The Corporation That Changed the World , livre ebook

281

pages

English

Ebooks

2012

Écrit par
Nick Robins

Publié par
Pluto Press

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281

pages

English

Ebooks

2012

Lire un extrait

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne En savoir plus

Publié par

Pluto Press

Date de parution

05 octobre 2012

Nombre de lectures

EAN13

9781849646918

Langue

English

Poids de l'ouvrage

7 Mo

This is the history of the East India Company and its enduring legacy as a corporation, dealing in exploitation and violence.

The English East India Company was the mother of the modern multinational. Its trading empire encircled the globe, importing Asian luxuries such as spices, textiles and teas. But it also conquered much of India with its private army and broke open China's markets with opium. The Company’s practices shocked its contemporaries and still reverberate today.

This expanded edition explores how the four forces of scale, technology, finance and regulation drove its spectacular rise and fall. This story provides vital lessons on both the role of corporations in world history and the steps required to make global business accountable today.
Acknowledgements

Lists of Tables, Figures, Maps and Illustrations

Chronology

Introduction

1. The Hidden Wound

2. This Imperious Company

3. Out of the Shadows

4. The Bengal Revolution

5. The Great East Indian Crash

6. Regulating the Company

7. Justice Will be Done

8. The Toxic Exchange

9. A Skulking Power

10. Unfinished Business

Epilogue

Notes

Index

Voir

Publié par

Pluto Press

Date de parution

05 octobre 2012

EAN13

9781849646918

Langue

English

Poids de l'ouvrage

7 Mo

THE CORPORàtION THàt CHàNGED tHE WORLD

The CorporaTion ThaT Changed The World hOw tHE eàst iNDIà COmPàNy SHàPED tHE MODERN MuLtINàtIONàL

SEcOND eDItION

Nick Robins

FIRst PubLIsHED 2012 by pLutO pREss 345 aRcHwày rOàD, lONDON n6 5aa

www.PLutObOOks.cOm

dIstRIbutED IN tHE UNItED StàtEs Of amERIcà ExcLusIvELy by pàLGRàvE MàcmILLàN, à DIvIsION Of St. MàRtIN’s pREss llC, 175 FIftH avENuE, nEw YORk, nY 10010

THE RIGHt Of nIck rObINs tO bE IDENtIED às tHE àutHOR Of tHIs wORk Hàs bEEN àssERtED by HIm IN àccORDàNcE wItH tHE COPyRIGHt, dEsIGNs àND pàtENts act 1988.

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lIbRàRy Of CONGREss CàtàLOGING IN pubLIcàtION dàtà àPPLIED fOR

THIs bOOk Is PRINtED ON PàPER suItàbLE fOR REcycLING àND màDE fROm fuLLy màNàGED àND sustàINED fOREst sOuRcEs. lOGGING, PuLPING àND màNufàctuRING PROcEssEs àRE ExPEctED tO cONfORm tO tHE ENvIRONmENtàL stàNDàRDs Of tHE cOuNtRy Of ORIGIN.

dEsIGNED àND PRODucED fOR pLutO pREss by CHàsE pubLIsHING SERvIcEs ltD TyPEsEt fROm DIsk by StàNfORD dTp SERvIcEs, nORtHàmPtON, eNGLàND SImuLtàNEOusLy PRINtED DIGItàLLy by Cpi aNtONy rOwE, CHIPPENHàm, UK àND eDwàRDs BROs IN tHE UNItED StàtEs Of amERIcà

For our parents and our children

CONtENts

List of Tables, Figures, Maps and IllustrationsAcknowledgementsIntroductionChronology

1 The Hidden Wound 2 This Imperious Company 3 Out of the Shadows 4 The Bengal Revolution 5 The Great East Indian Crash 6 Regulating the Company 7 Justice Will be Done 8 The Toxic Exchange 9 A Skulking Power 10 Unﬁnished Business Epilogue

NotesSelect BibliographyIndex

viii ix xi xvi

1 19 41 61 84 102 122 145 171 199 217

227 245 251

lIst Of TàbLEs, FIGuREs, MàPs àND iLLustRàtIONs

TaBleS

1.1 The changing share of world GDP 1600–1870 2.1 Corporate governance compared 2.2 The four sources of corporate behavior 3.1 Dutch and English East India Company exports from Asia 1688–1780 8.1 Opium exports from India to China 1800–1900, in chests 8.2 Flows of Silver into and out of China 1761–1833

FigUreS

2.1 The Company’s share price 1693–1874 5.1 The Company’s share price 1757–1784

MapS

1 2 3

The Company’s world India in the late 1760s The Company’s London

illUSTraTionS

1.1 Spiridione Roma,The East Offering Her Riches to Britannia, 1778 2.1 William Daniell,East India Docks, 1808 7.1 Thomas Rowlandson,Billy Lackbeard and Charley Blackbeard playing at Football, 1784 9.1 Unknown,East India House, constructed 1796–1799 9.2Punch,Execution of ‘John Company’, 1857 E.1 Statue of Robert Clive, London

vIII

7 28 34

157 159

3 9

1 1

xix 65 220

2 20

135 178 197 218

ackNOwLEDGEmENts

This book started with a walk, and I’d like to express my appreciation to all those who came all or part of the way with me. None of this would have happened without my wife, Ritu, who was not just the inspiration for the book, but its sustainer – providing the patience and encouragement that brought the journey to an end. Jane Trowell of Platform in London cohosted the initial East India Company walks, which have been such great sources of ideas and insights into the corporation’s London presence. I’ve also been inspired by Muhammad Ahmedullah’s work at the Brick Lane Circle and his tireless efforts to explore the Company’s contemporary relevance. Satish Kumar ﬁrst published my initial thoughts on the Company in the pages ofResurgenceand Mari magazine, Thekaekara then suggested that it should be turned into a book. David Castle and the team at Pluto Press have been consistently supportive from beginning to end. As for the book itself, I am indebted to the AlFurqan Islamic Heritage Foundation based at Eagle House in Wimbledon for allowing me to use its library during the summers of 2004 and 2005 to write the ﬁrst edition. I wish to thank Huw Bowen for graciously allowing me to read the pre publication proofs of his work,The Business of Empire, and Jack Greene for allowing me to quote from hisArenas of Asiatic Plunder. Many others read have helped in a multitude of different ways, notably Belliappa, Jem Bendell, Anu Bhasin, Sushil Chaudhury, Kate Crowe, Andrea Cunningham, Rajat Datta, Sister Christine Frost, Ram Gidoomal, Caspar Henderson, Jude Holland, Hameeda Hossain, Leslie Katz, Peter Kinder, James Marriott, Malcolm McIntosh, Derek Morris, Prasannan Parthasarathi, Steven Pincus, Munro Price, John Robins, Richard Sandbrook, Rajiv Sinha, John Sabapathy, Andrew Simms, Jonathon SinclairWilson, David Somerset, Sara Wajid, Halina Ward, Georgie Wemyss and Jon Wilson. For me, this book is an attempt to grapple with the shared past of Britain and Asia, confronting the Company’s legacy so that future interactions can be based on principles of justice. This book is therefore dedicated to our parents and to our children: Elizabeth and John, Pushpa and Sushil, and Oliver, Joshua and Meera.

Voir