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Administrative Changes after 1858

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  1. Prevailing condition
    1. 1857 revolt major jolt
    2. Br invested lot in Indian for railways
    3. IR in Br, USA, Japan and Europe increased competition
    4. Renewed resurgence of Imperial ideology and which was reflected in reactionary policies of Lytton, Dufferin, Lansdowne, Elgin and Curzon
  2. Administration
    1. Act of 1858 - Transferred the power to govern from EIC to Br Crown
    2. Powers of DOC and BOC went to Secy.(MP) of State of India aided by council
    3. GG became Viceroy or Crown's personal rep
    4. Since the power centre moved from Vice to Secy, policies were influenced by Br Industrialist, merchants and bankers, thereby making it more reactionary than before
    5. GG with Exe council of members. Majority decides by vice can veto
    6. Indian councils act of 1861 enlarged the GG council to make laws and called it as Imperial Legislative council(but no control over exe)
    7. GG can add 6-12 non-officials(English or Indian) to his exe council
    8.  ILC just gave appearance that laws are passed by them but actually they cannot pass any law without vice approval
  3. Provincial Administration
    1. India into presidencies - Bengal, Madras, Bombay were know as Presidencies.
    2. Presidencies were administered by Governor and 3 member exe council(crown appointee).
    3. Presidencies enjoyed more powers than provinces
    4. Provinces were administered by Lt.Gov and Chief commissioners appointed by the GG.
    5. Till 1833 centralisation(control of purse) peaked and realised centralisation is not efficient for huge India
    6. So Lord Mayo separated finance of centre and province 1870 by giving fixed sum to admins
    7. Lord Lytton further enlarged it in 1877 by transferring more expenditure heads like land revenue, excise, L&O, general administration
    8. 1882 - Instead of grands provinces got entire source of income from certain sources and fixed share from others
    9. Decentralisation is to lower admin expenses and increase revenue and overall province worked under centre which was under secy who was under Br govt
  4. Local bodies
    1. Financial difficulties led to formation of local bodies.
    2. Need felt to transplant European advances such as economy, sanitation, education and other civic amenities.
    3. For this funding was necessary so transferred these subjects to local bodies and local taxes also
    4. Local bodies first formed in 1864-1868 consisting of nominated members and presided over Dist magistrate.
    5. In 1882 lord Ripon allowed elected(limited franchise) non-officials. They also became chairmen but not president
    6. Except calcutta, madras, Bombay local bodies functioned like departments only  
  5. Changes in the Army
    1. Proportion of Europeans in army increased - 1:2 in Bengal, 2:5 in Bombay and Madras
    2. European troops in key geographical and military positions.
    3. Domination of European branch over Indian branch ensured
    4. Crucial branches like artillery , armoured corps, tanks were exclusively kept with European hands
    5. Older policy of excluding Indians from officers ranks continued - till 1914 no Indian above subedar
    6. Organisation of indian army is based on 'balance and counterpoise' or 'divide and rule'.
    7. Discrimination in recruitment on basis of caste, region and religion and communalism encouraged
    8. Fiction created - martial(punjabis, gurkhas, pathans) - helped Br and non-martial class(awad, bihar, central india and south India) participated in 1857 revolt
    9. 1875 - 1/2 army from punjab
    10. Army isolated from nationalist ideas by preventing newspaper, journals reaching them
    11. Army used for
      1. Defending India from other colonialist
      2. Expanding Br colonialism in asia and africa
      3. Br branch served as army of occupation
      4. So 52% of total revenue spent on Army
  6. Public services
    1. Initially Indians were barred.
    2. Through open exam in London - only english, classical greek and latin
    3. 1863 - 1st indian satyendranath tagore bro of rabindranath tagore cleared it
    4. Max age - 23 in 1859 to 19 in 1878
    5. All high posts reserved for br
    6. After 1918 Indianisation of civil service didn't serve Indian interest
  7. Relations with the princely states
    1. Princely states helped Br suppress revolt
    2. So Lord canning - Back waters in the storm
    3. Princely states rewarded by abandoning annexation and allowed right to adopt heirs
    4. But Br resident in court
    5. Now complete subordination of princely states under Br authorities
    6. 1876 - Queen Victoria took title Empress of India
    7. Br claimed the right to supervise internal affairs, even dismissed princes
      1. at times to provide modern administration to these provinces to integrate these provinces completely
