Q. Analyse critically the motive and compulsion of the British in framing social policies for India. [BPSC: 60-62nd]

Q. Analyse critically the motive and compulsion of the British in framing social policies for India. [BPSC:60-62nd]
Ans:
The term social policy covers wide range of policies pertaining to law, education, social norms, family, criminality, status ranking, social information gathering and various other similar kinds of state intervention for the collective life of the governed population with the object of regulating it. The British took initiatives in almost all the dimensions of social life. Several motives and compulsions influenced the framing of social policies by the British in India. ©selfstudyhistory.com

The motive and compulsion of the British in framing social policies for India:

• Administrative motive:
  • In early days, Warren Hastings adhered to the ideology of Orientalism. He was in favour of creating an English bureaucracy, which would be well versed in lndian languages and responsible to lndian traditions.
    • It presented the idea of kinship and aimed to morally bind Indians to colonial rule through rhetoric of love.
    • Civil servants were encouraged to learn Persian and Hindustani before coming to India.
    • It has been said that, ‘Orientalism produced a knowledge of the past to meet the requirement of the present’. e.g. code of Gentoo laws were compiled on the basis of Indian legal system.
  • The principle motive behind the introduction of Western education was to make administration at lower rung economical.
    • As the British Empire in India expanded its territories, administrative structure too grew elaborate and extensive which necessitated staffing of low cadre posts.
    • And as it was too expensive an affair and politically not advisable to import a huge number of people from England it became political expedient to recruit people from Indian strata after providing them a little bit of education and general working knowledge.
    • Administrative needs of the Company required Indians well versed in the classical and vernacular languages.
    • For example:
      • In the revenue and judicial department, the clerical and middle level of staff was required to have English language knowledge.
      • In the Judicial Department Indians conversant with Sanskrit, Arab Persian were required to sit as assessors with English judges and expound Hindu or Muslim law from Sanskrit or Persian or Arabic books.
      • Besides, the knowledge of Persian and vernaculars was valued in the Political Department for correspondence with rulers of Indian states.
      • The clerical staff in the revenue and commercial departments had contacts with uneducated masses and for them knowledge of vernaculars was a must.
      • However, for higher grade of staff in the Company’s services, knowledge of English as well as vernaculars was essential. selfstudyhistory.com
• Political motive:
  • Social reforms and efforts to modernise Indian society in order to enable the economic penetration of the country and consolidation of British rule.
  • British education policy was also shaped by their notion that Indians imbued with Western knowledge would prove to be help in manifold ways:
    • Western education would dispel reactionary attitude and develop in Indians a reconciliatory attitude. This would create a sense of belongness.
    • It would give birth to a class of people who would be English in attitude, approach and spirit and would act as a buffer, a powerful link between the vast population of the subject people and those who governed them.
    • The newly-educated western educated class, unconsciously or consciously became supporters of British rule in India.
    • Gauri Viswanathan has argued that the colonial education system deployed English literary studies in its curriculum as “an instrument for ensuring industriousness, efficiency, trustworthiness, and compliance in native subjects. “
    • Macaulay’s dream was to create a class of persons who would be “Indians in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinion, in morals and intellect”.
  • The social policy followed by British, didn’t remain passive. In order to meet the growing challenge of nationalism, the rulers increasingly followed the policy of divide and rule and actively encouraged communalism and casteism which, in turn, strengthened the reactionary social forces.
• Commercial motive:
  • Another major motive was to make Indians better customers for their goods and more loyal subjects of the Raj.
  • The British commercial community became strong supporters of the cause of anglicization of education in India. The English educated Indian middle class became the great consumers of British goods and would help expand markets in India for British goods.
• Moral consideration:
  • The moral considerations were linked with the spread of Christianity. The Christian missionaries also contributed towards the reform of Indian society.
  • Alexander Duff considered education as the soundest weapon for attracting heathens to Christianity.
  • Macaulay’s home that the spread of Western knowledge would win converts to Christianity did not materialise though some converts from upper classes were made.
