The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company
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- Author：William Dalrymple
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Summary
The story of how the East India Company took over large swaths of Asia， and the devastating results of the corporation running a country。
In August 1765， the East India Company defeated the young Mughal emperor and set up， in his place， a government run by English traders who collected taxes through means of a private army。
The creation of this new government marked the moment that the East India Company ceased to be a conventional company and became something much more unusual: an international corporation transformed into an aggressive colonial power。 Over the course of the next 47 years， the company's reach grew until almost all of India south of Delhi was effectively ruled from a boardroom in the city of London。
In August 1765， the East India Company defeated the young Mughal emperor and set up， in his place， a government run by English traders who collected taxes through means of a private army。
The creation of this new government marked the moment that the East India Company ceased to be a conventional company and became something much more unusual: an international corporation transformed into an aggressive colonial power。 Over the course of the next 47 years， the company's reach grew until almost all of India south of Delhi was effectively ruled from a boardroom in the city of London。
Reviews
Carl Palmateer
，
One interesting side point was the American colonist feared that the EIC would do to it what they did to India。 Then when Cornwallis went to India he was afraid India would do what the Americans did。
David Steele
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Meticulously researched。 Scrupulously even-handed （despite what many partisan reviewers would have had me believe） and every bit as exhausting as it was exhaustive。For somebody （like me） with no previous knowledge of the subject， this was a relentless parade of minute detail that never changes pace or focus。 This meant that there was never a moment of overview or re-cap。 Never an opportunity to contextualise any of the events or to look at the big picture to see how events from one chapter were Meticulously researched。 Scrupulously even-handed （despite what many partisan reviewers would have had me believe） and every bit as exhausting as it was exhaustive。For somebody （like me） with no previous knowledge of the subject， this was a relentless parade of minute detail that never changes pace or focus。 This meant that there was never a moment of overview or re-cap。 Never an opportunity to contextualise any of the events or to look at the big picture to see how events from one chapter were influencing another。The account continued its clockwork grind， with fascinating and grisly detail in each section。 First hand accounts， careful analysis of records， it's all here。 But I started each chapter with no concept of where it was heading， and as events moved on， I was struggling to remember the events and circumstances that had led to that point; especially in the case of returning players。 As a history， it was extensive and visceral。 As a learning tool， it was an impenetrable thicket。 。。。more
Faheem Ajaz
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Gloomy account of Mughal India hijacking， exploiting and finally burying down it in graveyard of history！
Simon Beechinor
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My first reading experience of the EIC was at boarding school in the sixties when everything the British did was apparently good and glorious。 Dalrymple has produced an excellent book。 A wonderful offering。 A realistic and unfortunately harrowing account of British involvement in India。
Joanna Burr
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Very interesting history of the East India Company and the power struggle within India。 A very important history when considering how to regulate corporations。
Paul Spence
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Six years in the making， the book has used original sources for the narrative。 It is based mainly on the Company's voluminous records。 The documents from its head office， and the dispatches of its Indian operatives to the directors in Leadenhall street， now fill the vaults of the British Library in London。 The often fuller and more revealing records of the Company's Indian Headquarters in Government House and Fort William， Calcutta， can today be found in the National Archives of India （NAI） in N Six years in the making， the book has used original sources for the narrative。 It is based mainly on the Company's voluminous records。 The documents from its head office， and the dispatches of its Indian operatives to the directors in Leadenhall street， now fill the vaults of the British Library in London。 The often fuller and more revealing records of the Company's Indian Headquarters in Government House and Fort William， Calcutta， can today be found in the National Archives of India （NAI） in New Delhi， and it is in those that the author concentrated his research。The book does not aim to provide a complete history of the East India Company （EIC）， still less an economic analysis of its business operations。 Instead it is an attempt to answer the question of how a single business operation， based in one London office complex， managed to replace the mighty Mughal Empire as as masters of the vast subcontinent between the years 1756 and 1803。The East India Company was founded in 1599 as a joint stock company that could bring in passive investors who had the cash to subscribe to a project but were not themselves involved in the running of it。 Such shares could be bought and sold by anyone， and their price could rise or fall depending on demand and the success of the venture。 Such a company would be 'one body corporate and politick' - that is， it would be a corporation， and so could have a legal identity and a form of corporate immortality that allowed it to transcend the deaths of individual shareholders， 'in like manner'， wrote the legal scholar William Blackstone， 'as the River Thames is still the same river， though the parts， which compose it are changing every instance。'In the course of time this trading corporation had become both colonial proprietor and corporate state， legally free for the first time， to do all things that governments do: control the law， and minister justice， assess taxes， mint coins， provide protection， make peace and wage war。However， 1756 was really the moment that the East India Company ceased to be anything even distantly resembling a conventional corporation， dealing in silks and spices， and became something altogether much more unusual。 Within a few months， 250 company clerks， backed by a military force of 20，000 locally recruited Indian soldiers， had become the effective rulers of the richest Mughal provinces。 An international corporation was in the process of transforming itself into an aggressive colonial power。