The sixth chapter provides a survey of the mature Company state between 1818 and c. 1830, looking at how the Anglo-Indian political ideologies current at that time had been informed by the experience of the previous 50 years of colonial rule. It charts the development of the ‘Empire of Opinion’ school of Indian government, which emphasised governing through Indian institutions and the theatrical use of armed force, and examines the political thinking of its key advocate, the soldier-administrator Sir John Malcolm. Ultimately, the chapter seeks to explain the changed thinking around the priorities of colonial rule, particularly the role played by the military, which followed the establishment of a British hegemony.