THE RELENTLESS RISE OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY.
This book was recommended by Steve J in his excellent blog so I bought a copy from Amazon.
I am pleased to report this book is just as good as Steve said. It covers the period from the establishment of the EIC in 1599 through the early years as just another Western trading company until around 1765 when the EIC transformed into a major power in India and on to 1803 by which time the Company was in direct control of the whole sub continent.
The book is very well written and researched and gives a excellent account of all the various individuals both British and Indian who, each in his own way, encouraged the extraordinary growth of the Company. The sheer scale of the Company's activities is incredible. It was clearly the first global conglomerate yet wielded military power on a scale never seen before or since. The various military campaigns are discussed in rather limited detail although the background to each is covered in depth to illustrate how each contributed to the endless growth of the Company.
The EIC eventually became too dominant a factor in the British economy to be allowed to continue operating without increasing UK government control which resulted in a series of legislative changes during the first half of the 1800's. This culminated in the transfer of all the Company's possessions to the Crown in 1859 after the Mutiny. The EIC limped on as a rump trading company for a few more years and eventually ceased trading in 1874 when it's charter finally expired.
An excellent book on the early history of British India and the rise of the EIC and recommended to all interested in either or both of those subjects.
Totally agree with you Tony. I too got a copy of Dalrymple's book based on Steve J's mention of it and I wasn't disappointed, although as you say, it's light on the military side of things. The author is certainly no fan of the company ( I noted immediately he refers to it throughout as EIC not HEIC, presumably because he feels there was nothing Honourable about it!) so prospective readers should be prepared for that when picking up his book but overall, I am glad I read it.
ReplyDeleteHi Keith...Yes I agree the author is not a big fan of the Company or even the British Raj I would guess ... but that's OK as the history he relates is very good...interesting about the missing H...even I forgot about that when writing the review....opps....Regards.
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed it Tony! So much to discover compared to the little we were taught at school. What did surprise me was so many of the battles we hear about, were barely battles at all, with the outcomes often decided by bribery in advance. Still a fascinating period and the wealth of the Moghuls and those of the HEIC who came home, is hard to truely comprehend.
ReplyDeleteHi Steve...Yes it is amazing how bribes impacted so many battles. The whole story of the HEIC is about wealth ultimately and India certainly had a lot of it...fascinating stuff. Thanks for the recommendation....a good book....Regards
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