By 1803， when its private army had grown nearly 200，000 men， it had swiftly subdued or directly seized an entire subcontinent。 Astonishingly， this took less than half a century。 The first serious territorial conquest began in Bengal in 1756; forty-seven years later， the Company's reach extended as far north as the Mughal capital of Delhi; and almost all of India south of that city was by then effectively ruled from a boardroom in the City of London。 It had， by this stage， created a sophisticated administration and civil service， built much of London's docklands and came close to generating half of Britain's trade。 Its annual spending within Britain alone - around 8。5 million pounds （890 million pounds today） - equalled about a quarter of total British government annual expenditure。In India， the East India Company might be immeasurably powerful， but in London - because of the Company's excesses - Parliament had been steadily chiselling away its powers and independence， first with Lord North's Regulating Act of 1773 and then with Pitt's India Act of 1784。 Between them， the two bills had done much to take control of political and military affairs of British India out of the boards of the Company directors in Leadenhall street and into those of the Board of control， the government body set up in 1784 to oversee the Company， across the Whitehall。 It eventually culminated in the outright nationalisation of the Company seventy years later in 1858。 India would remain in British hands until finally gaining its freedom and independence in August 1947。This book has attempted to study the relationship between commercial and imperial power。 It has looked at how corporations can impact on politics， and vice versa。 It has examined how power and money can corrupt， and the way commerce and colonisation have so often worked in lock - step。 For Western imperialism and corporate capitalism were born at the same time， and both to some extent spawned the modern world。The East India Company remains today history's most ominous warning about the potential for the abuse of corporate power - and the insidious means by which the interests of shareholders can seemingly become those of the state。 。。。more
Christopher Wells
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A fascinating summary of England’s conquest of India via a public corporation: the East India Company。 An absolutely fascinating narrative of the period between 1750 and 1810 as seen from both an English and Indian perspective。 Not a nice story from either perspective。
Vidur Kapur
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The Anarchy is a nicely flowing history that goes into some detail about the rise of the East India Company between 1600 and 1805。 Although it aims to answer the question of how the Company succeeded in replacing the Mughal Empire as the dominant power on the Indian subcontinent， the book is surprisingly short on analysis。 While Dalrymple does offer his own thoughts， and backs them up throughout the course of the book， this is no polemic。 He instead provides the reader with plenty of raw materia The Anarchy is a nicely flowing history that goes into some detail about the rise of the East India Company between 1600 and 1805。 Although it aims to answer the question of how the Company succeeded in replacing the Mughal Empire as the dominant power on the Indian subcontinent， the book is surprisingly short on analysis。 While Dalrymple does offer his own thoughts， and backs them up throughout the course of the book， this is no polemic。 He instead provides the reader with plenty of raw material to ponder on。 What is apparent， almost from the beginning， is that the subtitle （over which the author usually has no control） is misleading: the rise of the Company was not ‘relentless’ by any means。 Prior to the disintegration of the Mughal Empire in the early 1700s， the Company had to unfailingly adhere to Mughal protocol。 When it attempted to challenge Mughal authority， as in the Anglo-Mughal War of 1686-90， it was comprehensively defeated in battle。 It was the Maratha Empire which gradually chipped away at Mughal power （only briefly alluded to by the author）; subsequently， Nader Shah’s invasion of Delhi from Afghanistan in 1739 provided the hammer blow。 Shah’s invasion inspired the British and the French to attempt to expand their power and privileges。 In the 1740s and 1750s， buoyed by advances in military technology， they defeated the Mughals in battle when their trading interests were threatened and acted as mercenaries for other Indian powers。 That might have been the extent of the Company’s actions in Bengal， were it not for the outbreak of the Seven Years’ War between Britain and France。 The Company’s victory against France led a shady group of Indian bankers and others within the Nawab of Bengal’s court to approach the Company。 The goal: to remove the Nawab from power。 As Dalrymple writes:This was something quite new in Indian history: a group of Indian financiers plotting with an international trading corporation to use its own private security force to overthrow a regime… This was not part of any imperial masterplan。 In fact， the EIC men on the ground were ignoring their strict instructions from London… If Indian nationalists had wanted to invent a ‘stab-in-the-back’ story， they couldn’t have done much better than this。 The Company succeeded in overthrowing the Nawab at Plassey， and established unilateral control over much of north-eastern India seven years later at Buxar。 But the next 25 years were difficult。 For one， the Kingdom of Mysore entered the scene， defeating the Company in the First Anglo-Mysore War in the late 1760s。 Mysore’s artillery was more advanced than that possessed by the Company， and they developed the first iron-cased rockets successfully deployed for military use， which the British would adapt in the 19th Century。 Logistical innovations enabled them to rapidly deploy infantry and supplies throughout their territory， which the Company would also copy。 The Marathas， too， were rapidly advancing， and in 1780 joined forces with Mysore （who had hitherto been their enemy） and Hyderabad to form a Triple Alliance which very nearly ‘expelled the Company for good’。 By the end of that year， “one in five British soldiers in India were held prisoner” in Mysore。 Thus， from America to India， the British were suffering defeats。 Edmund Burke suspected it was only a matter of time before it was finished。 The Company was still in the process of recovering from its near-bankruptcy a decade earlier， caused by the Bengal famine that was exacerbated by Company policy and its refusal to provide comprehensive famine relief。 It was only due to a government bailout， secured with the help of the MPs who the Company had either bought off or who had a stake in the Company’s success， that it survived。 Indian wealth was too important to the British economy， which in turn meant that the Company was too big to fail。 