The succession to the throne was hereditary. However, sometimes usurpation to the throne took place as Saluva Narasimha came to power by ending the Sangama dynasty.
The Empire was divided into different administrative units called Mandalams, Nadus, sthalas and finally into gramas. The governor of Mandalam was called Mandaleswara or Nayak. Vijayanagar rulers gave full powers to the local authorities in the administration.

The Vijayanagar army was well-organized and efficient. It consisted of the cavalry, infantry, artillery and elephants.
The top-grade officers of the army were known as Nayaks or Poligars. They were granted land in lieu of their services. These lands were called amaram. Soldiers were usually paid in cash.

These were Indian Opinion (in South Africa during 1903-1915), Young India (1919- 1931), and Harijan (1933-1942 and 1946-January 1948).

L. M. Bhole identifies five phases of the Swadeshi movement.
• 1850 to 1904: developed by leaders like Dadabhai Naoroji, Gokhale, Ranade, Tilak, G.V. Joshi and Bhaswat.K.Nigoni. This was also known as First Swadeshi Movement.
• 1905 to 1917: Began with and because of the partition of Bengal in 1905 by Lord Curzon.
• 1918 to 1947: Swadeshi thought shaped by Gandhi, accompanied by the rise of Indian industrialists.
• 1948 to 1991: Widespread curbs on international and inter-state trade. India became a bastion of obsolete technology during the licence-permit raj.
• 1991 onwards: liberalization and globalization. Foreign capital, foreign technology, and many foreign goods are not excluded and doctrine of export-led growth resulted in modern industrialism. The second Swadeshi movement started with the partition of Bengal by the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon in
1905 and continued up to 1911. It was the most successful of the pre-Gandhian movement.

The Royal Commission on Labour or the Whitley Commission on Labour was set up in 1929 to inquire into the existing conditions of labour in industrial undertakings and plantations in India. The Commission was chaired by John Henry Whitley. The commission submitted its report in 1931. The report surprised many by concurring with the criticisms of Mahatma Gandhi and others that poverty was the cause of India’s social and industrial problems. It was also critical of British employers’ role in perpetuating the problems.