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William Dalrymple

The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire

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(25 customer reviews)
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In August 1765 the East India Company defeated the young Mughal emperor and forced him to establish in his richest provinces a new administration run by English merchants who collected taxes through means of a ruthless private army – what we would now call an act of involuntary privatisation.

The East India Company’s founding charter authorised it to ‘wage war’ and it had always used violence to gain its ends. But the creation of this new government marked the moment that the East India Company ceased to be a conventional international trading corporation dealing in silks and spices and became something much more unusual: an aggressive colonial power in the guise of a multinational business. In less than four decades it had trained up a security force of around 200,000 men – twice the size of the British army – and had subdued an entire subcontinent, conquering first Bengal and finally, in 1803, the Mughal capital of Delhi itself. The Company’s reach stretched until almost all of India south of the Himalayas was effectively ruled from a boardroom in London.

The Anarchy tells the remarkable story of how one of the world’s most magnificent empires disintegrated and came to be replaced by a dangerously unregulated private company, based thousands of miles overseas in one small office, five windows wide, and answerable only to its distant shareholders. In his most ambitious and riveting book to date, William Dalrymple tells the story of the East India Company as it has never been told before, unfolding a timely cautionary tale of the first global corporate power.

25 reviews for The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire

  1. Sumathi Dhinesh (Verified Purchase)

    A brilliant book as we have come to expect from this author. He puts the rise of the EIC in the context of the Indian Princes and shows how aggressive it was in its pursuit of wealth and power. He has a rare sympathy for Indians and their struggles with the Company, as it was a very uneven playing field!

  2. Suchithra Ks (Verified Purchase)

    Not as easy a read as some of Dalrymple’s other books, but a window into a world which people should know more about — the collapse of the Mughal Empire and the ways in which the East India Company seized power, often in a panicked and improvised way.

  3. Nicky sharma (Verified Purchase)

    The book exposed some realities of our history that I wasn’t aware of. I was hooked on to the book and couldn’t let go until I finished. The way our history has been represented is extremely binding and memorable. I wish our school books had history represented like this. Highly recommended for folks who are curious about our history.

  4. Vishwajit Ray (Verified Purchase)

    A comprehensive book covering the political and historical aspects of the Indian Subcontinent between 1600s and 1800s. A must read for general public to appreciate the magnificence of our country. One of the best non-fiction books.

  5. Satrughna Biswal (Verified Purchase)

    It’s very rare to read books in Indian history before 1957 sepoy mutiny or first war of independence. This book accomplishes that brilliantly. The commonly heard names of Indian history don’t just remain names after reading the book. It’s exceptionally well written and articulated. Needless to say it’s gripping read from start to finish.

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