It was this ability to secure capital from both British and Indian financiers， and the fact that it was better at forming alliances than the other major powers in the long-run， which enabled the Company to bounce back。 Mysore was defeated over the course of the 1790s， with the victory over Napoleon in Egypt preventing a Franco-Mysore attempt to rid the subcontinent of the Company。 The Marathas， in turn， were defeated in the early 1800s， in battles that were tougher for the future Duke of Wellington than Waterloo。 Dalrymple’s work is brilliant at highlighting the role of contingency in history。 Had the weather not turned the tide at Plassey in 1757， the Company may never have got any further。 Had Mysore and the Marathas pressed home their advantages， the Company would have been expelled。 Had the various Indian powers been more internally coherent， they would have stood a better chance。 But while it is interesting to ponder these questions， it is to read history backwards: the Indian powers had their own interests， and were not preoccupied with preventing the Company from succeeding at all costs。 The Company， although not native to India， was just another power at the end of the day。 As Dalrymple points out:The Company’s ever-growing Indian empire could not have been achieved without the political and economic support of regional power groups and local communities。。。 Overall， this is a fine work of history， worthy of the accolades it has received。 However， there are some omissions， and is not a substitute for Jon Wilson’s excellent India Conquered （reviewed here）， which Dalrymple himself has stated is the best single-volume work of history on the British Raj。 Wilson goes into more detail about the period from 1700-1730， when Maratha naval power was consistently inflicting defeats on the Company and other European powers on India’s west coast。 He also goes into more detail about the political economy of north-eastern India during Company rule， and of course covers the period from 1805-1947。 。。。more
Jason Larimer
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Really 4。5
Adam
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Interesting， if at times difficult to follow， account of the rise of the East India Company and its conquest of the subcontinent on behalf of its investors in the City of London。 The history seems incomplete， however， as it concludes with no mention of the Mutiny of 1857 and the transition from EIC rule to the British Raj。
Carol Weston
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Corporate Power to the nth degreeAs wealth was sought in the East， an unrestrained corporation astonishingly subordinated the subcontinent of India to its will。 Then slowly the nation state from whence it came begins to assert its dominance and exercise control。 A fascinating story！
Kalyan Tirunahari
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Written by the famous British Scholar William， the book goes through the details of how Britain plundered India in the 250 years of its rule。 Putting in perspective of numbers， they looted 45 Trillion Dollars（the entire USA current GDP is 20 Trillion Dollars in year 2020， Just imagine the Pile of loot）。Because of that loot， two major famines occurred。 1）The Bengal famine of 1769 2） Great Indian Famine of 1890s。 Farmers were loading up the London bound ships with their produce。 Officially 8 Crore Written by the famous British Scholar William， the book goes through the details of how Britain plundered India in the 250 years of its rule。 Putting in perspective of numbers， they looted 45 Trillion Dollars（the entire USA current GDP is 20 Trillion Dollars in year 2020， Just imagine the Pile of loot）。Because of that loot， two major famines occurred。 1）The Bengal famine of 1769 2） Great Indian Famine of 1890s。 Farmers were loading up the London bound ships with their produce。 Officially 8 Crore people starved to death。Its a good book to understand how the East India traders moved up the pawns against each of the Indian Kings through treachery。 。。。more
Preeti Nair
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We Indians had our school history textbooks detailing the colonial rule of the British over our country。 Our minds had been tuned to believe that the once rich and prosperous India had been incapacitated to its servile lowest by the scheming ways of the British regime。 This book attempts to tell a different tale that it was in reality a private corporation of merchants and business men who architected the massive plundering， destroying and killing of whatever Indian， men， culture， artwork， build We Indians had our school history textbooks detailing the colonial rule of the British over our country。 Our minds had been tuned to believe that the once rich and prosperous India had been incapacitated to its servile lowest by the scheming ways of the British regime。 This book attempts to tell a different tale that it was in reality a private corporation of merchants and business men who architected the massive plundering， destroying and killing of whatever Indian， men， culture， artwork， buildings over a period of over a century。 The corporation was called The East India Company（EIC）。 EIC became so powerful and menacing that the British Imperialist government put its foot down and successfully tamed the company in the late 1850s。 However the foundation was laid。 The Imperialist government picked up from when the EIC was disbanded。 India had to wait for another 90 years to get her independence on August 15， 1947。I really enjoyed reading this historical narrative of colonialism of India。 I feel the length of the book could be cut down by a few pages for a comfortable feel。 Anyways the book certainly is worth a read for history lovers。 。。。more
M Jahangir kz
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A very well written book， highly readable and knowledgeable。The book start with the foundation of East India Company in 1599， king James sent His envoy Thomas Roe to the Mughal India for a trade deal， English monarch gave away the the monopoly of trade to EIC with India。 EIC was a newly formed joint stock company， headquarted in London。 Rich english merchants were looking for a profitable project at that time， first they tried desperately but unsuccessfully for getting an upper hand in the spice A very well written book， highly readable and knowledgeable。The book start with the foundation of East India Company in 1599， king James sent His envoy Thomas Roe to the Mughal India for a trade deal， English monarch gave away the the monopoly of trade to EIC with India。 EIC was a newly formed joint stock company， headquarted in London。 Rich english merchants were looking for a profitable project at that time， first they tried desperately but unsuccessfully for getting an upper hand in the spices and peppers trade which was a monopoly of Dutch company， in the end they left the spice island for dutch and then headed for India for the trade of Cotton， textile， and which for better or worse proved to be more profitable and productive。 