The colonisation of India in the 17th and 18th centuries was not originally a national endeavour by Great Britain, but rather the work of a profit-oriented company based in London that was solely focused on enriching its investors. The completely unprecedented and relentless rise of the British East India Company to become the dominant global trading power is recounted here in a sweeping panorama. In October 1764, the East India Company defeated the young Mughal emperor Shah Alam II on the battlefield and installed its own government over the Indian subcontinent. This government was led by English merchants and collected taxes with the help of its own army. From this point on, the Company was no longer merely a trading company, but became an aggressive colonial power. Over the following decades, it subjugated almost all of India south of Delhi, thus becoming the inglorious pioneer of colonial exploitation. In William Dalrymple's book, the perspective of the Mughals and the local population is also given its due. The author has evaluated numerous unpublished sources in Urdu, Persian and Punjabi, enabling him to bring the dramatic events to life through the eyes of those involved.
Author
Dalrymple, William
Title
Anarchie
Details
With colour plates. 597 pages.
State
new
Subtitle
Der verhängnisvolle Aufstieg der East India Company 1600-1874
Verlag C. H. Beck oHG Wilhelmstr. 9 80801 München Deutschland
