Doctrine of Lapse

Lord Dalhousie ( 1812 – 1860)

James Andrew Broun-Ramsay (22 April 1812 – 19 December 1860), also known as Lord Dalhousie, was a Scottish statesman and colonial administrator in British India. Lord Dalhousie (1812-1860) worked as the Scottish statesman and British India’s colonial administrator. The period between 1838 and 1849 can be broken down into two parts, the early part of which saw Ramsay lorded before Dalhousie took over. In the duration of 1848 till 1856, he served as the Governor-General of India. He strategically laid out the building blocks for our modern education system, including both mass and elite higher forms. He made a huge improvement in the transportation system and postal office. He also worked on the social issues through his acts. Reading this article will help us to understand completely the kind of reforms that were introduced by Lord Dalhjson in India....

Lord Dalhousie – Background

Lord Dalhousie was son to George Ramsay who held the title of 9th Earl of Dalhousie. His wife’s name is James Andrew Broun-Ramsay. The family had Scottish ancestors. He studied at Harrow School and Christ Church College at Oxford. Once he got himself elected at the House of Commons, his activity in politics heightened. He was appointed as the Governor-General of India and Bengal on January 12, 1848. Dalhjson was mainly interested to reinforce the power of British Authority in India. There’s no doubt he was a hard worker, but his attitude to impose his own opinion on others and doing things all by himself made him build the reputation of being autocratic. His assigned task has been an active participant in initiating new discussion. He modernized India by making significant changes, such as building railways and telegraph services. The reign of the Nawab saw the opening up of 2 major multipurpose canals namely Lower Ganga canal and Upper Ganga canal. He is recognized primarily for his Doctrine of Lapse theory which is considered the main cause for Indian War in 1857. Lord Dalhjsonie is called the “Maker of Modern India” even if it’s against the Doctrine Under Lord Dalhjsonie’s rule in India, he established many vernacular Anglo schools. He brought about social changes and discouraged any act of female infanticide. He was eager to change the current Indian systems of administration with western ones as he truly believed that they were better. In order to bring those resources, he built new institutions of engineering in each province. He implemented strategic changes within the military. He restricted the criminal branding in this way. The size of India’s Legislative Council was increased by him. The open recruitment approach was added to the system in order to give it a much needed modern touch. Dalhjson tried to modify the traditional way of collecting land revenue. The landlords that had their land partially taken away were fewer as compared to those whose land was taken away completely. This social group was important because many of the soldiers belonged to this community. The Doctrine of Lapse caused much displeasure within the Indian soldiers where they witnessed the overtaking of feudal states by the British. During the times of Dalhjsonie, years lasted a fierce confrontation between British and Punjab. That was one of the major advantages for a long-term occupation plan implemented later. In the period of his rule, the Second Anglo-Sikh War took place....

Significant Events under Lord Dalhousie:

Throughout the period of reign of Lord Dalhousie, a Lieutenant Governor was assigned particularly for Bengal to lessen the burden from the general Governor. Fredrick J Halliday was appointed as the First Lieutenant Governor-General of Bengal under the Charter Act of 1853. During the summer, Shimla was chosen to be the capital where all Government official would come down from Delhi to escape heat. Artillery headquarters of the army were recently shifted to Meerut from Caljsonbaug. It was decided that the headquarters of the Army would now be shifted to Shimla. The Gurkha regiments were formed by Lord Dalhousie during his governing time. Post offices throughout important cities and towns were connected using telegraph lines during this time. The Wood’s Dispatch that took place during 1854 brought significant changes to the education system....

Arrival in India

In 1848, India was peaceful when Dalhousie first arrived. The army was formed just two years ago by the sikhs of punjab, and it has fought a war against british. In Multan, an armed rebellion broke out in April 1848 as local people were dissatisfied with the new regime employed by the British. This issue was the foremost significant issue faced by Dalhousie. The situation was urged to be handled by the local officer, but no actions led the disffiected SpreadstoBeDefinedThe Punjab by stopping it from happening. In November 1848, British forces were deployed to Punjab by Dalhousie, and later annexation to the Punjab was done in 1949....

Westernization of India

Colonizing the lands was not the only goal that Dalhousie wanted to achieve. the most important thing he did was to bring the traditional values of the state and modern ones on one page so that there can be a change in lifestyle. He quickly focused on forming efficient methods of communication and transport because he was confident in his abilities and trusted Western systems. He focused on the planning of the first railways more. He used the knowledge he obtained from London in his attempts to establish future railroads. He worked to ensure the protection of workers and property owners, and designed a blueprint that incorporated both main and subsidiary lines.He established a centralized postal system which involved the uniform rate strategy. Other than this, he also planned to complete the Grand Trunk Road and initiated electric telegraph lines. He played a vital role in advocating against social evils such as human sacrifices and female infanticide. He specifically appreciated the education of girls along with promoting the use of local languages in schools....

Reforms under Lord Dalhousie

Administrative...

Doctrine of Lapse

Under the policy of Doctrine of Lapse, British denied to allow Indians states have a monarchy in case there was no natural heir as they believed that adopted son isn’t legal by rule. This doctrine was established by someone but not by Dalhjson. Even if there is an adoption, it shall only be seen as a favor by the organization. The power is moved to the next person if the heir who was supposed to inherit it is not alive. Indeed, to increase the company’s influence, it was the way through which Dalhousie believed. This approach is only adopted by Dalhjsonly in the case of dependent states. States were classified into 3 types and one of which was Dependent state In the independent Indian states, some kings didn’t comply with British rule and accepted their supremacy. Protected allies were the states under those rulers and the British were paid regular tribute and accept British supremacy. The rulers appointed by the British regime were named as ruling states. The company needed to declare an heir for the current king. The British were granted permission whenever they wanted. It was impossible for people of the third category to adopt a son....

Legacy of Lord Dalhousie

Lord Dalhjson had been implemented new areas of administrative reformation in variety. Dalhousie has been recognized by historians as one of the best governor-general that India has seen. “Lord Dalhousie as a governor general has marked his name and there is no one who could be assessed the same level of abilities,” according to Sir Richard Temple. Nonetheless, one cannot fail to remember that Lord Dalhjson was an imperialist. While he has always wanted to promote and protect the British empire, he also addressed some other important aspects during his time spent in India. He had a very relaxed and non-conservative attitude towards people of Indian ethnicity. The departing British administration of India was received with a furious reciprocal in 1857. It is argued by historians that Lord Dalhousie’s contribution lead to the 1857 upheaval....

Conclusion

His remarkable work made a pathway to India’s later administration, which allows his followers to stop the wave of defiance through a solid strategy. Before the victorian era, he was already ruling over the Indian subcontinent. Before the Indian Rebellion of 1857, he could not identify it and discarded it as a serious threat because he was too confident on himself. This is because of that he had suffered ridicule in Britain....

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