the Company's political affairs. The Charter Acts (1793 to 1853) renewed the Company's charter and slowly ended its trade monopoly.
Test yourself
1.Who became the first Governor-General of India after the Charter Act of 1833?
Correct. The Act turned the Governor-General of Bengal into Governor-General of India. Bentinck was the first.
Not quite. The Act turned the Governor-General of Bengal into Governor-General of India. Bentinck was the first. It goes into your error book.
2.Which Act first introduced separate electorates for Muslims in India?
Correct. The Morley-Minto reforms of 1909 granted separate Muslim electorates after demands from the Muslim League.
Not quite. The Morley-Minto reforms of 1909 granted separate Muslim electorates after demands from the Muslim League. It goes into your error book.
3.Which Act introduced dyarchy in the provinces, dividing subjects into reserved and transferred?
Correct. The Montagu-Chelmsford based Act of 1919 introduced dyarchy in the provinces.
Not quite. The Montagu-Chelmsford based Act of 1919 introduced dyarchy in the provinces. It goes into your error book.