British Imperialism in the Punjab, 1845-58: An Appraisal

Abstract

The British came late to the Punjab and stayed there for almost a century. After
the first Anglo Sikh War (1845) the Trans-Sutlej territories of Jullundur and
Hoshiarpur were annexed by the British. A Regency Council was established
under a British Resident in Lahore to govern the remainder of the Sikh
Kingdom. The collapse of this arrangement led to the Second Anglo-Sikh War
(1849) and decisive victory of the British in the battle of Gujrat paved the way
of British annexation of the Punjab. The Punjab in the years to come provided a
firm foundation to the British imperialism in India. The Punjab episode under
the British rule is considered comparatively a period of relative peace and
stability. When the British, after a century of turbulence, took the control of
the Punjab they brought political and socio-economic transformation.
Dalhousie’s scheme of administration in Punjab at the time of its annexation
was combined with the advantages of both the civil and a military government.
The triumvirate (Board of Administration) laid the foundation of effective
governance and imperialism in the Punjab and later on the Punjab as the Chief
Commissioner’s province (from 1853 onwards) consolidated the imperial
structures in the Punjab. Peace and reforms in the initial years earned
popularity and goodwill for the British in the Punjab