Analysis:
The East India Company
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British colonies are all over the world, so it is called "the empire disappears every day", which means that the sun can be seen 24 hours a day in areas ruled by Britain. The reasons for Britain's development and growth. This is inseparable from the cruel plunder of colonies around the world. The establishment and development of that "east India company" illustrate this problem well.
The East India Company was established on 1600. At first, the British mainly used the East India Company to do business. Slowly, the East India Company became a tool for British colonists to invade India. 16 13, Britain set up a trading post in Sutela, western India, and soon established a commercial pavilion in Madras, southeastern India. 1698, the East India Company purchased Kolkata, the Ganges port in the Bay of Bengal, from Mughal, India. Although the village in Calcutta is small, it plays a very important role. There are abundant rice and jute around, criss-crossing rivers and endless plains. The East India Company has set up its trade headquarters here, and has continuously shipped Indian grain and industrial raw materials back to Britain, from which it has made huge profits.
As the East India Company became more and more powerful, it gradually occupied Madras, Calcutta and Mumbai, another city mentioned above. They set up three districts here, each under the jurisdiction of a governor, and turned these places into bases for further occupation of other parts of India.
Britain's plunder in India will inevitably cause dissatisfaction among the Indian people. Therefore, in order to invade other areas more smoothly, the British East India Company built a huge fortress in Calcutta, which was full of heavily armed British soldiers. These British troops also actively trained Indians to help them fight.
The East India Company, which was originally a commercial company, made the Indian people very dissatisfied just because of economic plunder. At this time, they established an army, and India naturally intervened.
1756, Bangladeshi Navvab (equivalent to the governor) asked the East India Company to dismantle the fortress in Kolkata, but the British simply ignored it. Navwab was very angry. He sent troops to drive away the British and recapture Calcutta. This began the famous "Seven Years' War" between Britain and India in history.
At this time, because the British * * * granted the East India Company various powers, such as the right to monopolize trade, the right to train troops, the right to declare war and make peace, and the right to set up a court to try the residents of the country or colony, it can be seen that the East India Company actually became the agent of the British * * * invasion of India.
So, when the Indians recovered Kolkata, Robert Robert Clive, commander-in-chief of the East India Company, hurriedly called officials to Madras to discuss countermeasures.
"How can the British Empire tolerate such insults? Do it! " An official in military uniform suggested to Robert Robert Clive.
"Slow down! I think we should make full preparations before making a decision. " A * * * official said.
"What? The locals bullied us. What else should we prepare? The army of the British Empire is invincible and there is nothing to prepare. " The soldier squinted at the speaker and said discontentedly.
"Commander," * * officials don't seem to hear the soldiers, slowly continue to Robert Clive said, "please listen to my reasons. First of all, Navvab has 70,000 troops, while we only have 900. Together with the Indian soldiers we trained, we only have 2.9 million. Once we fight, it is not difficult to judge the result. Second, we are far from home. After the war, I'm afraid the supply of materials is very problematic. It will take more than two months for ships from England to get here. Third, Indian and French support. Please consider these three points. "
Hearing this, Robert Robert Clive glanced at the soldier, who was glaring at the * * * official. Robert Robert Clive looked at the * * * officials again, and the * * * officials had sat down silently. Robert Robert Clive smiled cunningly and said to everyone:
"Men, they all have good opinions. I have decided to go to war with India, but ... "Then he went up to the official of * * * and whispered a few words to him.
The next day, * * * officials with several entourage presented many precious gifts to the main officials of Navvab. It turns out that they are bribing Navvab's subordinate officers!
Robert Robert Clive led his troops to land at the mouth of the Ganges River. After a short and fierce battle, he reoccupied Calcutta. In June, Navvab sent 70,000 soldiers to fight with 900 British soldiers in Robert Robert Clive Plaset. In the face of the powerful Indian army, the British soldiers had already been terrified, and they failed in the first battle. However, they bought many Indian officers with a lot of money and jewels, which made the Indian army retreat. At this time, the British army quickly pursued, while the Indian army fled, and even Nafwab was killed by the British army.
The British army took advantage of the momentum and marched straight into the national treasury of Bangladesh, when they opened the door to the national treasury. When they saw Man Ku's gold, silver and jewels.