      2. Popular democratic and nationalist movements within the province
    8. Br suppressed many internal revolt as well as checked serious administrative abuses.
  8. Administrative Policies
    1. Divide and Rule was given more emphasise - race,religion,region,caste...etc
      1. 1857 hindu muslim unity was broken by suppression of muslims and making hindus their favourite  
      2. After 1870 this policy was reversed by offering government services to muslims
    2. Hostility to educated indians
      1. Though they didn't participate in revolt they later questioned imperialist character of Br using their recently acquired modern knowledge
      2. They later organised nationalist movement and started Indian National Congress in 1885
      3. So officials tool active steps to curtail higher education
    3. Attitude towards zamindars
      1. Friendship with zamindars, landlords and princes to use them as dam against nationalist movement
      2. Placated through restoring land back
      3. They were hailed as natural leaders of Indian people
    4. Attitude towards social reforms
      1. Br sided with conservative and orthodoxy as they believed sati abolition and widow remarriage caused revolt
      2. They actively encouraged communalism
    5. Extreme backwardness of social services
      1. Education, healthcare, sanitation, water supply, roads, irrigation were all neglected as the most of the revenue was spent on army
    6. Labour legislation
      1. 12-16 hrs a day and no weekly off
      2. Rs.4-Rs.20 per month wages
      3. Even though Br was pro-capitalist Br manufacturers put pressure on govt to regulate labour as cheap labour could give them competition
      4. 1st Indian Factory act - 1881 - dealt primarily with the problem of child labour - 7-12 yr old won't work for more that 9 hrs a day and 4 holiday in a month and proper fencing of dangerous machinery
      5.  2nd indian factory act - 1891 - weekend off for all workers - women 11hrs and children 7 hrs
      6. Neither of the act applied to Br owned tea and coffee plantation - e.g assam is thinly populated so labour from outside was force recruited and kept them as virtual slaves
    7. Restriction on the press
      1. Br introduced it
      2. Educated saw the potential and used it for arousing nationalism
      3. 1835 - Charles Metcalfe removed restriction so educated Indians supported Br.
      4. 1878 - Vernacular press act - people protested so act repealed in 1882
      5. For 25 yrs press enjoyed freedom until Swadeshi and boycott movement
      6. 1908 and 1910 press curtailed
  1. RACIAL ANTAGONISM
    1. Doctrine of racial superiority
    2. Maintained social distance to preserve authority
    3. Many European only geographical locations
  1. FOREIGN POLICY
    1.  Br dictated foreign policy is based on 3 interests
      1. To protect invaluable Indian possession
      2. Expand commerce in Asia and Africa
      3. To keep other imperialist nations out
    2. To achieve this Br waged many wars with its neighbours
    3. 1814 Nepal war
      1. Nepal lost
      2. Accepted br resident
      3. Ceded Garhwal and Kumaon
      4. Abandoned the claim over Tarai
      5. Withdrew from Sikkim
      6. Lost Hill station like shimla, Mussoorie and nainital
      7. Gurkhas joined in large number
    4. Conquest of burma
      1. 3 successive war
      2. Br merchants had interest in Burmese natural resources
      3. Br also want to check French interest in Burma
      4. King Alaungpaya - 1752-1760 conquered arakan
      5. His son Bodawpaya conquered Manipur and assam(1882)
      6. So Br declared war in 1824 and capture assam,cachar,manipur and arakan and reched AVA
      7. 1826 - treaty of yandabo
        1. 1 crore compensation
        2. Cede Arakan and Tenasserim
        3. Abandon all claims to Assam, Cachar, and Jainitia
        4. Recognise Manipur as independent state
        5. Br resident at AVA while posting Burmese envoy at Calcutta
        6. By this treaty Burma lost most of its coastline and Br established its base to expand into Burma
      8. King Thibaw signed commercial treaty with france in 1885
      9. Br merchants forced Br to annex upper Burma to trade with china and Br-India did and King surrendered in 1885 and Burma was annexed
      10. But soldiers didn't surrender and hid in jungles and carried over guerrilla warfare
      11. Br took 4 years and 40000 soldiers to suppress it at Indian expense
      12. Burmese nationalist with INC started widespread movement after WW1
      13. Br separated Burma from India(1935) to weaken movement though Burmese opposed it
      14. Finally 1948 - Burma won its independence under U Aung San
    5. Relation with Afghanistan
      1. Based on
        1. Checking russian advances
        2. Promote Br commercial Interest in Central Asia
        3. Make it at least a buffer state between Russia and br
        4. Wanted to keep Afghanistan week and divided to control it 
      2. Br in 1839 replaced independent ruler Dost Muhammed with shah shuja deposed in 1809 and br pensioner in Ludhiana
      3. But people didn't like him and afghan tribes revolted and Br retreated in 1841 and recognised Dost Md. In this Br lost 1.5 crore and 20000 soldier
      4. 1842 - kabul reoccupied by Br(as revenge only) and evacuated and recognised Dost Md as independent ruler
      5. Br then followed policy of non-interference and occasional aid after Russian turned its attention to central Asia after its defeat with Crimea
      6. In 1870 Anglo-Russian rivalry intensified and Br tried to control Afghanistan again.
      7. So 1878 2nd afghan war - sher Ali's son Yakub Khan signed treaty of Gandamak(1879), by which Br got all they want
        1. Resident
        2. Control over foreign policy
        3. Control over border districts
      8. Afghans fought back and killed the Br resident Major Cavagnari
      9. Now br reversed policy and followed non- interference and Grandson of Dost Md, Abdur Rahman recognised as the new ruler. In return foreign policy in Br hand.
      10. WW1 and Russian revolution created new situation and afghans demanded full independence
      11. After assassination of Habibullah his son Amanullah declared open war on Br and got independence in 1921 through Treaty of Afghanistan