The Economic Development Of India Under The East India Company

Remarks on the external commerce and exchanges of Bengal, with appendix of accounts and estimates (1823), by G. Ạ. Priṅsep.--A history of prices, and of the State of the Circulation during the nine years 1848-56, volume VI (1857), Appendix XXIII, by T. Tooke.--Minutes of evidence taken before the Select Committee on the Affairs of the East India Company, 16 March 1832, by J. H. Palmer.--A sketch of the commercial resources and monetary and mercantile system of British India, with suggestions for their improvement, by means of banking establishments (1837), by J. Crawfurd.

In this thesis an attempt has been made to give a picture of the economic development in Bengal from 1704 to 1740 with special reference to the effect and influence of tree East India Company. The year 1704 marks the advent of Murshid Kuli Khan to the helm of affairs in Bengal for all practical purposes. The establishment at the turn of the century, of the influence of the Company in Bengal, which was strengthened by the farwan granted in 1717 by the Moghul Emperor Farrukhsiyar, brought into prominence a conflict of interests between the Company and other forces which were then dominant in the economy of Bengal. The Fort William Consultations which flow from 1704 to 1740 without a break, reinforced by the factory records and letters and despatches which passed between the Directors of the Company in London and their agents in Calcutta help us to build up the story of the impact of the East India Company on Bengal. The thesis divided into seven chapters. Chapter I gives an account of the economy of Bengal at the turn of the century. Chapter II traces the growth of the Company's influence in Bengal and its relations with the Government. Chapter III deals with the position of other European traders in Bengal specially the Ostend Company. Chapter IV seeks to explain the system of currency and show how tile increasing penetration of the Company led to u conflict of interests with the indigenous bankers and traders. Chapter V deals with markets and trade with special reference to saltpetre, silk and cotton goods. Chapter VI describes the general economic conditions, the state of art and industries and the extent of the contact of the East India Company with the people. Chapter VII draws some conclusions.

The Business of Empire assesses the domestic impact of British imperial expansion by analysing what happened in Britain following the East India Company's acquisition of a vast territorial empire in South Asia. Drawing on a mass of hitherto unused material contained in the company's administrative and financial records, the book offers a reconstruction of the inner workings of the company as it made the remarkable transition from business to empire during the late-eighteenth century. H. V. Bowen profiles the company's stockholders and directors and examines how those in London adapted their methods, working practices, and policies to changing circumstances in India. He also explores the company's multifarious interactions with the domestic economy and society, and sheds important new light on its substantial contributions to the development of Britain's imperial state, public finances, military strength, trade and industry. This book will appeal to all those interested in imperial, economic and business history.

This remarkable study of the British East India Company offers great insight into the formation of the Company, its impact on both England and India, and the social forces that shaped its development. With great detail and rich documentation, Ramkrishna Mukherjee examines a period of 258 years, beginning immediately before the Company's birth and ending with its collapse in 1858. This is an engrossing work that reveals much about what is no doubt one of the most important institutions in the history of British colonialism and of world capitalism generally.