Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 16, 2026

Direct colonial rule

Direct colonial rule is a form of colonialism that involves the establishment of a centralized foreign authority within a territory, which is run by colonial officials. According to Michael W. Doyle of Harvard University, in a system of direct rule, the native population is excluded from all but the lowest level of the colonial government. Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani classifies direct rule as centralized despotism: a system where natives were not considered citizens.

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Direct colonial rule is a form of colonialism that involves the establishment of a centralized foreign authority within a territory, which is run by colonial officials. According to Michael W. Doyle of Harvard University, in a system of direct rule, the native population is excluded from all but the lowest level of the colonial government.1 Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani classifies direct rule as centralized despotism: a system where natives were not considered citizens.2

The opposite of direct colonial rule is indirect rule, which integrates pre-established local elites and native institutions into the government.1

See also

See also

References

References

  1. Doyle, Michael W. (1986). Empires (1. publ. ed.). Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press. ISBN 080149334X.
  2. Mamdani, Mahmood (1996). Citizen and subject : contemporary Africa and the legacy of late colonialism. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691027935.