In most cases Europeans ruled their colonies with the help of, and sometimes completely through, intermediaries and collaborators.MEME IT For example, in the 1890s in India, there were fewer than 1000 British administrators supposedly “ruling” over 300 million Indians. The vast majority of British troops at any given time in India—MEME IT
more than two thirds— were in fact Indians under the command of British officers. Because of their small numbers relative to local populations, most European colonizersT resorted to indirect rule, relying on the governments that were already there but exerting control over their leaders. Frederick Lugard, who was Britain’s head honcho in Nigeria for a time, called thisM“rule through and by the natives.”MEME IT This worked particularly well with British administrators, who were primarily middle class men but had aristocratic pretensions and were often pleased to associate with the highest echelons of Indian or African society. Now, this isn’t to say that indigenous rulers were simply puppets; often they retained real power. This was certainly true in India, where more than a third of the territory was ruled by Indian princes.MEME IT The French protectorates of Morocco and Tunisia were ruled by Arab monarchs, and the French also ruled through native kings in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. For the most part Europeans could almost always rely on their superior military technology to coerce local rulers into doing what the Europeans wanted and they could replace nativeMEME IT officials with Europeans if they had to, but in general they preferred to rule indirectly.MEME IT
It was easier and cheaper. Also, less malaria. Thanks, Thought Bubble.ME So, while we can’t know why all native princes who ruled in the context of European imperialism put up with it, we can make some pretty good guesses.MEME IT
First of all, they were still rulers: They got to keep their prestige and their fancy hats and to some extent their power. Many were also able to gain advantages through their service, like access to European education for themselves and for their children. Mahatma Gandhi, for instance,MEME IT was the son of an Indian high official, which made it possible for him to study law in England. And we can’t overlook the sheer practicality of it –M
the alternative was to resist and that usually didn’t work out well.MEME IT I’m reminded of the famous couplet: “Whatever happens, we have got / the Maxim gun and they have not.”M But even with this enormous technological advantage, it wasn’t always easy.MEME IT
For example, it took 25 years, from 1845 to 1870,MEME IT for the British to fully defeat the Maori on New Zealand, [No John! Think Sister, Sister twins!] because the Maori were kick-ass fighters [and tattooists]MEME IT who had mastered musketry and defensive warfare. And I will remind you, it is not cursing if you’re talking about donkeys.M In fact,MEME IT
it took them being outnumbered three to one with the arrival ofMEME IT 750,000 settlers for the Maori to finally capitulate.