The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire
- Downloads：4417
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-11-10 06:57:50
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：William Dalrymple
- ISBN：1635573955
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
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
Rolf Kirby
，
An amazing history of India， and the Mughal Empire when it was tottering， when into the anarchy came the East India Company。
Lorenzo Cracchiolo
，
Il racconto dell'ascesa della CIO è formidabile， interessante， coinvolgente e pieno di colpi di scena。 Dalrymple riesce a trasmettere egregiamente l'epopea della CIO in maniera quasi romanzesca。 Dalla sua parte vi è una bibliografia di tutto rispetto， numerosissime fonti primarie e tanta corrispondenza riportata。 Le vicende sono vissute attraverso gli occhi dei protagonisti da una parte e dalla voce narrante storica dall'altra。 Tuttavia questa continua alternanza trascina troppo certi passaggi i Il racconto dell'ascesa della CIO è formidabile， interessante， coinvolgente e pieno di colpi di scena。 Dalrymple riesce a trasmettere egregiamente l'epopea della CIO in maniera quasi romanzesca。 Dalla sua parte vi è una bibliografia di tutto rispetto， numerosissime fonti primarie e tanta corrispondenza riportata。 Le vicende sono vissute attraverso gli occhi dei protagonisti da una parte e dalla voce narrante storica dall'altra。 Tuttavia questa continua alternanza trascina troppo certi passaggi in una serie di orpelli evitabili。 A volte la scrittura non è fluida， ma arzigogolata， inframmezzata da troppe citazioni e， in generale， confusionaria。Il saggio rimane comunque di ottimo livello e merita assolutamente una lettura。 。。。more
Dennis Fischman
，
I've been reading a lot of fiction set in India lately， and I thought I should start learning more about its history。 This book did teach me quite a bit about the role the East India Company played in that history。 It was not the first company set up to trade with the East: the French and the Dutch preceded it， and even the British company for the Levant。 By being a corporation， though， it made its investors--some of whom were highly placed British politicians--view its business interests as the I've been reading a lot of fiction set in India lately， and I thought I should start learning more about its history。 This book did teach me quite a bit about the role the East India Company played in that history。 It was not the first company set up to trade with the East: the French and the Dutch preceded it， and even the British company for the Levant。 By being a corporation， though， it made its investors--some of whom were highly placed British politicians--view its business interests as their own。 In the 1750's， when the British military and diplomatic corps were incapable of defending themselves （let alone asserting themselves） in India， the EIC had the resources to play one Indian faction against another and conquer， first Calcutta， then Bengal， and exert influence all across the subcontinent。The EIC proceeded to loot India。 （In fact， "loot" is a word that entered the English language from India at this period！）In a handful of years， the flow of wealth， which had mainly gone from Europe to Asia in the past， completely reversed。 The EIC grabbed precious materials， enslaved artisans， and taxed farmers。 When the rains failed in the 177o's for three successive years and famine ensued， the EIC treated India the way that Britain would later treat Ireland during the potato famine， as a place to extract from even while the population was dying。 But the expense of oppressing a desperate people bankrupted the EIC。 It had to take a huge loan from the British government， and in return， it had to agree to let the government regulate it， both in London and on the ground。 By the 19th century， after even greater rebellion by Indians， the government first essentially made the EIC into a department， then abolished it。As a Yank， I had no idea！ I salute this book for dispelling any notion that the rebellion on this side of the pond was the biggest issue that George III and his ministers faced in the 1770's！ Half the income of the British Empire at that time came from India， and they stood to lose it if they did not rein the East India Company in。I have to say， however， that a few chapters into the book， I started skimming。 Dalrymple insists on telling us about the tactics of every battle （military or political）。 He adheres to the Great Man theory of history: to him， it really matters what we think of Aurangzeb， Shah Alam， Robert Clive， and Warren Hastings， and it matters not at all whether or not we can think of these events as they affected ordinary men。 I say "men" advisedly， because hardly a woman's name appears throughout。 （Zero women are mentioned in the Dramatis Personae at the front of the book。） Beyond that， even though he pretends that the book has something important to say about corporate violence， the implications for 21st century corporate power are left to the imagination of the reader。I still need to read something that gives me a better sense of Indian life before and during British colonialism。 I'd be grateful for recommendations。 。。。more
Robbie Warke
，
Important and well researched， but a slog to get through。
Minahil
，
wealth of information， but perhaps too much for one book
Andrew Hull
，
Amazing history and brilliantly done by darymple。 However， he draws precisely the wrong conclusions。 It should be a tale of caution of the excesses of the state， cruelty and the fight for power。 The Company is attempting to make a profit but is constantly drawn into the battles between the warring Indian rulers and wars of succession。 The final conquests are done by Wellesley who is， in Darymples own words， on an imperial conquest for the British Govt not in line with the Company wishes and for Amazing history and brilliantly done by darymple。 However， he draws precisely the wrong conclusions。 It should be a tale of caution of the excesses of the state， cruelty and the fight for power。 The Company is attempting to make a profit but is constantly drawn into the battles between the warring Indian rulers and wars of succession。 The final conquests are done by Wellesley who is， in Darymples own words， on an imperial conquest for the British Govt not in line with the Company wishes and for which the Company sacks him。 All regulation ends when the State finally takes control。 。。。more
John Bleasdale
，
Well written and fascinating detail
Eran
，
I listened to the Audible。 It's a very well researched history。 Pretty crazy founding of the modern day corporation and history of British imperialism。 Mughal rulers at the time were similarly confused。 One wrote to the board of the EIC， thinking he must be a ruler of a great nation。 Instead it was just a small company of men who ruled the world's largest army， owned the greatest wealth， and controlled more people than any other nation。 I did not know that British imperialism started out as a co I listened to the Audible。 It's a very well researched history。 Pretty crazy founding of the modern day corporation and history of British imperialism。 Mughal rulers at the time were similarly confused。 One wrote to the board of the EIC， thinking he must be a ruler of a great nation。 Instead it was just a small company of men who ruled the world's largest army， owned the greatest wealth， and controlled more people than any other nation。 I did not know that British imperialism started out as a corporation and not a national endeavour。 Bengal only came under British rule after parliament， half of who owned shares in the company， woke up to the exploitation of the locals and thought that a people should not be ruled by a corporation。 That job belongs to a non representative government in a land far away。There are a few characters that stand out。 Shah Alam， the final Mughal ruler， is one of those。 He was a devout muslim and seemingly kind to his people。 The company schemed with his enemies to take his land， money， and family。 His children and wives were raped and tortured。 He was blinded。 Despite all this， he managed to stay above the fray and wrote poetry。 In short， the British are not just a nation of shop keepers， but a nation of evil corporations。 When profit is the only motive， the employer will dehumanize the worker as a means to that end only。 。。。more
Rick Harsch
，
As good as you can expect from a Brit。
Amanpreet Singh
，
Good coverage British era providing details of circumstances during that period。 Book is very well written engaging and hard to put down once picked up。
Mark Robertson
，