Any way after the glorious revolution of 1688/89 dutch and the English became the two side of the same coin。The story telling of the book is exceptional， it discusses the event of EIC meticulously。EIC was a private corporation， as soon as it established its trade monopoly in India， it started to straightened itself by playing the dirty game of playing the rival section against each other， EIC was a cold， brutal fascist， and racist corporation。 The only aim of the company was to extract as much benefits for its beneficiaries as possible。Robert Clive was one of the very bad guy of the company， at the battle of Plassey when Mir Jaffir deceived his native people， and trenchsouly helped EIC in defeating the Nawab of Bengal， Shuja ul daula。 So company helped him in return by installing Mir Jaffir as the puppet nawab of bengal。This was the first instant that opened a very rich and prosperous province of Bengal to the outrageous plunder for the company。 8 years later in 1765， the Mughal emperor Shah Alam signed a diwani after the defeat at the battle of Buxar， a contract which was handed over to the company， which allowed the company to collect taxes， imposed laws in the three richest province of India， Bengal， Bihar， Orissa。 The company plundered Bengal so ruthlessly that in 1770， Bengal was to be ruined by famine， the town after town was full of corpses， Bengal which was not so long ago was the most prosperous， and richest province of India， in a moment was back in the stone ages。 Pressure mounted on company as now due to famine and huge number of casualties the crops of Bengal were no more as productive， neither there was enough money left on the people for them to be taxed。 Company sold opium to china， and in turn bought tea from there， the company was on the brinks of bankruptcy， they needed some money to be raised， through company's influence British parliament passed a tea act for their colonies in North America。 Well tea was shipped to North America， the European settlers and native people of America were aware of the ruthless plundering of the EIC， so they thought they are going to treat us the same way as indian people， and like India， this company will exploit North America。 So they were never going to allow this to happen， the ships full of tea in the Boston harbour was drowned by them， so this began the chain of events which is going to be fatal for British in North America as it resulted in the declaration of independence of America。Mughal were a powerful and richest empire of the world in 17th century， its subject produced almost 60 percent of the global manufacturing， in the Raj era that began in 1857/58， lasted for almost 90 years， British thought that they were on a civilizational mission， well in early 17th century in the great Mughal era of Akbar， and Jahangir， the latter thought of launching a civilizational mission for Europe， but then let go of the idea， this was the prestige of Mughal of that time， they were the richest and mightiest empire on the earth at that time。Mughal were weakened once Aurangzeb became their emperor， the multi cultural， tolerant， peaceful legacy of India was torn into pieced by Aurangzeb， He attacked the Hindus seminaries， and divided the India on this line。 The second factor for their decline was the sacking of Delhi by Nader Shah of persia in 1739， Nadir shah plundered the Mughal capital， took away all the wealth that Mughal emperors collected in 300 years， he looted every home， and palace of the emperor， when Nader shah went back， the peacock throne， Koh i Noor， Diar i Noor， some 6000 elephants， 8000 horses， and 600 platoons full of jewelries， were accompanying him。 Muhammed shah Rangila， the mughal emperor was never going to recover from this humiliating plunderThe weakness of indian rulers， and the heinous and outrageous role that EIC played by using the native rulers against each other gave the company a great authority in the region。 Company defeated one rival after other， untill in 1803， it was to become the unrivalled ruler of India。 Companies rule wasn't lasted long in India though， company faced huge resistance from some members of the parliament， and its authority was soon become a point of discussion， it was first regulated in 1773， after British government gave them a bailout， a first mega bailout for a corporation， it was too big to fail， the Government bounced on the opportunity and in return regulated the company， and took away some of the authority。 In 1813 amid growing concerns， the trade monopoly of EIC was revoked， so now it was open for any other competing company to trade with India。 In 1835， the trade was altogether removed from the distinction of the company， and it became a governing company， and in 1857， after the sepoys mutiny amidst the chaos， and killing that company committed， British government took over from EIC， and all the withholdings of EIC were nationalised， the company was dismantled， and in 1873 when its charter expired， EIC was gone。 。。。more
Joe Bambridge
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Something I find about reading these kinds of books （dense， detailed histories in general， rather than histories of violent corporate imperialism specifically） super relaxing and therapeutic。I wished Dalrymple told us more about the ‘statecraft’ of the East India Company - which I use both to refer to its internal administration ‘as a state’ （though technically a corporation） and the impact on that of the lives of its ‘subjects’， as well as its actual embeddedness within the British state。 It （o Something I find about reading these kinds of books （dense， detailed histories in general， rather than histories of violent corporate imperialism specifically） super relaxing and therapeutic。I wished Dalrymple told us more about the ‘statecraft’ of the East India Company - which I use both to refer to its internal administration ‘as a state’ （though technically a corporation） and the impact on that of the lives of its ‘subjects’， as well as its actual embeddedness within the British state。 It （obviously） also focuses on India but could have benefitted from explaining how the Company’s Indian operation was situated within its other holdings。 Instead there’s a lot of focus on battles and artillery， which it is hard to build broader conclusions from - though keeps it very entertaining。Nonetheless， I think this is an invaluable piece of evidence in a revaluation of state theory; as the Epilogue suggests， the history of EIC/British imperialism is certainly not the only example of blurred boundaries between the state and the non-state as a means of advancing capitalist expansion， but it’s one of the most prominent and shocking。 。。。more
Prashant Mohan
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A great gift to any Indian history buff。 The research that has gone into the book， the balanced view of all things considered is superb。
Sabita
