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Nationalism is a modern phenomenon. In the eighteenth century, there was no real national identity in India. The many people in the Indian sub-continent did not regard themselves as Indians. It was only in the twentieth century that the sub-continent people had a sense of belonging to a nation. The majority of people identified with their tribe, clan, ethnic group, or religion. This meant that the peoples of the sub-continent were very divided among themselves. This allowed the British to use some of the natives Indians to help them run and govern the Empire. This is best seen in the British policies on the Indian army.

The British East India Company regularly used native Indian troops to defend and expand their territory in the sub-continent. Without these Indian troops, it is highly unlikely that the British would ever have established their ascendency in the sub-continent. It was also a factor in the conquest of large areas of Asia and Africa by Europeans and later <ref>Smith, Simon. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/052159930X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=052159930X&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=f797ff380d05c71cf46a112dd25d350e British Imperialism 1750–1970]'' (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1994), p 145.</ref>

Furthermore, because there was a lack of unity among the Indians, they were more than willing to work with the British and betray undermine each other. The British's victory at the Battle of Plassey was due to the treachery of one of the Nawab of Bengal's ally.<ref>Smith, p 78.</ref>. At one time or another, the various local rulers were allied with the British as they pursued their own political interests. The lack of national unity meant that the British could adopt a classic divide and rule policy. This strategy facilitated the British piece-meal take-over of India's lands until they had assumed a pre-eminence in the sub-continent.<ref>Smith, p. 134.</ref>