This book covers a compelling topic that has plenty of relevance to today’s world。 The East India Company became， in the 18th century， the first too-big-to-fail corporation。 But it’s was in no way merely a trading company; it built its own army and navy， made alliances across India and fought local powers as well as the French in India。 The company used its powers to take much of India’s accumulated wealth away from its rightful owners through taxes， extortion and outright theft。 It did so at fi This book covers a compelling topic that has plenty of relevance to today’s world。 The East India Company became， in the 18th century， the first too-big-to-fail corporation。 But it’s was in no way merely a trading company; it built its own army and navy， made alliances across India and fought local powers as well as the French in India。 The company used its powers to take much of India’s accumulated wealth away from its rightful owners through taxes， extortion and outright theft。 It did so at first with no government oversight， though regulation eventually came， as did， of course， nationalization。 Dalrymple should have provided more maps and would have benefited from a tighter editing process; he sometimes repeats himself and he relies too heavily on quotations， l feel。 Still， a good read。 。。。more
Sajith Kumar
，
The eighteenth century was a critical period of transition in Indian history。 The Mughal Empire began disintegrating immediately after the death of Aurangzeb。 Or in other words， it can also be said that the pace of disintegration accelerated after fate removed Aurangzeb from the throne。 A combination of weak and incompetent princes， dissension in the provinces， power struggles among princes and external threats destabilized the House of Timur day by day。 It lost the reins completely after Nadir The eighteenth century was a critical period of transition in Indian history。 The Mughal Empire began disintegrating immediately after the death of Aurangzeb。 Or in other words， it can also be said that the pace of disintegration accelerated after fate removed Aurangzeb from the throne。 A combination of weak and incompetent princes， dissension in the provinces， power struggles among princes and external threats destabilized the House of Timur day by day。 It lost the reins completely after Nadir Shah’s invasion in 1739。 Shah looted the entire wealth of the Mughals and carried away the treasure to Persia。 The financially wrecked empire than had to deal with the English East India Company （EIC） which was growing from strength to strength in Bengal。 The Hindus were also making resurgence in the form of Marathas and Jats。 The Mughal emperor was literally at the protection of the Maratha confederacy。 This book covers the period of five decades from 1756 – on the brink of Plassey – to 1803 when the British defeated the Marathas and took over as the Mughal emperor’s protectors。 The contention between the British， French， Mughals and their vassals like the Bengal Nawab， Nizam of Hyderabad and Tipu Sultan and also the Marathas created a condition of anarchy in the subcontinent。 William Dalrymple makes an excellent survey of the country in that period in this book。 This is the latest volume from him。 The book attempts to answer how a business corporation based in London managed to replace the mighty Mughal Empire as masters of India。Dalrymple presents a prescient review of the operations of EIC and how the U-turn in the flow of money between India and England occurred after the company started poking its nose in regional battles with Mughal vassals。 By the 1750s， the items handled by the company were tea， saltpeter， silk and cotton cloth。 It had to exchange silver coins to purchase goods in India。 £6 million （£630 million in current values） had been sent out in the first half of eighteenth century， but very little silver bullion was dispatched after Plassey。 Bengal was the sink into which foreign bullion disappeared before 1757。 But after this crucial year， Bengal became a treasure trove from which vast amounts of wealth were drained without any prospect of return。 A large portion of the money ended up in the hands of company officials illegally。 A good proportion of the loot of Bengal went directly into Clive’s pockets。 The entire contents of the Bengal treasury were loaded into a hundred boats and transferred to company’s strongholds。 India was being robbed in plain daylight。 This required a strong military force to keep peace and order among the contenders。 By the time EIC captured Delhi， the company had trained up a private security force of 200，000 sepoys which was double the size of the regular British army。 It marshalled more fire power than any nation-state in Asia。Dalrymple then makes a unique observation that the conquest of India was not the end-result of an imperialist masterplan but rather the unexpected side-effects of manipulations in regional politics for power。 Readers get stunned at this straight formulation of a new theory， but the author makes a convincing argument of the case。 Siraj ud-Daula， whom the English defeated at Plassey， was a cruel despot who rough-treated his own nobles and Jagat Seth， the most powerful banking house of Bengal。 Mir Jaffar， Siraj’s paymaster， turned against him with the help of Jagat Seth and encouragement from EIC。 This was something quite new in Indian history。 This was an instance of a group of Indian financiers plotting with an international trading corporation to use its own private security force to overthrow a regime they saw threatening the income they earned from trade。 This was not part of any imperial strategy。 In fact， the EIC men were ignoring their strict instructions from London， which were only to repulse French attacks。 Seeing opportunities for personal enrichment as well as political and economic gain for their country， they dived headlong into the conspiracies。 The Battle of Plassey was fought with only 800 Europeans and 2200 South Indian sepoys。 After the Queen’s oversight was mandated by regulations， the company had to wage many battles which eventually bankrupted them。The Battle of Plassey was a turning point in Indian history as the beginning of the end of Mughal colonialism and rise of British colonialism。 This was the moment when the traders associated with a for-profit trading company engaged in administration of the land。 Clive had intended only to establish British trade on a favourable footing and to ensure the accession of a friendlier Nawab than Siraj ud-Daula。 But what they had in fact done was permanently to undermine the authority of Nawabs， bringing chaos to the most peaceful and profitable parts of the country。 The Nawabs hoisted by the company soon turned against them and engaged in battle at Buxar。 The nominal Mughal emperor Shah Alam also participated in the battle with his troops。 The Mughals were convincingly defeated and they forfeited to the company the right to collect taxes （diwani） in the provinces of Bengal， Bihar and Orissa。 The emperor signed off economic management of the three richest provinces to EIC， taking Rs。 2。6 million in his pocket annually。 The only condition he set to the company was to ‘govern the provinces agreeably to the rules of Mohammed and the law of the empire’。 This concession enabled the company to soar high to conquer the entire land。The book then takes a detour to examine the rising opposition in England to the company’s way of operations in India。 Immediately after the company received the diwani， Bengal went through a gruesome famine lasting several years。 Millions perished， but the company made an increase in tax collection。 By 1771， word was spreading about company’s inhumanity in Bengal。 The number of dead and dying was simply too vast to hide。 The immense wealth flaunted by returned company officials – called nabobs – also caused resentment。 Strident demands arose for the Crown to take over Bengal as a government colony so ending the asset-stripping of the province by a for-profit company。 In 1772， several banks in England and the continent went bankrupt and the EIC came on the brink of loan default。 Having a sizeable income of Britain channeled in through the remittances of the company， it was simply too big to be allowed to go down under。 In return for a loan of £1。4 million as a bailout package， the company agreed for parliamentary control through the Regulating Act of 1773。 Henceforth， parliament took upon itself the right to appoint the company’s governor general in India and to oversee its operations。 The 1773 Act did little to muzzle the worst excesses but it created a precedent。 It marked the beginning of a steady process of state interference that would ultimately end in outright nationalization in 1858。The plundering mindset of both the Mughals and the British is evident in their sharing of spoils from Bengal treasury while the province was reeling under the worst famine and famished people were dying in hundreds on the wayside。 