. ▁The ▁Imperial ▁government ▁took ▁a ▁strong ▁hand ▁in ▁India , ▁and ▁most ▁of ▁the ▁later ▁colon ies . ▁The ▁goal ▁was ▁to ▁speed ▁up ▁modern ization ▁and ▁social ▁development ▁through ▁a ▁w ides p read ▁system ▁of ▁elementary ▁education ▁for ▁all ▁n atives , ▁plus ▁high ▁school ▁and ▁eventually ▁university ▁education ▁for ▁selected ▁el ites . ▁The ▁students ▁were ▁encourag ed ▁to ▁attend ▁university ▁in ▁Britain . ▁ ▁Direct ▁control ▁and ▁b ureau c racy ▁Much ▁of ▁the ▁older ▁histor i ography , ▁as ▁represented ▁by ▁The ▁Cambridge ▁History ▁of ▁the ▁British ▁Empire , ▁covers ▁the ▁detailed ▁month - to - month ▁operations ▁of ▁the ▁Imperial ▁b ureau c racy . ▁More ▁recent ▁scholar ship ▁has ▁exam ined ▁who ▁the ▁b ureau cr ats ▁and ▁govern ors ▁were , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁the ▁role ▁of ▁the ▁colonial ▁experience ▁on ▁their ▁own ▁lives ▁and ▁families . ▁ ▁The ▁cultural ▁approach ▁asks ▁how ▁b ureau cr ats ▁represented ▁themselves ▁and ▁ent iced ▁the ▁n atives ▁to ▁accept ▁their ▁rule . ▁ ▁W ives ▁of ▁senior ▁b ureau cr ats ▁played ▁an ▁increasing ly ▁important ▁role ▁in ▁dealing ▁with ▁the ▁local ▁people , ▁and ▁in ▁spons oring ▁and ▁prom oting ▁char ities ▁and ▁civ ic ▁good ▁will . ▁ ▁When ▁they ▁returned ▁to ▁Britain ▁they ▁had ▁an ▁influ ential ▁voice ▁in ▁sh aping ▁upper - class ▁opinion ▁toward ▁colon ization . ▁ ▁Histor ian ▁Robert ▁Pear ce ▁points ▁out ▁that ▁many ▁colonial ▁w ives ▁had ▁a ▁negative ▁reputation , ▁but ▁he ▁dep ict s ▁V