Army Reforms during Colonial Rule

Published on 02 Oct 2025

• Pre-1857 period:

• Two forces: There were two separate sets of forces under the British that operated in India: Crown’s forces and Company troops.

• Designated role: Crown’s forces were minimal and were part of Imperial forces. But the company troops were a mixed force with both natives and Europeans, stationed to guard the company's interests.

• Participation of Natives: The strength of the Native Indians who fought for the British was large in number with around 86% of company’s forces.

• Post 1857 period:

• Restored army imbalance: Proportion of Europeans to Indians was carefully fixed at 1:2 in the Bengal Army and 2:5 in the Madras and Bombay Armies to avoid another revolt.

• Defend the Indian territory: The Indian branch of the army was to be used for expansion in Asia and Africa, while the British section was to be used as an army of occupation. 

• Discrimination: However, all officers in the army, as in other branches of government, were British, and the highest an Indian could achieve was the rank of Subedar.

Tags:
History & Culture

Keywords:
Army Reforms during Colonial Rule

Syllabus:
General Studies Paper 1

Topics:
Modern Indian History