Colonial administrative systems. History form three topic two.

Colonial administrative systems:

Colonial administrative systems, were the ways of controlling and maintaining colonial power in the colonies soon after the establishment of colonialism. Also colonial administration systems were the methods used by Europeans to rule their colonies. After colonization of African societies colonialist established different administrative systems in their colonies includes Direct Rule, Indirect Rule, Assimilation policies, and Association policies.

A. Direct Rule, this was kind of administrative systems where by African societies were ruled directly by using only European personnel. This type of colonial administration, African chiefs did not have power in administration. This system was used in African countries like Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, German East Africa, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Togo etc. Direct rule to the large extent was used by Germans where by Germans selected officials from traditional aristocracy to administer particular society, Germans used Governors, Provincial commissioners, Akidas, Jumbes and Liwales.

B. Indirect Rule, this was the type of colonial administrative system applied by British where by African societies were administered indirectly through the use of local rulers. It was applied in Nigeria, Uganda, Tanganyika etc. But the status of African chiefs was not the same as the colonial officials. The ruler used by British where able to get protection, paid salaries, as well as good accommodation. Also their children were able to get colonial social services like education.

C. Assimilation policy, this policy aimed at treating Africans just like the French Citizen so as to help French in their administration as well as to reduce resistance. In 1895 French formed, French West Africa Federation. This federation consisted of eight colonies like Senegal, Ivory Coast, French Guinea, French Sudan (Mali), Niger, Mauritania, Benin and Upper Volta (Burkina Faso), Dakar was the headquarters of the Federation.

D. Association policy, this was applied by French after assimilation policy proved failure, in association French believed that it was easy to rule by being close to them through the help of African chief despite of making them change their culture heritage.

In 1914-1945 French changed assimilation policy into association policy. Association policy was make colonies as an integral part of French. In association policy African colonies had right to elect representatives in the French government, political parties, to press and free trade.  

Motives for the application of the various colonial administrative systems:

Colonialists were guided by different factors during introduction of various colonial administrative systems. Direct rule was used by European nations due to the following motives.

i. it will make Africans to submit themselves to colonial government, eg by using military campaigns.

ii. Indigenous people would accept colonialism peacefully due to the fact that they were ignorant.

iii. Due to the nature of the colony, direct rule used and applied to the societies which did not show cooperation to the colonial.

iv. Climatic condition would favors them to use direct rule, one of the reasons for the Europeans to apply direct rule was due to the absence of tropical diseases like Malaria, tsetse flies etc.

The motives or introducing indirect rule were as follows:

i. Communication barrier; including language barrier was not possible to introduce other systems of administration despite of indirect rule. This was because Europeans did not know how to speak indigenous languages. 

ii. British wanted to avoid African resistance; after establishment of colonialism there were no good contact between Europeans and Africans while there was good contact between Africans and their leaders, therefore in order to prevent African resistance they decided to use indirect rule.

iii. Shortage of manpower; British was few in number therefore used indirect rule due to the fact that, it was very difficult to rule huge African societies without assistance from African leaders. Example British had many colonies around the world while they had few colonial officials.

iv. Due to availability of tropical diseases; most of African colonies had harsh climatic conditions which did not encourage Europeans to practice other systems of administration rather than indirect rule. Example most of the colonies had tropic diseases like Malaria and tsetse flies.

 v. The system was economically cheap; this was due to the fact that most of the African chiefs were not directly paid wages by the colonial governments, while those who paid received very low wages to compare to the European officials. Also the African chiefs could not demand services from the colonial government such as transport, medical services and accommodation.

vi. British had prior knowledge on the use of indirect rule; this is because British had already used indirect rule to other colonies outside of Africa. Example indirect rule used and show positive results in India and Malaysia before used in Africa.

Similarities of colonial administrative systems:

i. Both systems based on racial segregation, since African colour was regarded as inferior over white colour. Examples to the large extent whites were given top position while other races received lower positions.

ii. Both based on oppression of indigenous through the use of force; all systems used their forces to humiliate and oppress all Africans who were against their will including the uses of army, police and court.

iii. Indirect rules and indirect rule as well as association and assimilation policies were based on intensive exploitation of African resources; example they aimed at exploiting African resources like raw materials, labour, market and area for investment.

iv. Both were capitalist systems. These administrative systems were used to ensure Europeans acquire capitalist demands like raw materials and markets for European finished goods.

v. Both aimed to ensure law and order in the colonies; this is due to the fact that it could be simple to dominate and satisfy their needs in African colonies through their systems.

vi. Both faced resistance and opposition; this systems were not directly accepted by all people within and outside the colonies, example most of African communities resisted all of them but direct rule experienced strong resistances than others. Also another opposition comes from the colonial master’s home, for example most French citizens opposed assimilation policies to be practiced in Africa.

Differences between colonial administrative systems:

i. in terms of resistance from Africans, indirect rule and association faced less resistances to compare to direct rule and association.

ii. Direct and indirect rule was used by the Germans and British while assimilation and association was used by French.

iii. To the large extent indirect rule created many puppet classes among Africans while direct rule assimilation and association did not create many.

iv. Indirect rule was cheap while direct rule, assimilation and association were expensive.

v. Indirect rule was less evil than other administrative systems.

