Question

Examine the domestic reforms and foreign policy of lord Curzon.

Answer 1

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➡️Repressive policies of Lord Curzon were:- He passed the Act of 1898 which made it an offence to provoke people against the British. He passes the Calcutta Corporation Act in 1899 which reduced the strength of elected members from India giving the British majority.

➡️Foreign Policy of Curzon:- The foreign policy of Curzon was primarily intended to safeguard the British supremacy in India. The need for suitable land frontiers had always been a keen subject for the British, colonized in India.

Answer 2

Answer:

The need for suitable land frontiers had always been a keen subject for the British, colonized in India. To hold the administrative as well as the political control of India, the British viceroys from the very beginning tried to strengthen the land frontiers. Hence all of them maintained a regular foreign policy in order to build up a strong frontier. Lord Curzon being a shrewd diplomat gave to the problems of frontier a scientific basis and developed a strong British Empire in India.

Explanation:

Britain's special interest in the Persian Gulf began long before in the 17th century when Britain conquered some important stations of the area and the adjoining regions. British established their colony in those regions. The British Residents in the Gulf acted as the arbitrary dictators and always with strife with the chiefs of the Arabian coasts. Later the British navy suppressed the revolt of the Arabian chiefs and established peace. Though initially Britain did not aim for any colonial empire in the Gulf, she would not tolerate the territorial interest of any other power in the Persian Gulf. In the last quarter of the 19th century the European powers were competing in the race of establishing colonies. Right at that moment Russia was trying to move southward to establish a port in the Persian Gulf. Germany was planning to extend her Berlin Baghdad railway project to the gulf. Moreover Turkey was trying to re-install her suzerainty over Kuwait. In due course France expressed its resentment against the increasing claims of England over Persian Gulf and tried to put an end to it. But England thwarted the attempts of Russia, Germany and Turkey to gain a favorable position in the Gulf. After visiting to the Persian Gulf, in 1903 Curzon declared that to let Russia to establish a port in this region was to damage the status quo of great Britain. Curzon also thwarted the Russian intrigues in the Perso-Afghan dispute about Seistan. According to the old treaty of 1857, both Persia and Afghanistan had agreed to settle their differences through the good offices of the British government. Hence on the strength of that treaty, Curzon dispatched in 1902 Sir Henry MacMahon to arbitrate in the satisfaction of both the parties. Thus Curzon subdued the growth of any power that could challenge the British supremacy in Persian Gulf.