Benign Imperialism

This title is printed to order. This book may have been self-published. If so, we cannot guarantee the quality of the content. In the main most books will have gone through the editing process however some may not. We therefore suggest that you be aware of this before ordering this book. If in doubt check either the author or publisher’s details as we are unable to accept any returns unless they are faulty. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Were colonial rulers in India worse than other governments and if so why? To consider those questions, the first part of Benign Imperialism? examines confidential discussions within the Government of India concerning official misconduct, law, and public benefit, particularly in the Bengal Presidency in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Officials debated the purpose and methods of British rule, how to punish civil servants' misconduct, the relationship between executive and High Court, and the importance of public opinion in India (and Britain). The book also considers these issues by referring to court cases and some British Parliamentary Papers.

Part two turns to policies and local administration, revealing shortcomings including poor focus and police corruption. It assesses the basis of government understandings and describes conditions of village life and the local experience of British rule. The last two chapters look at examples of policies reacting to need and intended to be beneficial, with the longest discussion being about rural irrigation.