| 1828 | Lord
William Bentick becomes Governor General. |
| 1829 | Prohibition
of Sati. |
| 1831 | Rise
of the Sikhs under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. |
| 1837 | Suppression
of Thugs. |
| 1839 | Maharaja
Ranjit Singh dies. |
| 1845-46 | First
Anglo-Sikh wars. Sikhs defeated. |
| 1848 | Lord
Dalhousie becomes Governor General. |
| 1848-49 | Second
Anglo-Sikh War. Sikhs defeated in battle (1848). The British annex Punjab. |
| 1853 | First
Indian Railway commences service between Bombay and Thane. Telegraph
introduced in India. |
| 1857-58 | First
War of Indian Independence. |
| 1858 | British
Crown takes over the Indian Government through Queen Victoria's
proclamation. |
| 1861 | Indian
Councils act, Indian High Courts act and Indian Penal Code (IPC) introduced. |
| 1868 | Railway
opened from Ambala to Delhi. |
| 1877 | Delhi
Durbar organized to proclaim Queen Victoria as the Empress of India. Bengal
hit by its worst ever famine. |
| 1878 | Discriminative
Vernacular Press act promulgted. |
| 1881 | Factory
Act. Rendition of Mysore, Mysore restored to its original Wadiyar rulers. |
| 1885 | Indian
National Congress formed. |
| 1892 | Indian
Council Act to regulate Indian administration. |
| 1899 | Lord
Curzon becomes Governor General and Viceroy. |
| 1905 | First
Partition of Bengal. |
| 1906 | Formation
of the Muslim League. |
| 1908 | Newspaper
Act promulgated. |
| 1909 | Minto-Morley
reforms. |
| 1911 | King
George V and Queen Mary hold Durbar in Delhi. Partition of Bengal notified
to create the Presidency of Bengal. The imperial capital shifted from
Calcutta to Delhi. Bomb thrown at Lord Hardinge. |
| 1914 | The
First World War begins. |
| 1915 | Defence
of India Act promulgated. |
| 1918 | First
World War ends. |
| 1919 | Rowlatt
Act intended to perpetuate the extraordinary powers enjoyed by the
Government during the war provokes country-wide protests. Massacre at
Jalianwala Bagh. Ali Brothers and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad start the Khilafat
movement (for restoring Turkish Khalifate) with Gandhiji's support.
Montague-Chelmsford Reforms offer limited provincial autonomy to
Indians. |
| 1920 | Congress
okays non-cooperation movement. Tilak passes away. Students leave colleges,
lawyers leave practice. Bonfire of British clothes, etc. to show popular
dissatisfaction with the reforms. |
| 1921 | Moplah
rebellion in Malabar. Visit of the Prince of Wales. Census of India. |
| 1922 | Civil
disobedience movement. Congress makes Gandhiji sole leader of Bardoli
satyagrah. Outburst of violence in Chauri-Chaura leading to suspension of
movement by Gandhiji. |
| 1923 | Swarajya
Party started by C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru. Swarajists propose to enter the
councils and wreck the government from within. Khilafat movement fizzles out
as Kemal Pasha declares Turkey a secular state. Hindu-Muslim riots. |
| 1925 | Death
of C.R. Das. |
| 1926 | Lord
Reading expounds to the Nizam what paramountcy implies. Royal Commission on
Agriculture. Factories Act. |
| 1927 | Indian
Navy Act. Simon Commission appointed. |
| 1928 | Simon
Commission comes to India. Boycott by all parties. Lala Lajpat Rai dies
after being hit by police officer Saunders during an anti-Simon rally. All
parties conference. Muslim leaders leave the conference. |
| 1929 | Lord
Irwin, Viceroy of India, promises dominion status for India. Lahore session
of the Congress asks for independence. On the midnight of Dec. 31,
Jawaharlal Nehru hoists National Flag at Lahore. |
| 1930 | January
26 observed as Independence day all over India. Civil Disobedience Movement
continues. Gandhiji goes walking to Dandi Salt Satyagraha. Repression let
loose by the government. First Round Table conference. |
| 1931 | Gandhi-Irwin
Pact. Second Round Table Conference. Census of India. |
| 1932 | Suppression
of Congress movement. Third Round Table Conference. The Communal Award.
Poona Pact. |
| 1933 | White
paper on Indian reforms. |
| 1934 | Civil
Disobedience Movement called off. |
| 1935 | Government
of India Act. |
| 1936 | Death
of King George V. Accession and abdication of Edward VIII. Accession of
George VI. |
| 1937 | Inauguration
of Provincial autonomy. Congress ministries formed in a majority of
provinces. |
| 1938 | Resignation
of Congress Ministries. Political deadlock in India. Subhash becomes the
President of Congress. |
| 1939 | Begining
of Second World War. Crisis between Gandhi and Subhash in Tripuri. Subhash
splits Congress and forms Forward Bloc. |
| 1941 | Japan
enters the War. Attack on Pearl Harbour. Subhash escapes from prison and
reaches Germany. |
| 1942 | Singapore
falls to Japan. Japan occupies Rangoon. The British evacuate Burma. Cripps
mission to India. Both Congress and League refuses Cripps offer. Congress
adopts Quit India resolution on Aug 8. Congress leaders arrested &
Congress declared illegal (Aug 9). INA formed. Subhash takes charge of INA.
He inaugurates the Government of Free India at Singapore. |
| 1943 | Bengal
faces famine. Lord Wavell becomes the Governor General of India. Wavell's
proposals for a settlement fall through as the Congress and the Muslim
League could not agree. |
| 1945 | As
Atom Bomb is dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki Subhash's INA is forced to
surrender to the British. Subhash mysteriously disappears in a plane crash.
INA men are tried for treason. |
| 1946 | Demonetisation
of currency notes of the value of Rs. 500 and above (Jan. 12). Popular
unrest spreads against the trial of the INA men. The ratings of the Royal
Indian Navy rise in open revolt (Feb. 18). Cabinet Mission in India (Aug.
19). Cabinet Mission announces its plan for an interim government and a
constituent assembly. Both Congress and Muslim League reject the proposals.
Later Congress accepts and forms the interim Government. Muslim League gives
call for direct action. Muslims attack Hindus in various parts of the
country. Hindus retaliate carnage of Muslims in Calcutta, Bihar and
Garhmukteshwar. Hindus butchered in Noakhali and Punjab. Muslim League
offered to join Constituent Assembly, declines unless Pakistan is
created. |
| 1947 | Lord
Mountbatted takes charge of the ruins of British India. India partitioned
into two parts. India attains independence (Aug. 15). |
