The governmental presence in the colonies were usually designed to serve the interest of the colonizers. Let's examine Spanish and British empire as a comparison.
Spanish Empire's main purpose of creating colonies was to spread Christianity. British Empire on the other hand did it purely for their economic interest/
Spanish Empire will install a government within the colony that forced the local to abandon their original language, culture, and religion so it will be easier for them to learn about Christianity. This was the reason why ex-Spanish Colonies now speak Spanish and mostly Catholics. The government installed by the British empires on the other hand mostly acted as intermediary that treated the colonies as a smaller business entities.
