Big History - India - jewel of the British Empire - Part 2!

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 is the second part of a Two-partner and will pick up from the beginning of the Indian Raj in the 1850s and their takeover from The East India Company.

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."

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!