British Regulating Act

Questions for Further Study

• 1. Read this document in conjunction with Queen Victoria’s Proclamation concerning India and with the Government of India Act of 1919. How did Britain’s governance of its colonies in India evolve over time? What steps did the people of India take to grow more independent of Britain?
• 2. In large part, the British Regulating Act was not entirely successful in achieving its ends. Why do you think this was so? What provisions of the act were inadequate to solving the problems Britain faced in India?
• 3. In discussions of the British East India Company, the company is frequently referred to almost as if it were a person. Yet the “company” was an abstract entity made of up individuals who took actions or made decisions that reflected badly on England. What conditions allowed, encouraged, or enabled the members of the East India Company to abuse their privileges? How did Parliament attempt to change those conditions?
• 4. Read the British Regulating Act in connection with the Constitution Act of Canada. During roughly the same time periods, England maintained colonies in North America, including those that would become the nation of Canada. Yet Britain administered the colonies in North America and India in very different manners. Why do you think this was the case? What were the effects of these differences?
• 5. During the twentieth century, Britain extended its reach into the Middle East, as exemplified by the D’Arcy Concession. Read that document and explain what, if anything, Britain learned from its experiences in India in its dealings with Persia over oil.