Stretching the comparison a bit longer， it can be concluded that the Mughals and EIC feasted on the carcass of Bengal。 While EIC increased its remittances to London during the famine， Emperor Shah Alam anxiously demanded the company to pay him the tribute from Bengal as he was in extreme demand of money。 But don’t be misled by the urgency of the request！ This was not to pay for any famine relief， but only to satisfy the demands of his court musicians and dancing girls。 The author also portrays the extreme helplessness of the emperor。 His forces had earlier defeated Rohilla chief Zabita Khan and sacked his Pathargarh fort。 Shah Alam took his son Ghulam Qadir to Delhi and used him as a catamite。 After a few years， Ghulam Qadir attacked Delhi while the Maratha protection force was engaged in an internal conflict among them。 Qadir extracted his revenge from the royal family by raping the royal princesses， forcing the princes to perform dances in women’s costume and finally gouging Shah Alam’s eyes out with his own hands。 The Marathas under Mahadji Scindia chased Qadir and retaliated by severing his head before inflicting all the punishments he gave to Shah Alam， who was the nominal overlord of the Marathas。As is usual among left-liberal writers， Dalrymple strives hard to portray Tipu Sultan as a benevolent and impartial ruler who treated all religions equal。 The attempt is quite clumsy and unconvincing though。 He accuses the British to have consistently portrayed Tipu as a savage and fanatical barbarian， but he was in truth a connoisseur and intellectual with a library containing 2000 books （p。321）。 Tipu was also in the habit of sending offerings to Sringeri Mutt。 Will these mitigate his atrocious conduct described by the author on the same page？ Tipu Sultan had a cruel bend of mind and was in the habit of cutting off arms， legs， ears and noses of prisoners before hanging them。 He routinely circumcised captive enemy combatants and brutally converted them to Islam。 He destroyed temples and churches of those he conquered。 Another of his favourite pastime went like this: he tied naked Hindu and Christian prisoners to the legs of elephants and made the animals to run in opposite directions till the bodies of the victims are torn to pieces。 The modern ISIS has also replicated this kind of punishment， probably stimulated by the deeds of their ‘illustrious’ predecessor。 The only difference is that they used SUVs rather than elephants。 One has to change with the times， isn’t it？The East India Company sucked the life blood of India for a century before it was dismantled after the 1857 war of independence。 But if you look at it from a modern management expert’s viewpoint， it was the ultimate model of commercial efficiency。 After a century of incorporation， it still had only 35 permanent employees in its head office。 The firm managed military conquest， subjugation and plunder of vast tracts of south Asia while operating from a modest office building in London。 But what played out in the end was the supreme act of corporate violence in history。 Dalrymple plays up the usual liberal trope of the enlightened Mughals in treating their subjects without consideration of the religion they belong to。 We see a conscious selection of passages which favour the narrative of ‘magnanimous Mughals’。 Not content with stopping there， he goes a step further and includes passages depicting the barbarity of Marathas。 We read about Shah Alam’s poems praising Hindu gods on the one hand and the Marathas destroying temples in Bengal on the other。 A notable feature of the book is the special care it devotes to estimate the present money value of the amounts mentioned in historical records。 Seeing these figures Indians would surely get heartburn at the vast amount of wealth plundered out of India by the British， Persians， Afghans and Mughals。 Quite expectedly， Dalrymple’s style of writing is a delight to readers。The book is recommended。 。。。more
Lindsay Ward
，
Recommended by Jacob Alcorn
Sanjida
，
This is an impressive book， but there was far too much military detail for my tastes， and not enough editorializing （😄）。
North Landesman
，
“The East India company has， thankfully， no exact modern equivalent。 Walmart， which is the world’s largest corporation in revenue terms， does not number among its assets a fleet of nuclear submarines; neither Facebook or Shell possesses regiments of infantry。 Yet the East India Company- the first great multinational corporation， and the first to run amok， was the ultimate model and prototype for many of today's joint stock corporations。”Dalyrmple’s book is one of the best history books I have ev “The East India company has， thankfully， no exact modern equivalent。 Walmart， which is the world’s largest corporation in revenue terms， does not number among its assets a fleet of nuclear submarines; neither Facebook or Shell possesses regiments of infantry。 Yet the East India Company- the first great multinational corporation， and the first to run amok， was the ultimate model and prototype for many of today's joint stock corporations。”Dalyrmple’s book is one of the best history books I have ever read。 The story of how a small corporation took over a country of hundreds of millions of people actually happened， and Dalyrmple paints a vivid， fast-moving story of how it happened。 The history is fascinating on its own end， but its connections to today’s times are especially noteworthy。 Even someone who doesn’t usually enjoy 400 page history books will like this book。 。。。more
Sebastiano Gualtieri
，
Almost a five star， if it weren't for the too many details about internal secondary events。 On the contrary I would have insisted a bit more on the broader geopolitical contexts and on the concept of the company in general （and its role in our economic history）。 Other than that， this book often reads as smooth as a novel and offers a clear picture of a crucial part of Indian history。 Almost a five star， if it weren't for the too many details about internal secondary events。 On the contrary I would have insisted a bit more on the broader geopolitical contexts and on the concept of the company in general （and its role in our economic history）。 Other than that， this book often reads as smooth as a novel and offers a clear picture of a crucial part of Indian history。 。。。more
Jared
，
“Corporations have neither bodies to be punished， nor souls to be condemned， they therefore do as they like。” - Edward， First Baron Thurlow （1731–1806）， the Lord Chancellor during the impeachment of Warren HastingsEdmund Burke famously put it， ‘a state in the guise of a merchant’。WHAT IS THIS BOOK ABOUT？- the story of how the East India Company took over large swaths of Asia， and the devastating results of the corporation running a country。BOOK TITLE- As Fakir Khair ud-Din Illahabadi put it， ‘di “Corporations have neither bodies to be punished， nor souls to be condemned， they therefore do as they like。” - Edward， First Baron Thurlow （1731–1806）， the Lord Chancellor during the impeachment of Warren HastingsEdmund Burke famously put it， ‘a state in the guise of a merchant’。WHAT IS THIS BOOK ABOUT？- the story of how the East India Company took over large swaths of Asia， and the devastating results of the corporation running a country。BOOK TITLE- As Fakir Khair ud-Din Illahabadi put it， ‘disorder and corruption no longer sought to hide themselves and the once peaceful realm of India became the abode of Anarchy- The country lies groaning under the Anarchy， laws have no power of sanction， morals are corrupt to the ultimate degree， the people groan under a multitude of vexations， all caused by the decay and confusion into which this once-great empire has fallen， with legitimate rulers having neither credibility nor authority。WHY SHOULD ANYONE CARE ABOUT THIS TODAY？- 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。- Instead Empire is transforming itself into forms of global power that use campaign contributions and commercial lobbying， multinational finance systems and global markets， corporate influence and the predictive data harvesting of the new surveillance-capitalism rather than – or sometimes alongside – overt military conquest， occupation or direct economic domination to effect its ends。- What Burke feared the East India Company would do to England in 1772 – potentially drag the government ‘down into an unfathomable abyss’ – actually happened to Iceland in 2008–11， when the systemic collapse of all three of the country’s major privately owned commercial banks brought the country to the brink of complete bankruptcy。 In the twenty-first century， a powerful corporation can still overwhelm or subvert a state every bit as effectively as the East India Company did in Bengal in the eighteenth。A COMPANY WITH SUCH A SMALL， INITIAL FOOTPRINT- In many ways the East India Company was a model of commercial efficiency: one hundred years into its history， it had only thirty-five permanent employees in its head office。 