The British Raj's ideology borrowed from the era's conventional civilizing mission, claiming British rule over South Asia on behalf of Indians until the mission's indeterminate completion. Unlike previous divine sanction-oriented ideologies, this introduced modernism within local communities, shaping Indian and Muslim modernism.
The British established a meritocratic civil service, initially accessible only to the English, later opened to Indians, emphasizing competitive exams for public service recruitment. This replaced arbitrary pre-British systems and positioned state servants as serving an abstract law, not personal rulers. Additionally, the British introduced representative institutions, previously alien to South Asia, to co-opt local elites and address demands from Westernized Indians.
These changes led to debates on representation, with the Indian National Congress blaming the British for divisive categories and the Muslim League advocating for safeguards against a Hindu majority's tyranny.
Eventually, the subcontinent was partitioned into India and Pakistan. Despite the colonial state's conservative legacy, which hinders reforms, it remains a key source of stability in both countries.