Establishment of direct British Government in South Asia

 

After the end of Independence war 1887, Subcontinent came under the direct rule of British crown formally after the legislation of Government of Indian Act 1858. Through the land of subcontinent British tried to get control in Afghanistan, Burma and in other neighboring parts of South Asia. Indian Subcontinent was a strategic location for the British by means of economy, international politics or else. Thereby, to get a firmed position British crown appointed most powerful politicians as secretaries of Indian state. The British government in Indian consisted wholly of British officials. The council was headed by the viceroy and appointed members. After the Indian Council Act 1861 the executive council acted as a cabinet and also part of imperial legislative council. There were eleven provinces with its own governor and assisted by provincial legislative councils of appointed officials. A small number of Indian council members were merely appointed for consultative purposes.

Queen announced Victoria’s proclamation to deal social difference in Indian. This supported the native princes to keep their rule but according to the interest of British crown. Non-intervention in matters of religious beliefs was equally applied to avoid reoccurring of mutiny. The British were considering them the superior class thus they made a wall of difference between Indian and goras. In every discipline they portrayed Indian culture, literature, political structure by comparing Indian through rationalism, humanism and doctrine of progress. The mission behind this difference was to keep their identity as the superior class and strengthen the established British rule ruler by maintaining inferiority complex. They simply preached the superiority of western thoughts and tried to create inferiority complex. The British also gave a setback to Indian economy. Indian resources were exported to England through the trains. Thus when they left their economic, social and political exploitation in Indian listed the Indian Subcontinent as world’s poorest region that once counted as the richest parts of the world.   

 The British also tried to expand their rule to the nearby parts such as Afghanistan and Burma. They successfully invaded the upper part of Burma, yet couldn’t make the direct rule in Afghanistan however, compelled the Amir of Afghanistan to act as their puppet for their international politics. The Indian Council Act 1892 and 1909 gave the Indian Nationalists a major chance to participate both in imperial and provincial legislative council. The aggression of Indian Nationalist got its peak when the British in World War I decided to war against Germany on behalf of India without consulting with the locals. The war caused great human loss to India. After World War II when British got the enormous loss in the war the Indian Nationalists become successful in driving away the British rule from subcontinent. So did Burma and the other parts South Asia also got rid of the racialism rule of British.