The strengths of colonial administrative systems:

Despite of colonialist being rude, exploitative and humiliate African societies, but not every aspect of colonial administrative systems was bad. Most of strengths of colonial administrative systems include:

1. Helped to build schools in the colonies, colonial administrators supported and ensured building of schools in the colonies by asking their mother country to support them, these schools produced African elites who engaged in nationalism movements.

2. They helped in abolition of slavery and slave trade, colonial administrators were responsible to ensure slavery and slave trade could not be practiced in African continent anymore. Example colonialist signed different treaties to abolish slave trade as well as sending solders to stop slave dealers.

3. Helped to reduce illiterate among the African people, this is because the few Africans who succeeded to become assimilated came up with new campaigns to prove that African culture was not inferior as Europeans believed. Example Leopold Sedar Senghor of Senegal who come up with philosophy of “Black is beauty”  

4. Some of them helped to promote local languages; example British indirect rule supported development of Swahili language through the uses of swahil in African schools.

Weaknesses of colonial administrative systems:

a. The language problem between colonial administrators and African people; many colonial officials could not speak indigenous languages, this made difficult for European to create good relationship between colonial officials and Africans.

b. Promoted intensive exploitation;  this was through land alienation, forced labour, paying low wages and introduction of taxes, all this activities supervised by colonial administrations.

c. Make African chiefs to lose their political powers; this was through becoming colonialist servants under the supervision of colonial masters.

Impacts of colonial administrative systems:

 1. Weakened traditional administration, colonialist through its administrative system cause the destruction of African traditional. Example African chiefs lost their ability to practice their judicial and lost their executive power.

2. Promoted intensive exploitation; this was through land alienation, forced labour, paying low wages and introduction of taxes, all this activities supervised by colonial administrations. Example some societies becomes landless includes africanus South Africa, Ndebele in Zimbabwe, Kikuyu in Kenya

3. Colonial administration created classes in the societies, these differences was created and spread in the colonies as the result colonialist favored some groups and ignore others. Example only sons of chiefs were allowed to get education while other people did not. Hence create class of educated and uneducated in the communities.

4.  Cause regional imbalance, colonial administration system cause district imbalance through supervising development of some places and ignore other places in the same colonies, example those places which involved in production of raw materials colonialist built infrastructures like roads, railways and water supply and social services. This place includes Tanga, Kilimanjaro and Mwanza in Tanganyika.

5. Africans lost their freedom and dignity; European administrators through their power make Africans to lose their freedom and become their servants. Example Africans were not allowed to engage in industrial production, received corporal punishment, and also was forced to become laborers.

6. Encouraged racial segregation, colonial administration systems encourages racism, example all those top positions were for whites while low positions were given to black people. Blacks were not allowed to be in top positions.

Colonial military and legal institution

After establishment of colonialism in Africa, European realized that it was not easy to introduce colonial administration in African colonies, because of intensive African resistances. Hence in order to control African continent they decided to establish colonial military and legal institutions, these institutions worked together to intensify colonialism in African continent.

  Colonial military

This refers to the armed forces that operated during the colonialism in Africa, this consisted both Africans and Europeans. Also high ranks were possessed by Europeans while Africans received positions of low ranks. Examples of colonial military were The British Royal West Africa Frontier Force, King African Rifles (K. A. R) etc.

Functions of colonial military:

1. To ensure peace and order in the colonies, this was done through maintaining colonial laws and orders where by all those were goes against the law were punished by solders, also army used to ensure there were no threat which caused by native people or from outside the colony.

2. To suppress African resistances, most of the African societies did not accept colonialism, therefore colonial military was used by Europeans to end those resistances and consolidate colonialism. Example; solders were taken to fight those who resist colonialism and sometimes trained near societies who resisted colonialism as the method to make them accept colonialism.

3. To ensure intensive exploitation, military was used in capitalist relation by forcing Africans in colonial productions through payment of taxes, land alienation and cultivation of cash crops.

4. To defend colonial boundaries, this was one of the duty of colonial military were by colonial government use military to ensure there was no threats from outside the colonies by defending boundaries.

5. Supervision of colonial public activities, army also used to supervise colonial activities like constructions of infrastructures such as roads, railways, ports, prisons, hospitals, schools, churches etc.

6. To punish stubborn African leaders, this was done through the uses of colonial army, by punishing all those leaders who were non-cooperative to the colonial state. Example: through jailing, beating, deporting and killing.

7. To provide protection to the colonial agents, colonial military used to provide protection to colonial agents like missionaries, explorers and traders, by escorting them in dangerous places which had strong resistances from Africans. Their aims were to ensure their safety.  

Colonial legal institution

This was the institution that aims to direct legal procedures to be used on army cases as well as to receive people claims. Colonial legal institutions includes council of elders, prison, courts and legislative council, which worked together with colonial military to intensify colonialism in African continent.

Functions of colonial legal institutions:

1. To make laws, acts and ordnances, these laws designed to make Africans perform different colonial activities, example Crown Land Ordinance of 1915 in Kenya.

2. To receive and handling people claims, this was done through Legislative council (LRGGO) and council of elders.

3. Also made amendments of laws, ordinances and acts, this amendment was influenced by different political and economic changes of in the given colony. Example in Kenya Native Labour Ordinance of 1918 which stated that people were supported to work for 90 days a year in setter farm was amended by raising the number of days to 180 a year.

4. To punish law breakers, this was done through jailing those who break colonial laws