Nevertheless， that skeleton staff executed a corporate coup unparalleled in history: the military conquest， subjugation and plunder of vast tracts of southern Asia。 It almost certainly remains the supreme act of corporate violence in world history。WITH SUPPORT FROM THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT- Yet perhaps the most crucial factor of all was the support that the East India Company enjoyed from the British Parliament。 The relationship between them grew steadily more symbiotic throughout the eighteenth century until eventually it turned into something we might today call a public–private partnership。LOTS OF LOBBYING- Indeed， the East India Company probably invented corporate lobbying。- a large number [of MPs] had invested their savings in East India stock。- The parliamentary investigation into this， the world’s first corporate lobbying scandal， found the EIC guilty of bribery and insider trading and led to the impeachment of the Lord President of the Council and the imprisonment of the Company’s Governor。A JOINT STOCK COMPANY- the EIC was from the very first conceived as a joint stock corporation， open to all investors。GIVEN A MONOPOLY- As well as freedom from all customs duties for their first six voyages， it gave them a British monopoly for fifteen years over ‘trade to the East Indies’，INDIA WAS NOT THE PRIMARY GOAL- After several more bruising encounters， the EIC directors decided they had little option but to leave the lucrative Spice Islands and their aromatic spice trade to the Dutch and focus instead on less competitive but potentially more promising sectors of the trade of Asia: fine cotton textiles， indigo and chintzes。 The source of all three of these luxuries was India。INDIA WAS VERY INDUSTRIOUS- India then had a population of 150 million – about a fifth of the world’s total – and was producing about a quarter of global manufacturing; indeed， in many ways it was the world’s industrial powerhouse and the world’s leader in manufactured textiles。THE EIC BECAME A CENTRAL ELEMENT IN THE BRITISH ECONOMY- One Company member， the early economic theorist Thomas Mun， wrote that the Company’s trade was now ‘the very touchstone of the Kingdom’s prosperity’。BENGAL， IN PARTICULAR， WAS A PRIZE- Only one thing kept the settlement going: Bengal was ‘the finest and most fruitful country in the world’， according to the French traveller François Bernier。“YOU DON’T NEED A FORT！”- What Siraj wanted was for the British to behave as the Armenians had done for centuries: to trade in the province as a subject merchant community， relying not on their own fortifications but on the protection of the Mughal governor。BECAME ‘TOO BIG TO FAIL’- But the East India Company really was too big to fail。 So it was that the following year， in 1773， the world’s first aggressive multinational corporation was saved by one of history’s first mega-bailouts – the first example of a nation state extracting， as its price for saving a failing corporation， the right to regulate and severely rein it in。WOULD THREATEN TO TAKE THEIR BUSINESS ELSEWHERE- the EIC had transformed a sandy beach into a flourishing port; if Da’ud Khan was harsh and overtaxed them， the EIC would simply move its operations elsewhere。- In this way the EIC prefigured by 300 years the response of many modern corporates when faced with the regulating and taxation demands of the nation state: treat us with indulgence， they whisper， or we take our business elsewhere。AMERICAN COLONISTS WERE WARY OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY- Indeed， one of the principal fears of the American Patriots in the run-up to the war was that Parliament would unleash the East India Company in the Americas to loot there as it had done in India。- One Patriot writer， John Dickinson， feared that the EIC， having plundered India， was now ‘casting their eyes on America as a new theatre whereon to exercise their talents of rapine， oppression and cruelty …’IN-FIGHTING KEPT THE INDIANS DIVIDED- Mughal succession disputes and a string of weak and powerless emperors exacerbated the sense of imperial crisis:- They could only hope to win against the Company if they stood united。 With every passing day， however， that unity was becoming more and more elusive。BRITISH EXPLOITED THEIR OPPONENTS’ DIFFERENCES- Wellesley also worked hard to keep the warring Maratha armies from patching up their differences。 In particular， adopting the old Roman maxim divide et impera， divide and rule， Wellesley did all he could to keep Scindia and Holkar from reconciling。 In this he was especially successful。LACK OF DISSENT AT THE LOCAL LEVEL- 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。THE FRENCH TAKEN OUT OF CONTENTION- The capture of Chandernagar was a body blow to the entire French presence in India。 As Jean Law noted， ‘with the fall of Chandernagar， the gate to the entire country was thrown open to the English， a gate that opened onto the road of glory and riches。THE BATTLE OF PLASSEY CHANGED THE FUTURE OF INDIA- It was at Plassey that the Company had triumphantly asserted itself as a strong military force within the Mughal Empire。- After Plassey， unregulated private English traders began fanning out across Bengal， taking over markets and asserting their authority in a way that had been impossible for them before the Revolution- Here they defied the power of local officials， refusing to pay the few taxes， tolls or customs duties they were still required to pay， as well as encroaching upon land to which they were not entitled。- ‘They began to trade in articles which were before prohibited， and to interfere in the affairs of the country，’THE BRITISH BECOME KING-MAKERS IN INDIA; UNDERMINE THE SYSTEM- Clive and his colleagues had intended to do little more than re-establish British trade on a favourable footing and to ensure the accession of a more friendly Nawab。 But what they had in fact done was fatally and permanently to undermine the authority of the Nawabs， bringing chaos to what had been up to that point the most peaceful and profitable part of the old Mughal Empire。USE OF EXISTING INSTITUTIONS TO EXERT CONTROL （“LIKE IT NEVER EVEN HAPPENED”）- The Marathas continued to use Mughal administrative procedures and practices， in most cases making the transition to their rule so smooth it was almost imperceptible。- the massive tribute that Mir Jafar had so thoughtlessly agreed to pay for Company support in overthrowing Siraj ud-Daula， and which was now daily depriving them of the payments and salaries that sustained the engine of state。EXPENDABLE LOCAL PUPPETS- Making war against the Nawab they had personally installed only five years earlier was not only a political embarrassment for the Company; it was a financial disaster:- The fiction that Bengal was still being ruled by the Nawab was dispensed with and the Company now emerged as the undisguised ruler:- They play the game of advancing without ever being seen to make any step forward … In brief， they assiduously practise that old maxim followed by the Romans in their politics， that is， in the words of Tacitus， everywhere to keep in place [local hereditary] rulers， in order to use them as instruments to reduce the people to slavery。DISCIPLINED TROOPS MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR THE EIC- In the end it was， as ever， the superior discipline of the Company’s troops that won them the day。 Munro liked to remind his troops that ‘regular discipline and strict obedience to orders is the only superiority that Europeans possess in this country’， and the events that day proved him right。FINANCIAL POWER WAS INDISPENSABLE TO THE EIC- In the end it was this access to unlimited reserves of credit， partly through stable flows of land revenues， and partly through the collaboration of Indian moneylenders and financiers， that in this period finally gave the Company its edge over their Indian rivals。 It was no longer superior European military technology， nor powers of administration that made the difference。 It was the ability to mobilise and transfer massive financial resources that enabled the Company to put the largest and best-trained army in the eastern world into the field。- In the end， it all came down to money…Ultimately it was the East India Company， not the Marathas or the Sultans of Mysore， that the financiers across India decided to back。- Ultimately the East India Company succeeded in war precisely because it had found a way to provide a secure financial base for its powerful mercenary army，BOUGHT OFF POTENTIAL OPPONENTS- Messages were sent out to seduce， corrupt and buy the frequently unpaid mercenaries in Maratha service;INFLUENCE OF THE EIC SPREAD FARTHER INLAND- The three great armies of the Mughal world had come together to defeat the Company and expel it from India。 