Who ran the Empire?
The Empire was ruled under the sovereignty of the crown and run by a vast administration of officials, both in Britain and in the colonies. Some territories were Crown colonies run by a governor, who was appointed by a British cabinet member: the Secretary of State for the Colonies or the Colonial Secretary. In London there were two ministries: the India Office and the Colonial Office. In the Crown Colonies, all posts were filled by members of the British Colonial service. However, in some territories, such as India, there was a system of ‘indirect rule’. In these areas, local rulers were ‘advised’ by a British official, a system which also operated in Nigeria and Uganda. In the Crown colonies, each territory had its own civil service. The positions, titles and numbers of staff varied from area to area. Colonial service positions included District Commissioner (DC), District Officer (DO), Assistant District Commissioner (ADC) and numerous other administrative roles. Salaries of the Col
