Indirect Rule Theory

The Indirect Rule Theory explains how colonial powers controlled other regions by governing local communities through existing traditional leaders and institutions. Instead of direct administration, the colonizers used local chiefs or rulers to enforce laws and manage daily affairs. This approach allowed the colonizers to maintain order and exert influence with less direct involvement, leveraging the local leadership structures they found in place. It was a pragmatic method that helped colonial powers control vast areas efficiently, but it also often reinforced existing social hierarchies and sometimes caused tensions within local communities.