VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

indirect rule

noun·Advancedtechnical

Last updated

UK/ˌɪndərekt ˈruːl/
US/ˌɪndərekt ˈruːl/

Meanings

  1. noununcountabletechnical

    A colonial way of governing in which local chiefs or traditional leaders keep their positions but must obey the foreign power above them.

    Grammar: No plural and usually no article: say 'under indirect rule', not 'under an indirect rule'.

    Patterns

    • under indirect rule
    • a system of indirect rule
    • indirect rule over a region

    Britain often preferred indirect rule in parts of Africa and Asia because it was cheaper than sending many officials.

    Under indirect rule, the local ruler collected taxes but answered to the colonial governor.

    Historians still argue about how much power traditional chiefs really kept under indirect rule.

  2. noununcountable

    Any arrangement in which a person or body governs through other people or local groups instead of controlling things directly.

    Grammar: Used in politics and management writing; it can follow 'through': 'rule through local allies'.

    Patterns

    • rule through someone
    • govern by indirect rule
    • a form of indirect rule

    Critics say the party exercises indirect rule through friendly local councils.

    The company uses indirect rule, guiding regional managers rather than issuing daily orders.

Common combinations

under indirect rule
The territory was governed under indirect rule for almost fifty years.
a system of indirect rule
The French and British ran different systems of indirect rule.
impose indirect rule
The new administration imposed indirect rule on the inland provinces.
the end of indirect rule
The end of indirect rule came with independence in the 1960s.
indirect rule through local chiefs
Indirect rule through local chiefs kept everyday administration running.

Synonyms and how they differ

indirect administration
A close near-synonym in history writing, but it is less common and less fixed than 'indirect rule'.
protectorate
This names a territory under a stronger state's protection; it overlaps, but it describes the place, not the method of governing.

Opposites

direct rule

Word family

indirect adjective
Not going straight to the thing or person; the opposite of 'direct'.
indirectly adverb
In a way that does not happen straight away or by the shortest route.
ruler noun
A person such as a king, chief, or president who governs.
rule verb
To govern a country or control people.

Commonly confused: indirect rule or direct rule? indirect rule or colonialism?

indirect rule vs direct rule

Direct rule means the central government or foreign power governs the area itself through its own officials; indirect rule works through existing local leaders.

indirect rule vs colonialism

Colonialism is the broad practice of controlling other countries; indirect rule is one particular method of doing that.

Practice

The colonial government preferred ______ because local chiefs could collect taxes on its behalf.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “indirect rule”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words