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Let's go to the Thought Bubble.

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In most cases,
Europeans ruled their colonies

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with the help of, and
sometimes completely through

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intermediaries and
collaborators.

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For example, in the 1890s,
in India,

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there were fewer than 
1000 British administrators

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supposedly ruling over
300 million Indians.

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The vast majority of British troops

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at any given time in India,
more than 2/3,

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were, in fact, Indians under
the command of British officers.

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Because of their small numbers 
relative to the local populations

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most European colonizers
resorted to indirect rule,

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relying on the governments
that were already there

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but exerting control over
their leaders.

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Frederick Lugard, who was
Britain's head honcho in

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Nigeria for a time,
called this

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"rule through and by 
the natives."

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This worked particularly
well with British administrators

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who were primarily middle-class
men but had aristocratic pretensions,

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and were often pleased to
associate with the

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highest echelons in Indian
or African society.


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Now this isn't to say that
indigenous rulers were

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simply puppets. Often
they retained real power.

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This was certainly true in India,

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where more than a third of the
territory was ruled by

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Indian princes.

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The French procterates of 
Morocco and Tunisia

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were ruled by Arab monarchs
and the French also ruled

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through native kings in Laos,
Cambodia, and Vietnam.

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For the most part,
Europeans could almost always

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rely on their superior
military technology

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to coerce local rulers into
doing what the Europeans wanted.

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And they could replace
native officials with Europeans

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if they had to.
But in general, they preferred

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to rule indirectly.

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It was easier, and cheaper. 
Also less annoying.

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Thanks Thought Bubble.