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Rating 4。5/5。This is one of those books I wouldn’t take up to read just for fun。 The weighty 576 page tome kept me hesitating for months， and the dry nature of the subject was not conducive to a reading time of just 15 minutes every evening before dropping off to bed。 This August however was India Independence Day month， so I took the opportunity of a 2-week forced quarantine to tackle this book。 I am so glad I did。 Dalrymple makes history come alive even without having to make the book into a “ Rating 4。5/5。This is one of those books I wouldn’t take up to read just for fun。 The weighty 576 page tome kept me hesitating for months， and the dry nature of the subject was not conducive to a reading time of just 15 minutes every evening before dropping off to bed。 This August however was India Independence Day month， so I took the opportunity of a 2-week forced quarantine to tackle this book。 I am so glad I did。 Dalrymple makes history come alive even without having to make the book into a “novel” with fictional aspects。 Having read a few of his other books on the topic， I view “The Anarchy” almost like a prequel to Dalrymple’s “The Last Mughal” which was about the First War of Indian Independence in 1857 and recapture of Delhi。 His “White Mughals” was set in the 19th century。 In contrast， The Anarchy starts with the formation of the East India Company in 1599 （when Shakespeare was writing Hamlet！） and ends in 1803 with the fall of Delhi to the Company culminating in the transfer of symbolic and real power from the Mughals to the British。The book deals with the parallel tracks of the fortunes of The Company and that of the Mughals and seeks to enquire as to how a company run out of London was able to not only overthrow the Mughals but also establish their hegemony of most of India。 Simultaneously there is a parallel heart-wrenching story of the fall of the Mughal empire diminishing from a trans Indian power to Shah Alam II stuck inside his little box that extends from Delhi to Palam。 （“The empire of Shah Alam is from Delhi to Palam” – Persian saying）。 Many side actors that influenced these outcomes are also described in good detail。What was fascinating to me about this enquiry was the rise and fall of the EIC - how did a regular company that started off first as a trader， then land owner and tax collector， manage to obtain a massive army to overthrow existing rulers and take over the rule of India？ How did it fail？ By over leveraging and committing such acts of brutality that it was noticed in the British parliament and first regulated and then nationalized post 1857。 While the company was barbaric this was also the period when there was intense collaboration。 Because there was still a jockeying for power with a semblance of equality on both sides。 In fact， around 1600s， when EIC officials came to meet the Mughals in Jahangir’s time they found it difficult to get time。 They were supplicants。 Post 1850s， the tables were turned and the British reigned supreme in the subcontinent。 Somewhere in between for around 50 years between 1800 and 1850s was the era of the White Mughals when there seems to have been collaboration and cooperation between both sides。WHAT I LIKED1。tDalrymple makes history come alive by telling it like a story， providing some idea on the premeditations of the characters and the intricacies of the politics and motivations behind the various alliances 2。tHe brings out the characters beautifully， especially Robert Clive， Warren Hastings， Cornwallis， Wellesley governor generals， the Mughal Emperor and Tipu Sultan。 The technique he employs， of studying their portraits and their actions and suggesting the personality they could be – I found that very powerful3。tDescription of events painstakingly researched and described quite eloquently albeit horrifically eg。 Ghulam Qadir’s sacking of Delhi and Blinding of Shah Alam II Son of Alamgir II， impeachment of Warren Hastings， description of Sir Thomas Roe’s visit to the court of Jahangir 4。tUnlike his previous books this one doesn’t have annoying footnotes within the same page。 The story is more readable as a result with a smoother flow。 Dalrymple resorts to quotes a fair bit to underscore authenticity – a bit easier on the flow than footnotes 5。tDramatis personae are introduced upfront so you can keep going back to them if confused6。tQuite nuanced in his description of personalities – presents their good and bad sides。 Eg。 Tipu Sultan， Warren Hastings， Siraj ud Daulah7。tSome great photos included that give a good sense of people， life and times in that era。 Indeed， I gazed on numerous for quite a while as I tried to imagine life for them in that period。WHAT I DIDN’T MUCH CARE FOR/ COULD BE BETTER1。tThe battles and details。 For someone like me who is fond of a good story rather than the trivia associated with it， as also preference for the machinations and strategies behind war rather than the tedious detail of these wars， there was just too much information 2。tWould have been nice to have some diagrams showing relationships/ connections/ alliances to quickly comprehend the political détente3。tToo lengthy – personally would have been happier if he hadn’t exhibited his full erudition in the text， but rather in the references！ Particularly the battles4。tWould have been nice to have some dates with significant milestones/ battles etc so that it put the whole period into a more organized picture in my mindINTERESTING THINGS I LEARNED FROM THIS BOOK1。tEast India Company was set up in 1600 to buy spices directly from East Indies but were pushed back by Dutch so focused on textiles， indigo and chintz in India （which at the time was 1/5 world pop， ¼ the output）。2。tTipu Sultan was the only one who put up resistance to the Brits from start to finish3。tParallels in today’s context that EIC became too big to fail and had to be rescued as it overborrowed and began making huge losses4。tParallels in that the riches earned by EIC went into the pockets of its shareholders who became rich at the expense of Indian plundering。 Like a lot of the modern multinationals who are using big data， surveillance， lobbying and influence with governments5。tParallels in that initially Asia was a thriving economic region colonized and plundered by colonialists。 Now is it Asia’s time in the sun again？6。tParallels to Brexit in that England had fought with its European neighbours and had to prove a point because it was a distant third behind Spain， Holland and Portugal7。tHow did a small company managed out of London subjugate an entire nation？ Combination of the Governor Generals， the lack of unity among the Indian rulers， and the financial strength they got by borrowing from Indian money lenders8。tWords originally from Indian origin: chintz， calico， shawl， pyjamas， khaki， dungarees， cummerbund， taffetas， loot9。tWas not very evident why East India Company was more successful than Dutch or French or Portuguese。 In an interview Dalrymple says that the French and Portuguese were more royal。 Dutch was commercial but had gone into decline in 18th century。 A bit scary that it was only the focus， determination， strength and ruthlessness of a corporation that could achieve what the EIC did。 