The British Empire in India
Introduction
The British Empire in India began organizing at the end of the 18th century. On August 2, 1858, after the rebellion of India or Motor of the Cipayos, the United Kingdom Parliament approved the Government of India Act. This was the beginning of the period known as British RAJ or direct government of India that lasted from 1858 to 1947. With the Government of India Act, the government of the British Company of the Oriental Indies was sought to liquidate that, as a sponsorship of the British Parliament itself, British India ruled. With this law, government functions were transferred directly to the crown.
Developing
This part of the British Empire in India included the territories that today belong to: Republic of India, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Popular Republic of Bangladesh and Burma. In this article we will present some of the characteristics of the organization of that British Empire in India. British colonization in the region began in 1780. From that moment on, two differentiated domination systems were established: one direct and one indirect. The live was exercised over the most populous area and consisted of a direct British form of British government. The territories where this form of government were exercised were called ‘the provinces’.
At the beginning of the 20th century there were eight major provinces administered by a governor or lieutenant governor. There were also five minor provinces governed by a chief commissioner. The other system of domination consisted of an indirect type of government through the Hindu princes. These were the so -called princely states. These were more than 500 and were very unequal to each other, both territorially and wealth. This system was established when the Hindu Prince or Prince recognized the preeminence of the British. When this happened, the British left the prince in power as a collaborator of the British government.
In this way, the princely state became a protectorate where the prince would rule the territory, but the British would be in charge of defense and foreign relations. Imperial organization in India. After the rebellion of India, with the Government of India Act, the way in which the territory should be governed was modified. At this time it would be structured at three levels. An imperial government in London, a central government in Calcutta and presidencies in local governments. In this way, in London a State Secretariat was created that was responsible for instructions to the Central Government of Calcutta.
On the other hand, advice was also formed to whom all policies that wanted to be implemented in India should be consulted. Through this double government system, it was intended, by adviceing the council, to soften excesses in imperial policy. In reality, this had no effect, since the Secretariat had abilities to make decisions unilaterally. From Calcutta, the general governor, also known as the viceroy, assumed the administration of the territory. This was assisted by an Executive Council and another legislative. Below the central government were the provincial governors and district officers.
These charges were directly designated by the viceroy. At the moment when the domain of India passed directly to the British crown, London respected the treaties that already existed with the previous local princes of the rebellion. Thus, 40% of the territory remained under that indirect government headed by leaders of different ethnicities and religions (Islamic, Hindues, Sikh, etc.). Effects of colonization in Indian social organization. Below the senior officials and local princes, a bureaucratic system was formed whose positions were occupied by local population.
With security, police and army forces, the same thing happened. The troops were formed by native population and the official was British. Indigenous elites occupied the positions of local officials. On them, the British, undertook a ‘civilizing’ mission. This mission was nourished by Western colonialist discourse based on races differences, where the upper races had to educate and ‘civilize’ to the lower ones. In this way, various projects were undertaken that had the purpose of educating local elites in the values and customs of Western society.
This educational policy of the elites was the condemnation of the British empire in India, since the members of these elites, educated in Europe, the leaders of Independence emerged. These subjects lived a paradox, since, on the one hand they were members of the elite and received their own training of this. But, at the same time, they experienced the subordination of the colonial order. Therefore, despite being part of the elites they would always be considered second -class citizens. Below these elites a new urban middle class emerged. This was very small, however, he assumed a central role in generating changes in the colonial order.
conclusion
They assumed the reality of their technological backwardness against the English, but, they never considered that their culture was lower than the western. On the contrary, they considered that it was superior to that of the British. British domination was forming a more complex social plot, the modes of production and economic relations were upset. This helped to be brewing a Hindu nationalism that denounced the bleeding that the British colonial regime in India was producing.
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