The British East India Company (EIC) was founded as a trading company in 1600. Run by a board of directors in London, the company employed a private army, first to protect the trade it conducted in the Indian subcontinent and then to expand its territories as it rampantly colonised its competition.
This collection examines the history of the company from beginning to end, the many wars it engaged in, the trade goods it shipped around the world and the consequent effects on diverse cultures, how it evolved and was constrained by regulation, and its ultimate demise in 1858 when it was taken over by the British government.
The British Parliament were aghast at lurid tales of the EIC's policies in India, and many sought to bring the company under much greater scrutiny and control...The burning question of the day was why was this private company with private interests being allowed to conduct itself like a state but without any of the constraints of an electorate or any of the scruples of justice.