And the audacity that the Brits managed to gain supremacy in India using Indian money， trained Indian soldiers and alliances with Indians。 EXTRACTS FROM THE BOOKExample of Dalrymple’s beautiful characterization， and balanced views on the characters in this drama:”Hastings was certainly no angel; and the EIC under his rule was as extractive as ever。 After Francis’s departure， Hastings began to take a more old-fashioned， pseudo-monarchical and even despotic idea of his powers， something Burke particularly disliked。 Moreover， during the military crisis of the early 1780s， in the aftermath of victories by the armies of Tipu and the Marathas， when it looked as if the Company might easily be driven out of India， Hastings had been forced to raise money quickly to fight the war and to save Madras and Calcutta。 He chose to raise it by pressuring the Company’s princely allies to contribute， and he used some extremely dubious means to gather the sums he needed。 These included bullying the Nawab of Lucknow， Asaf ud-Daula， forcefully to strip the wealth of his purdah-bound aunts， the Begums of Avadh。 He also personally used strong-arm tactics on Chait Singh， the Raja of Benares， an intervention that caused a local uprising and nearly cost Hastings his life…。All of these were potentially grave charges。 But Hastings was nevertheless by far the most responsible and sympathetic of all the officials the Company had yet sent to India。 From his early twenties， his letters had been full of outrage at the unprincipled way Company officials were exploiting India and mistreating Indians。 He had many close Indian friends and regarded himself as an honourable champion of justice for the people of Bengal。 He had railed and campaigned against those who were plundering the country and wrecking the Bengali economy and he did his best to set it on a more prosperous and sustainable path。 He took concrete measures to make sure there was no repetition of the terrible famine of 1770， including building the great Gola in Patna， which survives to this day。 His successor said that in Bengal he was by far the most popular of all the British officials in India， ‘positively beloved of the people’。Nor did he even look the part: far from being an ostentatious and loud-mouthed new-rich ‘Nabob’， Hastings was a dignified， intellectual and somewhat austere figure。 Standing gaunt at the bar in his plain black frock coat， white stockings and grey hair， he looked more like a Puritan minister about to give a sermon than some paunchy plunderer: nearly six feet tall， he weighed less than eight stone: ‘of spare habit， very bald， with a countenance placid and thoughtful， but when animated， full of intelligence。’”Another example of Dalrymple’s eloquence in describing the early meetings and supplications of the EIC with the Mughal Emperor Jahangir: “A new， more impressive mission was called for， and this time the Company persuaded King James to send a royal envoy。 The man chosen was a courtier， MP， diplomat， Amazon explorer， Ambassador to the Sublime Porte and self-described ‘man of quality’， Sir Thomas Roe。 In 1615 Roe finally arrived in Ajmer， bringing presents of ‘hunting dogges’ – English mastiff s and Irish greyhounds – an English state coach， some Mannerist paintings， an English virginal and many crates of red wine for which he had heard Jahangir had a fondness; but Roe nevertheless had a series of difficult interviews with the Emperor。When he was finally granted an audience， and had made his obeisance， Roe wanted immediately to get to the point and raise the subject of trade and preferential customs duties， but the aesthete Emperor could barely conceal his boredom at such conversations。 Jahangir was， after all， an enormously sensitive， curious and intelligent man: observant of the world around him and a keen collector of its curiosities， from Venetian swords and globes to Safavid silks， jade pebbles and even narwhal teeth。A proud inheritor of the Indo-Mughal tradition of aesthetics and knowledge， as well as maintaining the Empire and commissioning great works of art， he took an active interest in goat and cheetah breeding， medicine and astronomy， and had an insatiable appetite for animal husbandry， like some Enlightenment landowner of a later generation。 This， not the mechanics of trade， was what interested him， and there followed several months of conversations with the two men talking at cross purposes。 Roe would try to steer the talk towards commerce and diplomacy and the firmans （imperial orders） he wanted confirming ‘his favour for an English factory’ at Surat and ‘to establish a firm and secure Trade and residence for my countrymen’ in ‘constant love and pease’; but Jahangir would assure him such workaday matters could wait， and instead counter with questions about the distant， foggy island Roe came from， the strange things that went on there and the art which it produced。 Roe found that Jahangir ‘expects great presents and jewels and regards no trade but what feeds his insatiable appetite after stones， riches and rare pieces of art’。 ‘He asked me what Present we would bring him，’ Roe noted。 I answered the league [between England and Mughal India] was yet new， and very weake: that many curiosities were to be found in our Countrey of rare price and estimation， which the king would send， and the merchants seeke out in all parts of the world， if they were once made secure of a quiet trade and protection on honourable Conditions。 He asked what those curiosities were I mentioned， whether I meant jewels and rich stones。 I answered No: that we did not thinke them fit Presents to send backe， which were first brought from these parts， whereof he was the Chiefe Lord … but that we sought to find things for his Majestie， as were rare here， and vnseene。 He said it was very well: but that he desired an English horse … So with many passages of jests， mirth， and bragges concerning the Arts of his Countrey， he fell to ask me questions， how often I drank a day， and how much， and what？ What in England？ What beere was？ How made？ And whether I could make it here。 In all which I satisfied his great demands of State …’。Roe could on occasion be dismissively critical of Mughal rule – ‘religions infinite， laws none’ – but he was， despite himself， thoroughly dazzled。 In a letter describing the Emperor’s birthday celebrations in 1616， written from the beautiful， half-ruined hilltop fortress of Mandu in central India to the future King Charles I in Whitehall， Roe reported that he had entered a world of almost unimaginable splendour。The Mughals， in return， were certainly curious about the English， but hardly overwhelmed。 Jahangir greatly admired an English miniature of one of Roe’s girlfriends – maybe the Lady Huntingdon to whom he wrote passionately from ‘Indya’。 But Jahangir made a point of demonstrating to Roe that his artists could copy it so well that Roe could not tell copy from original。 The English state coach was also admired， but Jahangir had the slightly tatty Tudor interior trim immediately upgraded with Mughal cloth of gold and then again showed off the skills of the Mughal kar-khana by having the entire coach perfectly copied， in little over a week， so his beloved Empress， Nur Jahan， could have a coach of her own。Meanwhile， Roe was vexed to discover that the Mughals regarded relations with the English as a very low priority。 On arrival he was shoved into a substandard accommodation: only four caravanserai rooms allotted for the entire embassy and they ‘no bigger than ovens， and in that shape， round at the top， no light but the door， and so little that the goods of two carts would fill them all’。 More humiliatingly still， his slightly shop-soiled presents were soon completely outshone by those of a rival Portuguese embassy who gave Jahangir ‘jewels， Ballests [balas spinels] and Pearles with much disgrace to our English commoditie’。’ 。。。more