When instead it was the Mughals that were defeated， the Company was left the dominant military force in north-east India。 Buxar confirmed the Company’s control of Bengal and the coast and opened the way for them to extend their influence far inland to the west。THE EIC TAKES ON THE TRAPPINGS OF A GOVERNMENT- A trading corporation had become both colonial proprietor and corporate state， legally free， for the first time， to do all the things that governments do: control the law， administer justice， assess taxes， mint coins， provide protection， impose punishments， make peace and wage war。DID NOTHING IN THE FACE OF A FAMINE IT CAUSED; LOOKED FOR PROFITS- The total numbers are disputed， but in all perhaps 1。2 million – one in five Bengalis – starved to death that year in what became one of the greatest tragedies of the province’s history。- In February 1771， the Council was able to tell the directors in London that ‘notwithstanding the great severity of the late famine， and the great reduction of people thereby， some increase [in revenue] has been made’。NAPOLEON HAD WANTED TO DEFEAT THE BRITISH BY ATTACKING EGYPT AND THEN INDIA- In a book about Turkish warfare [Napoleon] had scribbled in the margin before 1788 the words， ‘Through Egypt we shall invade India， we shall re-establish the old route through Suez and cause the route by the Cape of Good Hope to be abandoned。’- In the Battle of the Nile on 1 August， Nelson had sunk almost the entire French fleet in Aboukir Bay， wrecking Napoleon’s hopes of using Egypt as a secure base from which to attack India。EIC EVENTUALLY FORCED OUT BY THE BRITISH CROWN- two bills had done much to take control of political and military affairs of British India out of the hands 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 town in Whitehall。THE EIC’S ARMY BECAME MASSIVE- The Company’s army had expanded very quickly under Wellesley’s rule and within a few years its muster roll had gone up by nearly half from 115，000 to 155，000 men; in the next decade its numbers would rise again to 195，000， making it one of the largest standing European-style armies in the world， and around twice the size of the British army。EIC LOSES POWER- In 1813， Parliament abolished the Company’s monopoly of trade with the East， allowing other， merchants and agency houses to set up shop in Bombay and Calcutta。- In 1833， Parliament finally took action。 They passed the East India Company Charter Bill， which removed the East India Company’s right to trade and so turned it into a sort of governing corporation。THE BEGINNINGS OF INDIAN REVOLT- Finally， on 10 May 1857， the EIC’s own private army rose up in revolt against its employer。- In the aftermath of the Great Uprising – the Indian Mutiny as it is known in Britain， or the First War of Independence as it is called in India – Parliament finally removed the Company from power altogether。END GAME- In 1859…that the Governor General， Lord Canning， formally announced that the Company’s Indian possessions would be nationalised and pass into the control of the British Crown。 Queen Victoria， rather than the directors of the EIC， would henceforth be ruler of India。 - The East India Company limped on in its amputated form for another fifteen years when its charter expired， finally quietly shutting down in 1874， ‘with less fanfare，’ noted one commentator， ‘than a regional railway bankruptcy’。 - Its brand name is now owned by two brothers from Kerala who use it to sell ‘condiments and fine foods’ from a showroom in London’s West End。*** *** *** *** ***BONUS- A good overview of the entire， long history （Extra History cartoons）: - #1: https://youtu。be/E4vonIphF4E - #2: https://youtu。be/AqCWlABVddY - #3: https://youtu。be/x1JwJJybHDs - #4: https://youtu。be/ZYIf2MtIcEY - #5: https://youtu。be/o0vBdP5hFng- Joint stock companies: https://youtu。be/nEWy4m-P1SU- Who were the the Marathas？ （1674-1818）: https://youtu。be/--Ly9qdkQ1Y- Impact of theBattle of Adyar （a few European trained troops could defeat much larger forces）: https://youtu。be/Km-Vk5CowsA- East India Company is now owned…by an Indian: https://youtu。be/_c4-t3d3htM- Robert Clive: https://youtu。be/S_SYeWYMAPE- Summary of the battles of Plassey and Buxar: https://youtu。be/ojSfPZjIg0U- English defeat at the Battle of Pollilur （1780）: https://youtu。be/Z21dv_4GmNs- The trial of Warren Hastings and loss of East India Company’s autonomy: https://youtu。be/ZYIf2MtIcEY- French loss at Battle of the Nile （1798） prevented French threat to India: https://youtu。be/PzJcDmj5ghQFACTOIDS- One of the very first Indian words to enter the English language was the Hindustani slang for plunder: loot。- the silk-clad Mughals， dripping in jewels， were the living embodiment of wealth and power – a meaning that has remained impregnated in the word ‘mogul’ ever since。- This was only the first in a whole series of surprises in a battle that Arthur Wellesley [later known as 1st Duke of Wellington] would later remember as one of the hardest he had ever fought， and altogether tougher than his later confrontation with Napoleon at Waterloo。GOOD QUOTES- It was no longer difficult to predict the future。 By the 1790s the Comte de Modave， for one， had no doubt what lay in store for India。 ‘I am convinced that the English will establish themselves in the Mughal empire only precariously and with much uncertainty，’ he wrote， ‘and they will no doubt， eventually， in due course of time， lose it。’- As Burke wrote: ‘The Constitution of the Company began in commerce and ended in Empire;’ or rather， as one of its directors admitted， ‘an empire within an empire’。- James Silk Buckingham went even further: ‘The idea of consigning over to a joint stock association … the political administration of an Empire peopled with 100 million souls were so preposterous that if it were now for the first time to be proposed it would be deemed not merely an absurdity， but an insult to the meanest understanding of the realm。’ 。。。more
Harsh
，
Had EIC been defeated in the 1770s， there would have been no "Patna massacre，" but the "battle of Patna。" Needless to say， you'd hear about the massacres and rape of Bengal and Assam， and other provinces of the time， where the hooligans and imperialists set foot。A tearjerker - especially when reading how the Sultans， ShahanShah， Rajas， and Maharajas lost the wealth of the country because of their weaknesses and greed。 Dalrymple provides an excellent modern-day comparison of the corruption during Had EIC been defeated in the 1770s， there would have been no "Patna massacre，" but the "battle of Patna。" Needless to say， you'd hear about the massacres and rape of Bengal and Assam， and other provinces of the time， where the hooligans and imperialists set foot。A tearjerker - especially when reading how the Sultans， ShahanShah， Rajas， and Maharajas lost the wealth of the country because of their weaknesses and greed。 Dalrymple provides an excellent modern-day comparison of the corruption during UPA II （INC + others） between 2009 - 2014。The book， as an Indian reader， feels to be treading a thin line， bordering on justifying the PICs （psychopaths-in-charge of EIC）， massacres， rapes， and loot by both the employees of the company and the British government of the time。 However， I understand it's primarily because the references have been taken from the letters/historians of the invaders。I hope this can be converted into a 3-part series。 I want to further read the accounts of the 19th and 20th centuries from the perspective of the looters。 。。。more
Akhilesh Karad
，
Is accurate but could use more context in the 3rd and the 4th chapters
Saad Din
，
Book is written by William Dalrymple is more than enough to close an argument however just to formally write the review I must say that it's a smoothest read。 Being a historian is not enough to be a readable writer one has to know the art of making it enjoyable and this is the unique trait which Mr。 Dalrymple excelled in。 I consider his books as a novel based on facts， his style is not that of a classical historian putting up dates， names and events all into one ; he knows how to put the issue w Book is written by William Dalrymple is more than enough to close an argument however just to formally write the review I must say that it's a smoothest read。 Being a historian is not enough to be a readable writer one has to know the art of making it enjoyable and this is the unique trait which Mr。 Dalrymple excelled in。 I consider his books as a novel based on facts， his style is not that of a classical historian putting up dates， names and events all into one ; he knows how to put the issue without making it laborious another of his feature is the art of condensing and this is what he has actually done in this body of work; he has presented the entire happenings of 17th century India in just 398 pages without skipping any relevant detail but keeping it away from being a laborious read。Indeed， a brilliant book in all aspects。 。。。more
