| This thesis focuses on the expansion of the authority of the Government of India over the Arab states of the Persian Gulf during Lord Curzon's viceroyalty from 1899 to 1905. The expansion of authority was a response to fears at the highest levels of the British imperial establishment that rival powers were working to subvert British India's informal dominance over the Gulf. In order to preserve their position of dominance, the Government of India, largely under Lord Curzon's instigation and direction, aggressively increased its intellectual, informational, military, and political presence over the Gulf. The evidence used in this thesis is based on secret British and Indian Government publications, and the private correspondence of several important decision makers. The policies and actions of these individuals resulted in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf coming under the indirect rule of the Government of India, in a relationship analogous to the Indian princely states. |
