Protectorate vs Colony: Difference and Comparison

In most cases, the new form of government is established after the previous form of government cannot meet the needs of residents.

When this sort of government is founded, the prior government’s beneficial characteristics are kept while the negative attributes are altered.

Protectorates and colonies are formed in the same way. Definitions, philosophy, characteristics, structure, and other criteria distinguish these two forms of government.

Key Takeaways

1. A protectorate is state-controlled and protected by another state, while a colony is a territory controlled and settled by another state.
2. Protectorates have more autonomy than colonies and are allowed to govern themselves to some extent.
3. Colonies are established to extract resources or extend political influence, while protectorates are established for strategic or military reasons.

Protectorate vs Colony

A Protectorate is a country or nation that is managed and protected by another sovereign country apart from its own country, and it’s without a parliament or constitution. A colony is a location that is under foreign control and it normally follows the Majority rule but there’s no parliament.

A protectorate is a state that another government has granted protection in exchange for something else. In order for such an arrangement to succeed, the state may have something to offer a larger country.

In a protectorate, all external contacts focus on the country defending the area. Knowing that they can rely on their guardians as defenders will bring a greater sense of security to small countries.

A colony is a territory that is administered by a different country. A colony has no sovereignty; it is under the direct control of another country.

If a colony has any external connections, they are established and managed by the country in which it is located. A colony is an area owned by a country but ruled by another country.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Protectorate	Colony
Definition	A protectorate is a sovereign entity that is only guarded by a larger country. A colony is an area within a bigger nation that is administered by the same country.	A colony is an area within a bigger nation that is administered by the same country.
Majority Rule	Does not apply.	Present.
Succession Rule	Applies	Does not apply.
Parliament	Absent	Not Applicable
Constitution	Absent	Absent

What is Protectorate?

A protectorate is a nation that is administered and protected by a sovereign country other than its own.

It is a dependent territory that enjoys local autonomy in most internal affairs and, at the same time, recognizes but does not directly hold the suzerainty of a larger sovereign state.

In exchange, the protectorate takes on specific responsibilities that are outlined in the agreement. In most cases, the treaty establishes a legal protectorate.

A protected state is one that preserves its “international personality” and has some autonomy in conducting foreign affairs.

Protection ties are rarely publicised for political and practical reasons, instead of being referred to as “an independent state with special treaty relations” with the protective state. The protected state appears on the world map like any other sovereign state.

The international management of a country can also be regarded as a kind of international protection, with an international organization rather than a country acting as the protector.

A protectorate has only direct foreign connections with the protector, and the protector manages all the protectorate’s more significant international issues.

Correspondingly, the protectorate rarely engages in military action on its own, preferring to rely on the protector for protection.

What is Colony?

A colony is an area that is subject to foreign control in political science. Despite being ruled by foreign colonists, colonies are kept distinct from the governance of the settlers’ home nation, the metropolitan state (or “mother country”).

Because of this colonial administrative division, the colony is neither a consolidated territory nor a vassal state.

Some colonies have been established as dependent territories that weren’t self-governing enough or as self-governing colonies under the supervision of colonial settlers.

The name comes from an architectural comparison in which a pillar is placed above the (sometimes stylized) head. This is a biological analogy to the body as a subordinate to the dominant head.

As a result, colonies are not self-governing; instead, they are governed by a distinct organization that fulfils the capital role. When the Romans conquered the neighbouring Italians, they established colonies.

These small agricultural communities sprung up when the Romans defeated their opponents in battle. A colony is a group of people who constitute a certain kind of settlement in a country, but another country directly governs them.

Main Differences Between Protectorate and Colony

1. A protectorate is a sovereign entity that is only guarded by a larger country, whereas a colony is an area within a bigger nation that is administered by the same country.
2. In Protectorate, the majority rule does not apply. The majority rule does not apply in the Colony.
3. The Protectorate’s succession rule is Not Applicable, and the Colony’s is Not Applicable.
4. Parliament is not present in the Protectorate and is not applicable in the Colony.
5. In the Protectorate, there is no constitution, and in the Colony, there is no constitution.

References

1. https://academic.oup.com/trstmh/article-abstract/52/2/135/1899850
2. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-journal-of-international-law/article/legal-status-of-aden-colony-and-the-aden-protectorate/DABEC79742BD5B0AD67A81907C649054

Last Updated : 13 July, 2023