European Commercial Enterprise in Pre-colonial India

European traders first appeared in India at the end of the fifteenth century and began exporting goods to Europe as well as to other parts of Asia. In a detailed analysis of the trading operations of European corporate enterprises such as the English and Dutch East India Companies, as well as those of private European traders, this book considers how, over a span of three centuries, the Indian economy expanded and was integrated into the pre-modern world economy as a result of these interactions. The book also describes how this essentially market-determined commercial encounter changed in the latter half of the eighteenth century as the colonial relationship between Britain and the subcontinent was established. By bringing together and examining the existing literature, the author provides a fascinating overview of the impact of European trade on the pre-modern Indian economy which will be of value to students of Indian, European and colonial history.

Introduction; 1. India in the Indian Ocean trade, c.1500; 2. The Portuguese in India, 1500–1640; 3. The European trading companies, exports from Europe and the generation of purchasing power in Asia; 4. The companies in India: the politics and the economics of trade; 5. Euro-Asian and intra-Asian trade: the phase of Dutch domination, 1600–80; 6. The VOC and the growing competition by the English and the French, 1680–1740; 7. The supremacy of the English East India Company, 1740–1800; 8. European trade and the Indian economy; 9. Conclusion.

European traders first appeared in India at the end of the fifteenth century and established corporate enterprises in the region, such as the English and Dutch East India companies. This volume considers how, over a span of three centuries, the Indian economy expanded and was integrated into the pre-modern world economy as a result of these interactions.