Forms of European Colonial Administration and British Imperialism

Forms of European Colonial Administration

The installation of European order in politically dependent countries took three primary forms:

• The Colony: Applied to countries lacking a strong political organization; this system was used across most of the African continent.
• The Protectorate: Implemented where an organized administration already existed, which was then placed under the tutelage of the colonial government.
• Grants: In countries like China, which were too large for total occupation, European powers preferred to obtain commercial advantages. They installed themselves only in strategic ports without becoming involved in the entire territory.

The British Empire: Types of Territories

The British Empire distinguished between two primary types of territories:

• Domains: Areas of settlement where people from England preferred to settle definitively. These regions enjoyed wide autonomy and institutions similar to the British government, such as parliaments and political parties. The domains were almost completely free in domestic policy, with only a Governor-General representing the King of England. Foreign policy was controlled by the metropolis, though this was managed to harmonize the interests of the domains through the Imperial Conference. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa belonged to this group.

Britain and Africa

The English expansion started from Egypt (1882), moving through Sudan (1896–1898), Uganda, Kenya, Rhodesia, and the Union of South Africa (1899), reaching the southern tip of the continent. This empire, stretching from north to south, was broken only by German East Africa (Tanganyika). Britain also established several colonies on the West Coast, including Gambia, Sierra Leone, the Gold Coast, and Nigeria.

By the late nineteenth century, England was the only power capable of forming an almost continuous empire in Africa. It established a global empire where its navy controlled the oceans, its trade extended across the globe, and it contributed to the Europeanization of Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Through capital and technical assistance used to exploit the resources of remote regions, London became known as "the world capital."