Why was it smart for European colonial powers to wield power in their newly-acquired colonies through indirect rule? Can you draw parallelisms with previous dominant civilizations?

Answer 1

Compare those colonial powers with how Alexander the Great and (later) Caesar Augustus and his heirs controlled their empires.

https://www.google.com/search?q=alexander+the+great&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS705US707&oq=Alexander&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j0l5.6282j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

and

https://www.google.com/search?q=augustus+caesar+and+roman+emperors&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS705US707&oq=augustus+caesar+and+roman+emperors&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l2.14023j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8