The Anarchy ~ The Relentless Rise of The East India Company by William Dalrymple

[Xerxes]

I bought this book several years ago prior to Covid era, all these years meant to read it, finally now that I have been to India I thought it would be a great occasion to make 2025 my “about India” year. 
 

It is on the topic of a for-profit company, its relentless rise and its subjugation of the subcontinent.
 

Its charter : wage war in the name of profit. 
 

The author is also the host of the Empire podcast. Currently resides in Delhi. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 1, 2025 by Xerxes

[Xerxes]

[Xerxes]

India has been plundered over and over again by its neighbours over the centuries, and carpet-wielding Persians were no exception.

 

Here is excerpt on the fall of Mughal capital to Nader Shah. 

 

 

 

The haul from the fall of Delhi is said to be about 10 billion pounds in today value. Effectively the “trade surplus” that the Mughal treasury had built over 200 years, went to the imperial treasury in Isfahan. Much went to wage wars against Russia and the Turks. 
 

The famous name of Koh-i-noor was given during this episode. 

 

 

[Xerxes]

The European trading companies get their appetite wet, when Delhi falls to Nader Shah, and begin to imagine what was the unthinkable: feasting on the carcasses of the Mughal empire.
 

 

[formthirteen]

Interesting history book. Thank you.

[Xerxes]

When Frank Herbert wrote the fictional novel Dune, he based it on an oil-rich Arabia. In the novel, you have also a fictional corporation called CHOAM as described by Frank Herbert:

 

"Few products escape the CHOAM touch ... Logs, donkeys, horses, cows, lumber, dung, sharks, whale fur — the most prosaic and the most exotic ... even our poor pundi rice from Caladan. Anything the Guild will transport, the art forms of Ecaz, the machines of Richese and Ix. But all fades before melange. A handful of spice will buy a home on Tupile. It cannot be manufactured, it must be mined on Arrakis. It is unique and it has true geriatric properties ... But the important thing is to consider all the Houses that depend on CHOAM profits. And think of the enormous proportion of those profits dependent upon a single product — the spice. Imagine what would happen if something should reduce spice production. — Duke Leto Atreides, Dune

 

Rereading this passage years later from Wiki, makes one think CHOAM was based on East India Company. 
 

And Spice (capital S) is in fact spice(s) (small s and plural). 
 

The passage from the book as Robert Clive consolidate company’ power in Bengal. 
 

[Xerxes]

The good old days, when a company director having access to “material insider information” would ask his CFA guy back in London to mortgage his properties and buy all the shares of East India Company that he can. 

 

 

 

 

[Xerxes]

The passage in the book covering the formalization of EIC control of the three rich provinces in India’ north east. 
 

Effectively giving the Company the power to tax as a Sovereign would. And not just as a trading company.  
 

Thus began the systematic plunder of north east India. 
 

Gold imports to Bengal drops by three-quarter, as the Company no longer needed it to buy spices and silk and tea. They had plantations to do it for them.

 

Robert Clive’ personal 401K (all concentrated in shares of EIC) doubles in eight months. 
 

 

[Xerxes]

Whereas former conquerors and foreigners in India made the country their home, in case of the British and East India Company, they had one aim:

 

systematic asset stripping of the subcontinent and exploitation. 
 

[Jaygo]

@Xerxes Could this book be "read" on Audible in your opinion. Are there charts?  Are there maps? I love maps in books but dont have as much sitting time as I do listening time so tend to favor Audible over paper. 

 

I am currently reading The Last Spike about building the CPR and the maps and pictures kind of make the book whole. Without I think the reader would be at a disadvantage.

 

Always love your reading suggestions even though a workin family man cant keep up with these massive titles you present.

 

[Xerxes]

On 5/25/2025 at 6:11 AM, Jaygo said:

@Xerxes Could this book be "read" on Audible in your opinion. Are there charts?  Are there maps? I love maps in books but dont have as much sitting time as I do listening time so tend to favor Audible over paper. 

 

I am currently reading The Last Spike about building the CPR and the maps and pictures kind of make the book whole. Without I think the reader would be at a disadvantage.

 

Always love your reading suggestions even though a workin family man cant keep up with these massive titles you present.

 

Hi 

thank you for the comments. 

I finished the book two weeks ago. Along with another that was less interesting. Eager to choose my next readings. 
 

Amazon does seem to show the audiobook. I myself never used it. That said in terms of maps, no worries as they are high level maps. 
 

