Kusaimamekirai’s Reviews > The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company > Status Update

“In Parliament, James Silk Buckingham went even further: ‘The idea of consigning over to a joint stock association, the political administration of an Empire peopled with 100 million souls were so preposterous that if it were now for the first time to be proposed it would be deemed not merely an absurdity, but an insult to the meanest understanding of the realm”
Thank god this hasn’t been tried since. Oh…

“The Company’s army had expanded very quickly under Wellesley’s rule and within a few years its muster roll had gone up by nearly half from 115,000 to 155,000 men; in the next decade (early 19th century its numbers would rise again to 195,000, making it one of the largest standing European-style armies in the world, and around twice the size of the British army.”

Say what you will about the world being a violent place, it has nothing on what went on in 18th century India on both sides. Seems like every other page is some Indian or Afghan warlord sticking needles in the eyes of their prisoners or people tied to elephants until they get trampled under them.

“Clive (to bribery allegations) objected strongly to being treated like ‘a common sheep-stealer’…
‘a great prince was dependent on my pleasure; an opulent city lay at my mercy; its richest bankers bid against each other for my smiles; I walked through vaults which were thrown open to me alone, piled on either hand with gold and jewels! Mr Chairman, at this moment I stand astonished by my own moderation.”

Why can’t I stop imagining Elon Musk as Robert Clive?

I’m really enjoying learning about the EIC in India. The world’s first unaccountable corporate pseudo state with their own private army.
There were, to paraphrase a certain someone, a lot of bastards on both sides. But also much more on one side. Guess which one

“As it was in our interest to humour him gently, we always received him with a thousand courtesies, far more than he merited, and we sought his intervention in all important matters…by sending him presents from time to time. This helped maintain cordial relations between us.”
A country sucking up to a narcissistic psychopath for political favors? Thank goodness the world has moved on from this kind of thing

“Having defeated the Mughals in an initial engagement, Nader Shah then managed to capture the Emperor himself by the simple ruse of inviting him to dinner, then refusing to let him leave.”
Ha! The emperor has a good meal, gets up to go and is like, “Wait. What now?”