History During British Rule:
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The British territories in the hill came under British Crown after Queen Victoria’s proclamation of 1858.
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The states of Chamba, Mandi and Bilaspur made good progress in many fields during British rule.
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During the first World War (1914-18), virtually all rulers of the hill states remained loyal and contributed to the British war effort both in the form of men and materials.
History During Post-Independence Period: The history of present day Himachal Pradesh in the post-independence era has been outlined below:
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The Chief Commissioner’s province of H.P. came into being on 15th April, 1948.
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H.P. became a part C state (under Part VII) on 26th January, 1950 with the implementation of the Constitution of India.
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Bilaspur was merged with Himachal Pradesh on 1st July, 1954.
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After recommendation of the State Reorganisation Commission, Himachal Pradesh became Union Territory on 1st November, 1956.
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Kangra and most of the other hill areas of Punjab were merged with H.P. on 1st November, 1966 though its status remained that of a Union Territory.
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On 18th December, 1970 the State of Himachal Pradesh Act was passed by Parliament and the new state came into being on 25th January, 1971. Thus H.P. emerged as the eighteenth state of the Indian Union.
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Himachal Pradesh has come a long way since then. It has seen a number of full-fledged governments which have led the state towards economic self-reliance.