Inglorious Empire: what the British did to India

This is an excellent polemic and intellectual critique of the British colonial looting of India. It describes in horrifying detail what colonialism really was: the exploitation of a land for the benefit of the colonizers at the expense of the colonized. The book discusses the many unfair impositions of the British on the Indians: the overt discriminatory racism, the taxation, the creation of import and export tariffs for the benefit of British manufacturers and traders, the forced deindustrialization or prevention of industrial development of the country, the famines, and the political subjugation of the country. I thought the book, though, paid insufficient attention to how the British were able to occupy a huge and populace country such as India. To a certain extent, I think it was a coincidence or combination of events that happened to occur at the same time. The Mogul dynasty and central government collapsed, and India was invaded by the Persians, just when the British East India Company and the French went to war all over the world, including in India. The author (Shashi Tharoor) also, I think, misjudges the significance and effects of the European Industrial Revolution and the superior European military performance at the time. By the mid- to late 18th century, a European army and navy could defeat a much larger Indian or Asian army or navy. The European colonization or seizure of Africa and Asia occurred because of a huge superiority in military and industrial technology. To this day, if one country possesses a military or technological - industrial advantage over another country, it will use it for it's own benefit. The people of India, China, and Africa found this out. Another excellent book on this subject is "The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire" by Dalrymple (2019).

This book fixed my knowledge of the history of India. Mr Tharoor is undoubtedly a master of words, but makes this an engrossing read. Some paragraphs and chapters will make you think for long periods due to their profound nature. My copy of the book is now getting borrowed across the world, currently in India and hopefully will travel more before coming back. The book's contents also started a virtual book club to share the rage and frustration created by knowing the reality and how we have been deceived so far by false narratives. Thanks to Mr Tharoor and his team for the research and fact based story telling that makes this a keeper. Highly recommended if you have the appetite for the truth.

Shashi Tharoor became one of my favorite authors when I 'discovered' his novel, The Great Indian Novel, which is a clever, contemporary retelling of the Mahabharata by substituting the epic's well-known characters with India's political characters in the 1900s when Indian freedom fighters were trying to rid the country of the British. I trust Shashi Tharoor's knowledge of imperialism, especially as it relates to India. At the time this book was written, there were not too many books out there critical of British imperialism. In 'Inglorious Empire' not only does Dr. Tharoor criticize the British empire, but also lay out the details of how the British essentially destroyed one of human history's most advanced and prosperous societies. This book is written with knowledge and depth, but also in an engaging manner. I highly recommend it to anyone wishing to understand why most of the countries colonized by European imperialists became so impoverished in the past few centuries.

A great account of the true history of the Bristish Raj. Tharoor's coverage of India and England from the moment British East India landed to today is based on facts. His understandable pursuit of a symbolic acknowledgement by the Crown for their misdeeds drives his passion to write. A lot of social and economic data is discussed from all perspectives. It was a great read because it is not biased and does not seek to propagate any personal agendas. Tharoor's goal is to find the best possible way to move away from the blame game. This book is one to pass on to future generations.

The book systematically debunks all false notions and dishonest claims that British Empire was benign to India! Britain has lived the life of a parasite sucking all life out of India for 200 years! The numbers, details on the wealth swindled, how Brits set the clock back & stunted India’s development are staggering. So called British Indian army, for example, made of Indians, entirely paid by dirt poor Indians was deployed all over the world for various wars, WW1&2. Details painful to read at times. More appalling are the details on how Brits promoted hate & enmity between groups as a main tool to sustain the Empire. My opinion on Churchill has been lowered even further which I didn’t think was possible be for reading this book. Must read for anyone wanting to know of Indian history 17th -20 th century!!!

It is true what the books says about what the British did to India, but the book does not properly mention the role that Indians played in bringing the British to power in the first place. British did not come in and impose their will on the Indians, they merely exploited the jealousy, the corruption, and the cruelty of Indians towards their own people. Such a large population of such heroic character did not fall to merely a few thousand British. Indians themselves made it happen to their own people and land.

Well researched review of the British takeover of India, what they did to destroy the local economy, steal India's wealth, enslave the natives and treat them like dogs for nearly 200 years and by doing so, how they created wealth for themselves as well as providing the loot to industrialize and develop England. A must read for every citizen of every country that was colonized by the British, Dutch or French, who has been manipulated into believing that these invaders helped their country

Historians bemoan a lack a balance in books. They desire to be an emotionless onlooker give cold hard facts. Tharoor rips up the banal rule book and gives us a fantastic read. As an Irishman I can see the parallels of empire on every page. A common statement in Ireland is that if it weren’t for the nice English buildings we would have no nice buildings at all. They ruled the country for 800 years. An Irishman didn’t have the money to build a home, let alone a palace. Such are the parrallels in India. The British ripped up the age of disconnected village feudalism and brought something much worse the India. Collectivism. Collective poverty. Tharoor starts off with the most striking chapter. The looting of India. If you take anything from this book, it is this line “when the British arrived in India in the 1700s, India was 27 percent of the global economy. When they left in 1948 it was 3%”. People will state the world moved on without India but frankly India was chained to the floor. The British were not there to help. The trains, as Tharoor describes, and as is detailed further in the incredible book Empire of Cotton, were there to speed up the looting, the transfer of Cotton to the ships. The trains were also to be used mainly by the British people and furthermore by their Soldiers. The trains would quickly speed them to point of any mutiny. Tharoors gives details on Indian involvement in WW1 and WW2 where Indian soldiers accounted for up to one quarter of Commonwealth forces. Though not detailed in this book, Indian soldiers were often sent in first. At Gallipoli their bodies became human sandbags. Indeed in WW2, it was the British who declared war on Germany on India’s behalf without consulting the Indian hierarchy. Other shameful aspects of Empire in India are expanded upon. Murder (Amritsar and others) and famine. Of course the Bengal famine, not to mention the almost 100 million Indians who died from starvation during the course of British rule. Famines are not a natural phenomenon. The bibliography of the book is substantial enough (5 pages) to be awarded a credible work of history. No doubt Thatoor is guilty of a slightly one sided argument and choosing the facts in line with the mood of the book. But guess what, British history books for the last 300 years have done something similar so here is the balance historians are looking for.

The author sets out to argue against the notion that the British presence in India was a good thing. It is a point of view that must be read and considered carefully before any apology for British colonialism is made, with facts and viewpoints often overlooked by those extolling the virtues of empire. Whatever your viewpoint, the argument of the author must be taken into account before you can say your viewpoint is well informed.

I had heard of some things done by the British such as the Amritsar massacre, and the poor treatment of Indian people, mostly from films, but I had no idea of the depths of depravity of those involved. I agree with other reviewers, that this kind of material should be taught in schools. I found the book both fascinating and horrifying, like a slow-motion wreck. I admire the author's passion and position on the subject, and his impeccable writing style. As noted by one of the critics, for a Brit, it is indeed uncomfortable reading.

Rekommenderas starkt, då den öppnar upp historien med mycket fakta och kartlägger vad som faktiskt föregick bakom kulisserna. Mycket av det britterna gjorde i Indien har inte kommit upp till ytan men den här boken sätter fingret på det. Sätter hela det koloniala projektet under lupp och belyser de grymheter som gjordes för att maximera vinst.

I feel like I relearned the history that I was taught in school. very insightful, thought provoking and definitely very well written. if you want to learn more about our history, you have to look into this book.