Nature of British Administration
- Expansion of Influence
- Britain claimed territories such as Fiji (1874), the Gilbert and Ellice Islands (1892), and parts of the Solomon Islands, aiming to secure trade routes and prevent rival European control.
- Indirect Rule
- Britain often used protectorate systems, keeping local chiefs in power under British “advice.”
- Missionary Activity
- The London Missionary Society and other Christian missions spread Western education and religion, preparing the way for formal colonial control.
- Economic Interests
- Britain sought access to resources like copra (dried coconut), sugar, and phosphate minerals.
- Administrative Centers
- Colonial capitals such as Suva (Fiji) became hubs of government, trade, and naval activity.
Definition
Protectorate
- A territory that keeps local rulers but is controlled by a foreign power in key areas like defense and trade.
Definition
Indirect Rule
- Governing through traditional leaders under imperial supervision.
Social and Economic Impact on Indigenous Societies
- Disruption of Traditional Authority
- Chiefs and local councils lost power to British administrators and missionaries.
- Land Seizure
- Large tracts were turned into plantations, forcing indigenous communities onto smaller or less fertile lands.
- Indentured Labor
- Thousands of laborers from India, Melanesia, and Polynesia worked in plantations under harsh conditions.
- Cultural Change
