They displaced nawabs and maharajas for a price, and took over their states through various methods. #2 The British East India Company subjugated a vast land through the power of their artillery and the cynicism of their amorality. They were carelessly destructive of art and greedy for gain. #1 The British East India Company, a trading company, invaded and destroyed the Indian civilization of which Durant was so astonished and outraged. I don’t know if it’s the best place to start when looking into this topic, but it’s certainly informative.Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. I learned much from it and recommend it if you’re interested in learning more about the impacts of colonialism on India. This didn’t make it as approachable as I’d hoped it would be, but it did serve as an interesting look into a modern Indian perspective on colonialism. While informative, this work was disjointed and a little repetitive. Not a bad thing in and of itself, just something to keep in mind that the author isn’t necessarily unbiased or without agenda. I’m ignorant when it comes to Indian politics, but I don’t think the author’s political agenda was necessarily separated from this work. I was expecting it to be a bit more systematic in its consideration of the British’s time in India but instead it read as more of a meandering lecture. That being said, this didn’t really read like a history, and I don’t know that I would necessarily categorize it as such. I don’t think anyone who knows the facts about the British mismanagement of India could claim it was a positive thing. The details provided throughout the work are truly horrifying and it feels unreal to think that these things persisted until very recent history.
It’s a topic that’s touched on often enough in World History classes during school in the U.S.
It is divided into eight chapters that address some of the largest issues that colonialism initiated/exacerbated as well as addressing some of the arguments (some of which are still being made) for why British colonialism in India wasn’t a negative thing. This work began with a very helpful chronology from the founding of the East India Company to the independence of India in 1947.
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