Kevin Miller
，
This is non-fiction Game of Thrones。 I came in expecting a dry book about the evils of colonialism， but got a political page turner about the intricate conflicts of the end of the Mughal empire。 In fact， this book is really not about the East India Company so much as the end of the Mughals， where the EIC happened to end up victorious。 As a result， it is a little lacking in explaining the significance of the company’s role in Indian history and global capitalism。
Sankar Krishnan
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A thriller all the wayAnarchy: the relentless rise of East India Company （ECI） traces the coming of the English as well the fall of the Mughal empire。The book maps the evolution of a trading firm into an 'empire within an empire'。 Started as a joint stock company， ECI struggled to launch itself at a time when rival companies like the Dutch East India Company and the Portuguese company had made significant progress in setting up trade posts in East Asia and were flush with funds and support of th A thriller all the wayAnarchy: the relentless rise of East India Company （ECI） traces the coming of the English as well the fall of the Mughal empire。The book maps the evolution of a trading firm into an 'empire within an empire'。 Started as a joint stock company， ECI struggled to launch itself at a time when rival companies like the Dutch East India Company and the Portuguese company had made significant progress in setting up trade posts in East Asia and were flush with funds and support of their empires。Failing to compete in the Spice Islands， the present-day Indonesia， the British company set foot on the shores of India in the 1600s。 Over two hundred years the company grew into a gigantic corporation that undermined the Mughal Empire， when it was bigger and richer than the Persian and Ottoman Empire of the times。The fall of the mighty Mughal Empire is the other angle from which the book can be seen。 When the English reached the court of Jahangir in the 1600s they struggled to get an audience with the Emperor and it took many meetings before they could even get his nod to set up a trading post。 Jahangir never took the business interests of the English seriously。 Instead， he would indulge in conversations about the exotic breeds of dogs and horses and dispose them of。 There are paintings of court scenes where the Emperor is shown to be sitting on his famous Peacock Throne and the British official standing with his hands folded。 The angreezi official had to appear in the traditional attire of the locals and pay his obeisance to the King like other subjects。About 150 years later the English company officials had become so powerful that Robert Clive， after defeating the Mughals in the famous Battle of Plassey， reduced the Emperor to a supplicant， who would surrender all his honour and would come to depend on company for his maintenance。 Then came the Treaty of Allahabad which virtually conceded to the British the rights of taxing the people directly and setting the terms of trade in the country。 Thus began the great drain of a country whose GDP and standard of living at that time were much higher than that of Britain。 On more than one occasion the Mughals with the help of the rising Marathas， Tipu Sultan and the French could have driven out the English。 But that didn't happen not just because of lack of unity among the rivals of British， but also because each empire was fighting for itself and there was no concept of Indian nation then。 When the crucial battles such as the Battle of Plassey and Buxar took place the English and the French saw themselves as nationalists。 Though they were not fighting as the country's representatives， they were highly conscious as English or French。 The book aims to tell a real story like a thriller， and mostly succeeds。 。。。more
Shahamat Shakir
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book tells us about the origin of the East Indian Company。 1。 The book starts the Battle of Plassey on 23rd June 1757。 After winning the battle of Plassey， British rule started in India。 The book also tells us about the East India Company’s rise to glory and power。2。 The East India Company accounted for almost all the trades that took place between Europe and Asia。 It was the biggest monopoly in the world at that time。 By the first half of the 18th century， they set up their bases in Mumba This book tells us about the origin of the East Indian Company。 1。 The book starts the Battle of Plassey on 23rd June 1757。 After winning the battle of Plassey， British rule started in India。 The book also tells us about the East India Company’s rise to glory and power。2。 The East India Company accounted for almost all the trades that took place between Europe and Asia。 It was the biggest monopoly in the world at that time。 By the first half of the 18th century， they set up their bases in Mumbai， Calcutta， and Madras。 Bombay Harbour （1731）， Mumbai; Calcutta Port Trust （October 1870）， Calcutta; Madras Port; Chennai。 By the end of 1803， they have gained control of the entire subcontinent。Finally， we see，1。 The book clearly states to us the period of British Rule in the Indian Subcontinent。 。。。more
Fayyas
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The Anarchy， it is really a wonderful work on how a joint stock company from the City of London created nearly 4 centuries ago captured power from the Mughal Empire and taking control over the entire hindustan。。starting firstly with the fall of Bengal， submission of Nizam， defeat of Tippu and Marathas and finally capture of the Mughal Throne from Shah Alam and ending up with transfer of power to the British Crown after the Indian Mutiny in 1857 and exile of the Last Mughal Bahadur Shah Zafar to The Anarchy， it is really a wonderful work on how a joint stock company from the City of London created nearly 4 centuries ago captured power from the Mughal Empire and taking control over the entire hindustan。。starting firstly with the fall of Bengal， submission of Nizam， defeat of Tippu and Marathas and finally capture of the Mughal Throne from Shah Alam and ending up with transfer of power to the British Crown after the Indian Mutiny in 1857 and exile of the Last Mughal Bahadur Shah Zafar to Burma。The author has done a wonderful research making use of many previously untranslated resources especially of Persian orgin and completely indexed of the sources from where he took each bits and connected it to the end。 。。。more