• To some extent, the humanitarian instincts of some of the officials aroused by the glaring social injustices enshrined in the Indian caste system and the low status of women in society also played a role.
  • But, soon the basic conservative character and long-term interests of colonialism asserted themselves and colonial policies towards social reform were changed.
  • The British, therefore, withdrew their support from the reformers and gradually came to side with the socially orthodox and conservative elements of the society.
• Several ideological forces were active in England at different times and influenced the British social policies. e.g.
  • Evangelicalism:
    • It was represented by missionaries.
    • They were highly critical about Indian society and culture. Charles Grant was the cheif spoke person of evangelicalism and considered Indian society and culture as superstitious, barbaric and despotic.
    • They presented the idea of civilising India. Ans sought for the legal protection for the christian converts, intervention in the caste system, abolition of slave trade and sati by the British state.
    • policies like Provision for christian missionaries in 1813 act, introduction of western education, Caste disabilities removal act 1850, lex loci act 1850, Abolition of slavery etc were influenced by evangelical forces.
  • Liberalism:
    • They stood for the reforms and changes on the western lines.They presented the idea that active governance could civilise and develop India. They also supported the idea of separation of powers.
    • C.E. Trevelyan, Cornwallis, Thomas Macaulay were advocates of this ideology.
    • Influence of their ideas are seen in policies like- introduction of the principles of separation of powers and private property in land by Cornwallis, Introduction of western Education through Macaulay minute- 1835 etc.
  • Utilitarianism:
    • According to them all policies should be oriented towards greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.
    • Jeremy Benthem, James Mill, J.S. Mill were main personality of this ideology.
    • They considered law and its strict implementation as most effective instrument to ensue utility.
    • They represented paternalistic approach, strong and centralised government and rejected the liberal conception of separation of powers.
    • Their influence had been seen in:
      • Social legislations like abolition of sati-1829, Abolition of slavery 1843, widow remarriage act-1856.
      • Provision of centralisation in 1833 act, Introduction of Ryotwari settlement in 1820 etc.
  • Anglicist:
    • They devalued India and presented dismal picture and talked about improving it through anglicising it.
    • This approach represented colonial vision- legitimised colonial vision through claim of noble mission, and affirmation of British superiority.
  • Romantics:
    • Thomas Munro, Charles Metcalf, M. Elphinstone were main advocates of this ideology.
    • They presented the idea that reforms must be on Indian line and role of government should be protective and not intrusive.
    • Their influence is seen in introduction of Ryotwari system.
  • Humanism:
    • It was a highly progressive ideology in which human is at the centre of all thought and focused on freedom, rights, welfare etc of human. However, this dimension was applied to white Europeans and in contrast Indian were devalued. Indirectly it glorified the white race.
  • White Racism: [related to humanism]
    • It was consciousness of being a superior and dominant race.
    • It found expression in policy matters like-
      • Ilbert Bill controversy- 1883,
      • Vernacular press act-1878,
      • Europeanisation of higher services.
      • Exploitative policies for Indian labour etc.
  • Positivism:
    • Basis of this ideology was observation, facts, data though experimentation. It represented imperial approach marked by objectivity.
    • Its expression was found in introduction of census-1871, Map making, Botanical survey, Archaeological survey, data collection related to caste, language an tribes etc.
    • These collected became the basis for British policies like- Criminal tribes act-1871, categorisations like Marshal and Non-Marshal races etc.
• The new intellectuals and political stirrings among the people also led to movements for social change.
  • Various social reform movements also influence the social policies- e.g. Raja Ram Mohan Roy had advocated the introduction of western education and abolition of sati, Vidyasagar campaigned for the widow remarriage and female education.

To conclude, there were various ideological and material factors which provided the direction for British social policy in India. The consideration of sustaining and promoting the colonial rule was the most dominating factor. The Government of India cautiously intervened in Indian social practices under pressure from individual administrators, missionaries and Indian social reformers. However, the impact of these policies was extremely limited. When these policies provoked Indian response in 1857, even the limited efforts at social reforms were consciously abandoned and conservative form of social policy was adopted. ©selfstudyhistory.com