Big History - India - jewel of the British Empire - and the East India Company!

Schedule:
6pm-6:30 - Arrive/social time
6:30 - Presentations will start
8:30 - Planned finish, but may go over a bit.
9pm - Venue closes

Back to more modern history this month, lets learn more about India and the role of the British there from the formation of the East India Company in 1600. This will be a Two-partner again, with the second part to follow 2 weeks later.

India (From Google AI, sorry!!):
"In the year 1600, India was a diverse land under the rule of the Mughal Empire, with a population of approximately 100 million....(At this time, it) was a major economic power, with the Indian subcontinent being the world's most productive region, according to some economic historians. The country was known for its trade in cotton textiles, indigo, sugar, and other goods, exchanging these products for luxury items from Persia, Turan, and beyond."

East India Company (from Google AI):
"In 1600, Queen Elizabeth I granted a royal charter to a group of English merchants, forming the East India Company. This company was initially focused on trade with the East Indies, but due to Dutch dominance in that region, it shifted its attention to India. The company's goal was to establish trading posts and capitalize on India's wealth in commodities like cotton and spices."
(& Wiki): At its peak, the company was the largest corporation in the world by various measures and had its own armed forces in the form of the company's three armies, totaling about 260,000 soldiers, twice the size of the British Army at certain times."

In 1600, the Mulghal empire (comprising India, Pakistan and parts of Afghanistan and Bangladesh) enjoyed possibly the largest world, accounting for approximately 25% of GDP. Britain meanwhile accounted for less than 2% of global GDP. By 1870, the British Empire's share of GDP had grown to 23% and by the time of Indian Independence in 1947, India's share of GDP had reduced to just 3%.

These figures illustrate the dramatic transfer of wealth that occurred from India to Britain over 350 years of exploitation and empire. Recent academic research has calculated this transfer of wealth to be close to USD $45 Trillion - 17 times Britain's current annual GDP.
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2018/12/19/how-britain-stole-45-trillion-from-india

Although this history may seem quite far removed from modern-day Australia, I would contend that it is crucial to understanding the world today, that is dominated by corporations and set out still along lines created by the last several hundred years of Western colonialism.

The East India company was virtually the 'Godfather' of capitalism and the success it had in subverting and capturing the wealth of one of the most powerful empires in the world at the time, is nothing short of extraordinary.

***Rather than a presentation or lecture, the idea will be for attendees to do their own prior research which they can then contribute with at the event. You are also welcome to attend of course without researching or having anything to share.***

List of topics for potential individual research are under the first sheet of this file:

### If you would like to research and talk about one of these topics (or any other relevant one of your choice), please advise which in the comments below of on the Google Sheet linked!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gCf9CGsJyR47TR2ommRasyN1ONks8ZZWT8FGG9o45NI/edit?usp=sharing

*Also please free to share any good podcasts/videos you have on this subject in the comments below!