Ross Nelson
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Meticulously researched， with many sources from India at the time， this is the story of how a single corporation pillaged an entire country。 Britain did not colonize India， the East India Company did。 Britain simply inherited it when the company's useful life ended。The only downside of this book for me was the detail of so many battles between the EIC forces and various Indian rulers。 While it may be of interest to military historians， there was just too much of it for me， though it was useful t Meticulously researched， with many sources from India at the time， this is the story of how a single corporation pillaged an entire country。 Britain did not colonize India， the East India Company did。 Britain simply inherited it when the company's useful life ended。The only downside of this book for me was the detail of so many battles between the EIC forces and various Indian rulers。 While it may be of interest to military historians， there was just too much of it for me， though it was useful to learn that the EIC had a mercenary army that was at one point larger than that of the British state itself。 Imagine the destruction possible if Amazon and Blackwater operated as a single entity。。。such was the East India Company。An unexpected tidbit was learning how the EIC contributed to the American Revolution。 When it went through a "too big to fail" period， it was given a monopoly on tea sales， which directly led to the Boston Tea Party！ 。。。more
Jan
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Interesting history of the rapacious behaviour of EIC officials in Bengal who took advantage of the disintegration of the Mughal empire at the end of the 18th century to enrich themselves and return to Britain as wealthy 'nabobs'。 The sub-title is 'the rise of the East-India Company'， but that's misleading。 The book is only about Dalrymple's favorite subject: the Mughals in India。 All of the 150， very interesting， previous years of history of the EIC in Asia are compressed in just 53 pages as th Interesting history of the rapacious behaviour of EIC officials in Bengal who took advantage of the disintegration of the Mughal empire at the end of the 18th century to enrich themselves and return to Britain as wealthy 'nabobs'。 The sub-title is 'the rise of the East-India Company'， but that's misleading。 The book is only about Dalrymple's favorite subject: the Mughals in India。 All of the 150， very interesting， previous years of history of the EIC in Asia are compressed in just 53 pages as the first chapter， that seems to have been tacked on as an afterthought。 For a history of the EIC John Keay's 'The Honourable Company' is much superior and more balanced。 It's better written too， with a sense of humour instead of Dalrymple's permanent indignation。Also the 19th century， with the EIC's China trade and the founding of Hong Kong and Singapore is completely absent from the book。This is especially odd because Dalrymple wants to make a point of warning us about the large， multinational corporations of today。 Such a warning is of course justified。 But apart from the fact that these modern corporations are very different from the EIC， using mainly the late 18th century Bengal episode to make that point doesn't work very well， as by then the EIC wasn't even a real corporation anymore。 It had since the Carnatic war against the French been heavily supported by the British navy and army。 It had also gone bankrupt in 1773 and was bailed out by the British Crown， in return for partial control。 After that the EIC in India steadily changed from a trading company into an administrative and tax-extracting service of the British Crown。Also， by wrongly assuming that the Bengal episode is a representative example， Dalrymple overestimates the EIC's power and role in Asia。 Actually the Dutch and English East-India companies were for a long time from around 1600 mostly just players in a largely equal Asian playing field。 Especially the EIC， that was wrestled out of the spice trade in the Indonesian archipelago by the VOC， was very much pushed around by the powerful Mughals in India。 It was only at the end of the 18th century， and the take-over of the companies by the state， that the real colonization phase started。 By then， European military power had become superior， enabling the colonial states to play a dominant role in the 19th century。 。。。more
Jay
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Brilliant！ Unbelievably thorough and dense with people and incidents。 As interesting as Indian history is， William Dalrymple has succeeded in making it read better than fiction。
Dylan
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Good
Evelyn
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Most of what I thought I knew about the East India Company was either wrong or inadequate。 This book describes in great detail the state of India as the Company went from being a simple trading company to an organisation with an army bigger than the British army of the time and eventually in control of the whole country。 Meanwhile the Mughal empire had descended to the state of anarchy of the title。 Contemporary sources are quoted regularly and the various characters involved are vividly brought Most of what I thought I knew about the East India Company was either wrong or inadequate。 This book describes in great detail the state of India as the Company went from being a simple trading company to an organisation with an army bigger than the British army of the time and eventually in control of the whole country。 Meanwhile the Mughal empire had descended to the state of anarchy of the title。 Contemporary sources are quoted regularly and the various characters involved are vividly brought to life。 Not a book to read quickly unless you are very familiar with the subject but well worth spending time to read。 。。。more
Amritansh Varshney
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Brilliantly written， offers detailed accounts of the rise of EIC and the subsequent decline of the regional powers。 Lays bare the several weaknesses （& strengths） of character and morality of all the contending powers。
Neeta Sirvi
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Completed on 30/07/21 🥰The Anarchy by Williams Dalrymple is a great informative book on how the east Indian company looted and hollowed India。Good read。
Julie
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I was so disappointed in this book。 It was nonstop war， graphic details about torture， rape， etc。 I learned very little about the EIC or how India actually became a British colony。
Pam White
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