Indirect rule encouraged exploitation and oppression. Indirect rule was a form of colonial administration in which local traditional leaders were given authority to govern on behalf of the colonial power. This approach was used in some African and Asian colonies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Under indirect rule, colonial powers relied on the existing social and political structures in the colony, rather than creating new administrative systems. This often meant that traditional rulers were given power to enforce colonial policies, such as taxation and forced labor, on their own people. This system encouraged the exploitation and oppression of the local population, as the traditional rulers were often incentivized to cooperate with the colonial powers in order to maintain their own status and privileges. Indirect rule was criticized for exacerbating existing power imbalances and contributing to the rise of nationalist movements as a response to colonialism.