andy noble
，
A warning from the pastAnother excellent book by William Dalrymple about the rise of the East India Company。 This is the shocking story of how the foe runner of modern Western capitalism devastated the Murghal India and introduced the word loot into the English language。 This is warning to us all and how unregulated multinational can corrupt the foundations of democracy。
Karthik Govil
，
While the book has a really noble goal; one of measuring the relationship of corporations to politics with the best example of it from history， Darymple fails on this goal by merely blemishing how much the value of the Rupee or Pound has changed over the years。What he does tell is a really detailed and interesting account of the events which really vividly describes the cultural and political mood of the era of the 100 years of "the Great Anarchy"， from 1707 to 1800。While this poetic description While the book has a really noble goal; one of measuring the relationship of corporations to politics with the best example of it from history， Darymple fails on this goal by merely blemishing how much the value of the Rupee or Pound has changed over the years。What he does tell is a really detailed and interesting account of the events which really vividly describes the cultural and political mood of the era of the 100 years of "the Great Anarchy"， from 1707 to 1800。While this poetic description of vividness is the strength of this book， I think it loses the strength by trying to observe the events from all angles possible; the British， the Mughals （namely Shah Alam if there is a protagonist of the book）; Haider and Tipu。It does not mention the Marathas or the French enough。 Which becomes the point。 The book ends up being very British-centric。 At times when the life of the great Shah Alam II is described， there is a certain irony and sarcasm to describe him。 While this tool works great for moments where Warren Hastings's trial is talked about， when it comes to Shah Alam II it just felt like mockery of a fellow Indian ruler。 That sort of snobbishness especially in today's time of decolonization would not be very well received at all。In the attempt to be very neutral and centric， the book accidentally becomes very British-centric， and does not dive deep into the affect capital had on the wrongdoings in India。I'd rather read a whole book set just in England （mostly） which goes over all the details of finances and Rotten Burrows and whatnot。And I'd probably read a separate book on how Tipu and Scindia imported military technology from the French， how Marathas planted Shah Alam as a vassal， about Tipu making Mysore Rockets and how they defeated the British several times。And maybe I'd also read a satire novel on the life of Shah Alam。I just don't want all three together， because it feels snobbish and somewhat condescending， especially coming from someone's who's multiple ancestors （the Darymples） were involved as generals of the EIC， MP's， （I think Journalists too，but I am forgetting。 Many different Darymples including a William Darymple were mentioned throughout the book， and shows how ancestral wealth of Darymple helped him transform himself into a prolific author of today， and rightfully so， but it still feels like after so much ancestral plunder we have yet another descendant capitalising on our colonization by selling us art in the name of our people）。Either ways， this book is a good read， especially if you are less politically inclined in life。 It just didn't evoke emotions from me as an Indian， except for when I felt defensive about Indian rulers like Shah Alam II。I'll leave it at that。For more reviews follow: @normiesaftersesh on instagram！ 。。。more
Erik Champenois
，
Covers the history of the East India Company from 1599 （but more in depth from the 1740s） through 1803。 Draws liberally from the writings of EIC people and others involved in the events themselves， with extensive descriptions of the battles and personalities involved。 Though a little too light on the overarching analysis and contextualization for my taste。 Still， a very informative book for anyone seeking to understand how the British were able to conquer India。 The weakness of the Mughal Empire Covers the history of the East India Company from 1599 （but more in depth from the 1740s） through 1803。 Draws liberally from the writings of EIC people and others involved in the events themselves， with extensive descriptions of the battles and personalities involved。 Though a little too light on the overarching analysis and contextualization for my taste。 Still， a very informative book for anyone seeking to understand how the British were able to conquer India。 The weakness of the Mughal Empire， the invasion of Delhi by Nader Shah （and by later Afghans under Ahmad Shah Durrani）， the divide-and-conquer politics of the British themselves， and the wider geopolitical background （vis-à-vis France） are all part of that explanation。 Interestingly， as the book emphasizes， all of this was done by a corporation rather than by a nation-state as such - though ultimately the corporation did come under more extensive government oversight and direction。 。。。more
Jeeva
，
Book Review : The Anarchy by William DalrympleThe flair with which William Dalrymple had re-imagined a sordid love story of the 18th century （The White Mughals） between an English official and an Indian princess using written testimonies and official records， led me to pick another book of the same author to add to my reading list。 The book was titled The Anarchy and it was in short， a retelling of what we had studied in our tenth standard matriculation history textbooks。 The story of the way th Book Review : The Anarchy by William DalrympleThe flair with which William Dalrymple had re-imagined a sordid love story of the 18th century （The White Mughals） between an English official and an Indian princess using written testimonies and official records， led me to pick another book of the same author to add to my reading list。 The book was titled The Anarchy and it was in short， a retelling of what we had studied in our tenth standard matriculation history textbooks。 The story of the way the English East India Company entered India， how they took advantage of disunity among Indian rulers and within a century or so established themselves at the helm of affairs in a huge country at least fifteen times the size of their native land- this was what I had studied in my history text book when I was 15 and Dalrymple almost narrates the same story from a different and a very dispassionate perspective with the help of records and testimonies that were not available to historians who preceded him。The first few pages Dalrymple dedicates towards establishing the contrast between the Indian Empire and that of the British in the early 1600s。 The English traders had never seen a huge country like India before and before meeting the Indian Emperor Jahangir they had never witnessed a single， powerful ruler who held sway over such a large and diverse landmass such as India。 They were certainly bowled over by Jahangir’s appearance that boasted of gold， silver， rubies and emeralds in almost every part of his body and the elaborately constructed palaces and temples that filled the whole of the subcontinent was a vision that they had never even dreamt about。 In many ways， Dalrymple establishes with certainty about how India’s wealth bedazzled and humbled the usually proud and overweening British and had someone told these traders at that point of time， that their descendants would within a century take complete political control of this magnificent landmass they certainly would have laughed him off。 In short， Mughal India was a military and economic superpower then exporting almost one fourth of the world’s consumer goods and Britain on the other hand was a minion， a weakling whose representative had to prostrate before the Indian Emperor for permission to setup a small warehouse in the margins of India’s long coastline。***Aurangzeb was the one under whom the Mughal Empire saw its territorial boundaries branching out beyond unprecedented areas and curiously he was the one who for the same reason ended up sowing the seeds for the illustrious Empire’s collapse。 Dalrymple narrates an incident that we don’t often find mention in our history textbooks when the East India Company tried to forcibly capture an Indian settlement during Aurangzeb’s reign （1686）。 The brazen attempt was repulsed immediately and the Company’s troops surrendered unconditionally to the mighty Indian Emperor。 