From Direct Rule To Indirect Rule

Britain adjusted the colonial ruling mode during the primary period of the 20th century, the mark of which is The Statute of Westminster passed in 1931. This statute was an important milestone in British colonial ruling history. It caused the basic change of imperial relations and marked the fundamental transition of British Colonial Ruling Mode, i.e., From Direct Rule To Indirect Rule. The adjustment also initiated another important stage in imperial history 梩he First British Commonwealth stage.The paper divided into three sections analyses the adjustment of British Colonial Ruling Mode During the Primary Period of 20th Century. Part one mainly explains the causes of the adjustment according to the theory of the long period stage, which points out that the adjustment destination was alleviating imperial conflict, especially between Britain and dominions, and preserving British own interests. Since the Second Science and Technology Revolution, owing to the popularity and expansion of industrialization, the British economic prevalence lost gradually. Confronting the powers' competition and loss of economic prevalence, British naval hegemony dominating the whole world for two centuries became weaker and weaker until the loss in the end. At the same time, separatism current accumulated in Britain became more and more intensive and developed into a kind of public consciousness, which made deeper and deeper effects on the British imperial policy. Together with the loss of priority and the popularity of the separatism current, nationalism emotion and national independent movement demanding for whole state status became higher and higher. Under those circumstances, Britain exerted her pragmatism tradition once again and retreated from the affairs of dominions in order to preserve the countless links between Britain and dominions, in other words, British colonial ruling mode fulfilled the transition from direct rule to indirect rule.Part two mainly describes the process of adjustment of colonial ruling mode. The paper divides the process into three steps: the prelude of the adjustment, acceleration ofthe pace, completion after the war. The adjustment comprised two contents: one is the transfer of actual rights dealing with the domestic and external affairs of dominions, the other is the definition to these rights listed above by law. Under subjective and objective elements, Britain firstly gave these rights to their own owner and, later, defined by law. The Balfour Report passed in 1926 stated that the dominions and the United Kingdom were autonomous communities within the Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs, though united by a common allegiance to the Crown, and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations. The report rendered these rights obtaining "habitual validity", on the basis of the Report, adding to the Bill advised by experts in 1929 and the principles passed by imperial conference in 1930, the Statute of Westminster was bom .Up to then, Britain no longer intervened in the affairs of dominions not only in reality but also by law, the adjustment of British colonial ruling mode in the primary period of 20th century finished completely.Part three analyses the influence of the adjustment. The paper estimates this adjustment from four aspects: dominions, Britain, colonialism, the whole historical process. Which points out that the adjustment was passive, realistic and intellectual alternative for British government under much pressure. The adjustment was also the genuine beginning and key point for independent development of dominions, the accelerating of imperial economic relations promoted the development of dominions in a long period. At the same time, the adjustment got transmutation of colonialism of the British Empire into reality, i.e., from the old colonialism to the neo梒olonialism, which was also a crucial step to decolonization. In the course of mutual advance of globalization and rationaliza...