See below. North east is of importance as it was the center of the gravity of the Company and how it all started. And then South takes the center stage, when the future Duke of Wellington’ brother consolidate the Company power in the south. It said that he conquered more territory than Napoleon did in Europe around the same time. Yet most people don’t know him. 
 

[Xerxes]

I have been wanting to get on The Last Spike for a while now. In fact also bought Dominion based on your review I think it was. Haven’t cracked it yet. 
 

But first I need to complete my Romanov studies. Robert Massie’ Catherine the Great. In parallel, will do some shorter readings: Taste of Conquest (covers the spice trade), Return of the King by William D.

 

On the business side throw in Bond King, Lesson from Titans, MCU: Reign of Marvel

 

These are considerably shorter than 1,000 page long history books that takes months to get through.  

[Xerxes]

Of interest, here some other readings from William D. 
 

Edited May 26, 2025 by Xerxes

[Jaygo]

Thank you. I will try the Audio version

[Jaygo]

2 minutes ago, Xerxes said:

I have been wanting to get on The Last Spike for a while now. In fact also bought Dominion based on your review I think it was. Haven’t cracked it yet. 
 

But first I need to complete my Romanov studies. Robert Massie’ Catherine the Great. In parallel, will do some shorter readings: Taste of Conquest (covers the spice trade), Return of the King by William D.

 

On the business side throw in Bond King, Lesson from Titans, MCU: Reign of Marvel

 

These are considerably shorter than 1,000 page long history books that takes months to get through.  

 

I think I like The last Spike better so far. A little more context on the business side of things but both pretty similar. The idea of the railroad crossing all of Canada is just so crazy that i'm am really drawn into the story. The story should be required reading in grade school if only to show children what can be done with guts and determination. Having driven and camped on the route from Toronto to Thunder Bay in many locations along the way the task just seems impossible. The thick treed gorges, water everywhere and solid granite just makes you wonder how it could actually happen at the time. 

 

A few summers ago we drove from Vancouver to Calgary along a similar route as the CPR as well and that section is equally as insane and beautiful. I think if Canadians had a better understanding of our impressive history rather than the boring equality laced BS were taught in school we would have a lot more national pride. 

[Xerxes]

6 minutes ago, Jaygo said:

 

I think I like The last Spike better so far. A little more context on the business side of things but both pretty similar. The idea of the railroad crossing all of Canada is just so crazy that i'm am really drawn into the story. The story should be required reading in grade school if only to show children what can be done with guts and determination. Having driven and camped on the route from Toronto to Thunder Bay in many locations along the way the task just seems impossible. The thick treed gorges, water everywhere and solid granite just makes you wonder how it could actually happen at the time. 

 

A few summers ago we drove from Vancouver to Calgary along a similar route as the CPR as well and that section is equally as insane and beautiful. I think if Canadians had a better understanding of our impressive history rather than the boring equality laced BS were taught in school we would have a lot more national pride. 

The author of book, Pierre Berton, has a few more in that series alongside The Last Spike, have you read anything else in that series 

 

I see National Dream, The Arctic Grail and Klondike: Goldrush

 

 

 

Edited May 26, 2025 by Xerxes

[Jaygo]

I have not read any other Berton but definitely will now. Berton seems to write with a little more flair in the text. The content has less minutia and more sizzle so far than Dominion. Think Michael Lewis vs Isaacson. Great content but one tends to hold the reader better. 

 

I was at a used book shop in Ottawa last summer an bought a whole pile of old Canadian business history books for next to nothing. The last spike was part of that group. I got a book on KC Irving, The founding of Noranda, A bio of Lord Strathcona, A pile of Mining Maps of Ontario,  and a bunch of others in hardcover under 100 bucks. 

 

The guy at the counter just laughed as I carried up armfuls from the basement.

[Suri22]

On 2/28/2025 at 12:36 PM, Xerxes said:

I bought this book several years ago prior to Covid era, all these years meant to read it, finally now that I have been to India I thought it would be a great occasion to make 2025 my “about India” year. 
 

It is on the topic of a for-profit company, its relentless rise and its subjugation of the subcontinent.
 

Its charter : wage war in the name of profit. 
 

The author is also the host of the Empire podcast. Currently resides in Delhi. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You have to realize one thing ... in those olden days ... they use to call it imperialism ....now they call it foreign policy .... nothing really changed 

On 2/28/2025 at 12:36 PM, Xerxes said:

 

 

[Xerxes]

lol. Yes indeed