Only after Aurangzeb’s death we begin to see the unwieldiness of the huge Mughal Empire and local Nawabs and chieftains who hitherto had owed their allegiances to Agra are shown to be slowly asserting themselves over the administration of the local populace。 The Nizam of Hyderabad， the Nawab of Avadh （today’s Bihar） and that of Bengal all of whom were hitherto vassals of the Mughal Emperor start declaring their independence from Agra almost at the same time。 The mighty Marathas are often depicted by Dalrymple as ruthless and formidable warriors whose occasional incursions into the prosperous Bengal territory often kept irritating and perplexing the local Nawab。 The Nawab Aliverdi Khan is initially fascinated with the sophistication， training and discipline of the Company’s forces and their emphatic victory over the French in the Carnatic wars establishes them as a force to reckon with in the subcontinent。 Aliverdi Khan enters into a partnership with the Company that mandates huge compensation from the Nawab for the maintenance of its troops on his territory。 In addition to the military alliance， the Company keeps wresting from the Nawab favours and treaties that allow it to expand its trade further and further every now and then。 Aliverdi Khan’s death and the rise of his hostile and often psychopathic grandson， Siraj-ud Daula to the position of his successor leads to newer and unsavoury developments for the British。 The Company more often than not tries to keep the pact with the Nawab alive by forgiving and forgetting his cruel misdemeanors but Siraj-ud Daula’s recklessness and ambition angers even his courtiers， ministers and military officials all of whom decide to conspire against him with the Company’s help。 The famous Battle of Plassey （1757） where the Company’s forces defeat Siraj-ud Daula and arm-twist the new ruler， Mir Jafar， the former military commander of Aliverdi Khan into treaties that empower the Company to hold territorial possessions in India is described in gripping detail by Dalrymple。 Robert Clive who led the Company’s forces in the battle against the Nawab becomes the de-facto ruler over the whole of Bengal and is described by Dalrymple to have returned to England as a super-wealthy and an influential man， having risen initially from very humble origins。The Company’s unforeseen transformation from a small and a fledgling trading institution run by England’s ‘outcastes’ and its so-called society’s ‘scum’ into a powerful territory-holding and administering entity in a distant country such as India infuriates English parliamentarians and local activists。 After learning about the Company’s complete victory over local chieftains such as the rulers of Awadh and Bengal seven years later at Buxar （1764） and the subsequent wilful mismanagement of a famine in a formerly prosperous province such as Bengal that leads to the death of at least seven million Indians， the British parliament is forced to take note of the Company’s audacious illegal activities。 The news of hapless， innocent， over-taxed Indians dying on the streets， of hunger and malnutrition and the pauperization of farmers and peasants owing to extortionary practices followed by the Company’s officials reaches England and angers politically conscious Englishmen。 The Regulating Act of 1773 and The Pitts Act of 1784 were bills passed by the British Parliament regulating the activities of the Company by placing them under the supervision of a state-controlled Council of Directors。 But none of the regulations placed upon the Company by the Crown makes any dent upon the Company’s inexorable expansionist course。 But if you think that only the avariciousness of the Company’s top officials and their insatiable appetite for more and more colonial possessions in India is the only thing to be blamed， it is time to think again。 The Company having established itself in the North and North-Eastern part of India is often witness to conflicts that keep happening between the Marathas and the ruler of Mysore， Haider Ali。 The Nizam of Hyderabad is often caught in the middle and such a fractured political situation in a rich country such as India is not something that you don’t exploit if you have the resources to deal with its consequences。 The Company had sufficient tax revenues and in addition， it had the backing of local money-lenders， the Seths who kept financing the Company’s armies and their expeditions with attractive interest rates。 To top it all， many of the local rulers were fully conscious of the advantages that a sophisticated army like that of the Company’s might offer them especially when caught in interminable， perennial conflicts with other local chieftains。 So， one or the other keep approaching the Company with offers of partnerships or strategic alliances and the Company had absolutely no reason to spurn their seductive overtures。The first two wars that happen between Haider Ali on one side and the Triple Alliance- the Marathas， the Company and the Nizam of Hyderabad on the other lead to the victory of the former and the Company is shocked to learn about how big a myth is its supposed claim to infallibility。 The British are also on the other hand， acutely conscious of how close Haider Ali and the French have become over the last few years。 Dalrymple reminds the reader that post Haider Ali’s death， had his son Tipu Sultan heeded to his dying father’s advice to make alliances with the local rulers to drive the Company out of the country， India’s history might have taken an altogether different course。 Tipu Sultan was a reckless aggressor and he wasn’t willing to compromise with his erstwhile enemies such as the Nizam or the Marathas。 The Third and Fourth Anglo-Mysore wars saw the terrible tragedy of one of India’s greatest armies led by one of India’s finest administrators surrendering its possessions to the Company allowing the foreigner to gain a foothold over the country’s vast southern provinces （1799）。After stretching its legs over the southern parts of India and with its hands firmly in hold of the North and the East， the Company was immediately delighted to see one of India’s most powerful confederacies， the Marathas of the West disintegrating quickly。 The death of one of its Peshwas leads to a terrible infighting between the Holkars and the Scindias。 The Company finds that one of the last Mughal Emperors， Shah Alam who is under the control of the Marathas at Agra is also trying to get rid of them with great difficulty。 The Company also realises that to govern over the subcontinent it is absolutely essential to do so in the name of a local ruler and that Shah Alam， the powerless Mughal Emperor whose popularity is still intact among the local masses is the right candidate for the job。 The Anglo-Maratha War （1803） is one of the most important wars fought on Indian soil that sealed the fate of Indians for close to one and half centuries to come。 Dalrymple describes in stark detail the minutiae of the war that lasted for more than a couple of months and the British couldn’t but admit and admire the bravery and the terrifying aggression of the Maratha warriors during the campaign。 The Treaty signed at Bassein almost significantly concludes the British campaign in India when the foreigners were invited by the blind， old Mughal Emperor Shah Alam at Agra to take over India’s territories for a meagre pension of a few lakh rupees per annum。 ***The Mughal Empire that was established in India in the 1500s within some three centuries or so had almost run its course。 Post Aurangzeb， there was no ruler in India who could handle and keep together such a vast territorial expanse。 As is often said about today’s politics in Tamilnadu， India did have a power vacuum at its centre in the late 1700s。 One or the other power or a traditional dynasty had to fill it up。 But almost all of India’s traditional rulers were suspicious about each other and thoroughly insecure about their existing possessions。 As a result， there had to be a mightier power that could lord over all of them and hold the entire country under its sway。 The British traders who had entered India in the 1600s had sufficient and sometimes even nuanced knowledge about Indian political affairs developed and perfected over more than a hundred years。 In the 1750s if they were occupying almost half of India， given their experience in Indian affairs and their flair for manipulation， it must actually be considered as pretty much a very organic political development。 In addition， Dalrymple reports that India’s wealthiest classes， some of whom were called the Seths or the local bankers having taken into account the prowess of the English in military and strategic affairs had decided to throw their weight behind the Company offering them enormous loans for their expensive military adventures - an advantage that Indian rulers just did not have。 