Colonial Ideologies in Pre-1857 India

Until now, we saw Orientalists and Anglicists as two camps debating education and cultural policy.
Now, this new section widens the lens — showing us three broader schools of thought that shaped all aspects of British governance in India, not just education.

Three Schools of Thought in British Policy Towards India

When British administrators, politicians, and thinkers discussed “What should we do with India?” their answers tended to fall into three broad categories:

1. Conservative (Traditional) Attitude
2. Imperialistic Attitude
3. Radical Attitude

1. Conservative / Traditional Attitude

Think of the conservatives as the cautious guardians — they respected Indian culture and were reluctant to impose sudden changes.

Key Beliefs:

• Indian civilisation was different, but not necessarily inferior to Europe’s.
• Change should come slowly and carefully to avoid backlash.
• Strongly opposed rapid modernisation or wholesale Westernisation.
• Advocated paternalism — a kind of political parenting where Indians were seen as “children” who needed guidance but were not fit to participate in administration.

Influence:

• This view dominated British thinking up to the very end of colonial rule.
• Representatives:
  • Warren Hastings – respected Indian customs, promoted Oriental learning.
  • Edmund Burke – parliamentarian who defended Indian traditions against hasty reforms.
  • Governors like Thomas Munro, John Malcolm, Mountstuart Elphinstone, and Charles Metcalfe.

2. Imperialistic Attitude

By around 1800, the cautious conservatism began giving way to a harsher, more critical outlook — the imperialist view.

Key Beliefs:

• Indian civilisation was static and incapable of self-progress.
• Customs were uncivilised; institutions corrupt; thought narrow and unscientific.
• Used this critique to justify British political domination and economic exploitation.
• In this logic: “We are here because India is weak, and our rule is for their own good.”

Impact:

• This attitude provided the moral cover for colonial expansion — portraying conquest not as greed, but as a “civilising mission”.

3. Radical Attitude

Radicals were fewer in number but interesting because they brought Western liberal ideals into the discussion — at least in theory.

Key Beliefs:

• Doctrine of Reason – All societies can improve by embracing rationality and science.
• Doctrine of Humanism – Moral duty to improve the lives of Indians.
• Doctrine of Progress – Indians were destined to improve if guided properly.
• Favoured rapid modernisation using Western sciences, philosophy, and literature.

Representatives:

• Jeremy Bentham – Utilitarian philosopher.
• James Mill – Radical historian and political thinker.
• John Stuart Mill – Political theorist and liberal philosopher.

Contradiction:

• While radicals championed democracy in Britain, they abandoned this principle for India.
  • They argued India needed an authoritarian government to “prepare” for civilisation — aligning them surprisingly close to conservatives in the belief that Indians should be kept out of administration.

How These Three Schools Interacted

• Conservatives and Radicals might seem opposite — one slow-moving, the other reformist — but both shared paternalism (keeping Indians politically dependent).
• Imperialists and Radicals both criticised Indian traditions, but imperialists used it to justify domination, while radicals framed it as a duty to modernise.
• Across all three schools, there was no serious belief in granting Indians equal political rights during most of the colonial period.

Why This Classification Matters for UPSC

This is not just a list of opinions — it’s a framework that explains:

• Why some British officials promoted Sanskrit and Persian learning (Conservatives/Orientalists).
• Why others pushed English education and Western sciences (Imperialists/Anglicists).
• Why even “liberal” British thinkers ended up endorsing authoritarian colonial rule (Radicals).

It also helps to understand policy shifts — for example:

• Warren Hastings (Conservative-Orientalist phase) → gradual respect for Indian traditions.
• Macaulay (Imperialist-Anglicist phase) → aggressive push for Westernisation.