"Catch it!" The British army suddenly rushed to every corner of the national treasury like open water.
The national treasury was empty, but the British soldiers returned with a full load.
A few years later, when Robert Robert Clive presented the robbery to Parliament, he said with great regret, "I was so stupid. I am surrounded by gold, silver and jewels, boxes of gold bars and bags of various gems. But I only took 200,000 pounds! "
According to incomplete statistics, the total value of gold, silver and jewels snatched by the British army from Bangladesh is 37 million pounds, which does not include the gold, silver and jewels that were privately swallowed by individuals. For example, employees of the East India Company took away a total value of 2,654.38 million pounds. The total value of these two items alone amounts to 58 million pounds.
After this battle, the British army defeated the French army again. After that, it occupied Bangladesh alone and appointed the pro-British Indian as Navvab.
1767, the British parliament passed the "East India Company Management Act", which stipulated that the former governor of Calcutta was changed to the governor, who was directly appointed by the state. His task is to manage all Indian territories under British occupation on behalf of Britain. At this point, Britain began to rule India directly.
After that, Britain continued to occupy other parts of India, 1774, odd number, 1799. After 23 years of war, Britain occupied Mysore, a powerful feudal country in southern India. 1849 occupied Punjab in northwest India. Since then, Britain has completely occupied India, and India has also become a British colony.
So, why can the East India Company annex India step by step and firmly control India?
It can be said that the secret of British rule in India lies in the word "divide and rule". India is a big country in South Asia. From16th century, the British Empire began to rule India. On the surface, India is a unified and huge empire. In fact, India has never been unified. Not only did feudal kingdoms struggle with each other, but there were also many contradictions within the central government. At the same time, they are constantly being invaded by foreign forces. So the national strength is very weak. Coupled with the traditional caste system, the contradiction between social strata is very sharp. In this case, Britain successfully broke into India. After the British colonists occupied India, they made full use of various contradictions in India and let "Indians beat Indians" take advantage of it. For example, at the end of 18, the East India Company instigated the Hindu feudal princes to attack Mysore, and then instigated the princes of Hyderabad to attack Marathi, and provoked the relationship between the princes of Marathi, causing extreme chaos. Only then did the East India Company come forward to clean up the mess and establish its own colonial sovereignty.
The East India Company also trains mercenaries. This mercenary was obviously owned by the feudal princes of India, but these feudal princes were "protected" by the East India Company. In fact, this unit once served the British army. It was commanded by European officers and played an extremely important role during the British occupation of India. It can be said that Britain could not have conquered India without this mercenary.
The East India Company frantically colonized and plundered India. In addition to the above-mentioned robbery of the national treasury of Bangladesh, when 1799 captured the capital of Mysore, it also robbed the royal treasures worth150,000 pounds.
Another plundering method of Britain in India through the East India Company is to monopolize the opium, salt and tobacco trade. Among them, opium revenue accounts for about one-seventh of the company's total revenue. They forced Bangladeshi farmers to grow opium and then smuggled it to China for sale, from which they earned huge profits.
Because the East India Company brutally plundered and oppressed the Indian people, the Indian people suffered endless disasters. In 1770 alone,10 million people starved to death, accounting for one third of Bangladesh's population.
From the 1960s of 18, the East India Company began to decline. 1767, the company was unable to pay the 400,000 pounds stipulated by the British * * * and began to lend to * * *, and the financial crisis became more and more serious. 18 13, the East India Company's trade monopoly on India was cancelled; 1833, Britain * * * cancelled its trade monopoly on China. In this way, the East India Company had to go bankrupt.
The bankruptcy of the East India Company is not accidental for three reasons: First, corruption and smuggling among the company's employees have become a common practice, resulting in a sharp decline in the company's total income. Secondly, due to the company's extortion of the Indian people, the Indian people are constantly uprising. And the company needs a lot of money to suppress the uprising. This caused a vicious circle and put the company in crisis. Thirdly, the East India Company is the representative of commercial monopoly capital. Industrial capital has developed rapidly in Britain, and commercial capital has gradually lost its former position. This is also the main reason for the company's bankruptcy.
1858, the East India Company was officially cancelled by the British * * *, and the British * * began to directly rule India. The East India Company is like an aging old man. When it accumulated enough wealth for Britain in a lifetime, it was kicked away.