Most Indian rulers were at least to a very limited extent sensitive to the needs and wishes of the local populace and did not want to increase taxes to finance their wars against the English。 The wars between the sophisticated Company army and the often impoverished and barely provided-for local armies owned by our traditional rulers were more often than not， wholly one-sided affairs。 Also， the traditional French- English rivalry that lasted for more than a century in the Indian subcontinent came to a tragic culmination through the defeat of Napoleon in Egypt in 1798。 Until then， Dalrymple mentions that Tipu Sultan who had a very strong military alliance with the French was very optimistic about his prospects against the British。 Dalrymple also mentions letters exchanged between the camps of Tipu and Napoleon where each side reports about the progress of each other in their respective wars against the English。 Napoleon reportedly had plans to come to Tipu’s rescue in India after his ‘successful’ campaign against the English at Egypt and had he not lost his war there， India’s history might have taken a whole new ‘French’ turn。***Despite reporting about events that we had already known from textbooks during our schooling， Dalrymple’s book acquires a curious distinctiveness only through deft human touches that he manages to give various actors in the story of post-Mughal Indian history。 Dalrymple writes very favourably about Warren Hastings who during his tenure as a Company official keeps recording the excesses of the Company’s other officials against the local population and writes scathing letters to people in London about how atrocious a course the Company had taken by engaging in political expansionism， having obtained permission from the Crown only to engage in trading and sea-faring activities。 The book also throws light on rulers like Siraj-ud Daula whose administration often bordered on despotism and whose ruthlessness against his own family and circle to prevent its members from claiming the throne often crossed the bounds of barbarity and sadism。 Dalrymple’s portrait of one of Mughal dynasty’s last rulers Shah Alam is also nuanced and beautifully done with intriguing details about his strange benevolence to even some of his enemies， his passion for poetry and his erudition coupled with excellent political acumen。 Dalrymple writes in detail about how Tipu’s army pioneered in rockets almost three centuries back， his curious tolerance for other religions within his own dominions and his inexplicable bigotry against non-Muslims in newly annexed territories， his father’s clairvoyance about the prospects of the Company becoming India’s biggest threat in the future， etc。 Even more compelling is Dalrymple’s description of the East India Company as the first multi-national corporation in the world whose ever-growing tentacles spared nobody including parliamentarians who were supposed to be accountable to their voters。 The Company according to Dalrymple kept co-opting powerful politicians into its mission by allotting shares for them and had no qualms about bribing and buying off politicians。 After a point when the Company had grown into a behemoth owing millions and millions of pounds to local banks in England， there was a brief time when it was about to go bankrupt because of unfavourable trading conditions in America and India。 The Company kept warding off threats from the Crown and the Parliament to take it over， purely through dubious means and towards the end of the 18th Century， the Company had the potential to pull almost the whole economy of Britain down along with itself leading to a nation-wide economic catastrophe。 The situation was averted by the Company’s by then well-developed bullying nature that forced the government to sanction the world’s first corporate bail-out package that swelled into millions as early as the 1770s。The tone Dalrymple takes towards the Company is almost the same- that of derision and moral outrage as a result of which he keeps reminding the reader every now and then about how dangerous it is to give corporations a free hand on any aspect including even trade and commerce and how concentrated money is tantamount to concentrating power and how concentrated power can corrupt almost every aspect of a society regardless of how much ever prosperity the corporation might promise to create。 When I finished the book， I got reminded of the news I had read that morning of how within a couple of decades， an Indian businessman from Gujarat had grown into one of the world’s biggest billionaires beating even entrepreneurs who had been pioneers in their respective fields。 No country other than India could have been witness and victim to the ravages unleashed upon it by a rapacious multinational corporation for almost 140 years and yet it is still India that keeps allowing these unscrupulous businessmen to thrive and flourish at its expense。 While writing this， I keep getting reminded of the following adages I had read somewhere， one – the duty of a historian is to remember and remind people of what they often tend to forget and two- the people who forget the mistakes of the past are bound to repeat them time and again。 。。。more
Jake Hattis
，
A bit of a long one。 At times it reads like Game of Thrones - in both there are so many names to remember and the gratuitous violence。
David Velazquez
，
"Four hundred and twenty years after its founding， the story of the East India Company has never been more current。" - W。 DalrympleAfter reading Return of a King （a book on the geopolitical struggle that took place in Afghanistan in the 19th century） and loving it， I had very high expectations for The Anarchy。 Prior to reading this book， I read John Keay's "The Honourable Company" that deals with the same subject matter， and while The Anarchy is less comprehensive， it was a much better read。 Dal "Four hundred and twenty years after its founding， the story of the East India Company has never been more current。" - W。 DalrympleAfter reading Return of a King （a book on the geopolitical struggle that took place in Afghanistan in the 19th century） and loving it， I had very high expectations for The Anarchy。 Prior to reading this book， I read John Keay's "The Honourable Company" that deals with the same subject matter， and while The Anarchy is less comprehensive， it was a much better read。 Dalrymple really has a gift of crafting history into an enjoyable and gripping narrative。 After putting the book down， my only thoughts were。。。"what a wild ride。" The story of the East India Company is the story of just how carried away corporate greed can really get。 India at one point was producing 22。5% of the world's GDP while Britain was only contributing a fledgling 1。8%。 And yet， what looks much like an attempt to get spaghetti to stick to a wall， this group of entrepreneurial and money hungry Brits managed to take over a continent。 Even more striking is that in casual conversation， people will talk about how the British colonized India。 This is half true because the reality was that it was not the British Government that went on an imperial tirade， but rather a company。 A company with shareholders and the only self interest of doing whatever necessary to line the pockets of said shareholders。 This would be like if Amazon drummed up an army and over time went and conquered Peru or something。 Bezos and his army。 An army that would have been bigger than that of the United States。 Scary thought， but that's what we're dealing with here。 Today， rather than relying on an army to protect their interests， instead corporations simply rely on the government to do that for them :） I could go on and on about what a crazy story this is。 A rag tag group of merchants in a world with little to no regulation， making their way out in the open seas and arriving on the shores of a wealthy land， only to eventually strip that land of everything she's worth and sending all that profit back home。 Why？ To buy fancy hats and large mansions of course！ This is not the usual every day book that someone picks up， so for anyone interested， there is a board game that is currently shipping out called "John Company" and it's the very reason I read this book: https://boardgamegeek。com/boardgame/3。。。I very much look forward to playing this one。 Dalrymple's "Return of a King" is one of the resource materials the designer of John Company used to help shape another favorite game of mine， "Pax Pamir": https://wehrlegig。com/If you're looking for a book on the East India Company， my highest recommendation goes to "The Anarchy"。 。。。more
Mike Welch
，
extremely well written book about a whole bunch of assholes。
Chris
，
it's prety good it's prety good 。。。more
JV
，
I really didn't enjoy this book。 I don't care to add more。 I really didn't enjoy this book。 I don't care to add more。 。。。more
Clay
，