The Dutch East India Company and British East India Company: The History and Legacy of the World’s Most Famous Colonial Trade Companies

The east India Company employed thousands of people. It brought trade to Britain on the Clipper Ships.

This book is well written. I explains all the major points in a clear and concise fashion. It has some great quotes to support the information. Worth reading to increase your knowledge of an important part of history.

This is a high level overview that sets the scene but lacks detail. There are also some errors, for example it refers to the British House of Lords when it should have said House of Commons.

A short and snappy account of the two vast companies histories. Covered what i needed to know. Enjoy this book

Great for my friends birthday gift

This is a really good book for those of us who, not only care about history, but are intimately involved in international trade today. These two companies, seemingly similar on the surface, with seemingly similar business models, actually had totally different purposes and intentions. And therefore whose governments now have totally different legacies - and reasons to hang their heads in shame - in the modern day mayhem of global socio-economic politics that we are forced to endure today. The VoC was motivated ONLY by profit, and therefore by commercial imperatives, economics, supply chain management and monopolisation, cashflow, and all those good things related to business performance that were at the heart of their day to day activities. And they excelled at these things for 200 years, until they slipped up and lost control of their expenditures at the Cape of Good Hope which technically bankrupted the company, forcing it to shut its doors on 31st December 1799. For a very long time they were managed by a ruthlessly efficient Board of commercially minded Directors, called the Heeren XV11, with minimal interference from the Dutch government. They were, after all, a publicly traded company, ultimately owned by its shareholders. On the other hand, the BEIC, was none of these things. They operated under the conditions of a so-called Royal Charter, which means for all intents and purposes they were owned by the Crown and operated by employing yes-men managers who reported to the British Government, who in turn reported to the Sovereign of the day. Their mission was Political, first and foremost. They were there to enforce the geographic expansion of the British Empire - through invasion of foreign lands - subjugation of foreign weaker people - normally through the barrel of a gun - all in the name of colonisation. Obviously this dream of world domination needed to be funded, so they had no option but to involve themselves in 'trade' but only on their terms, enforced by the fact that in those days they had the world's most powerful navy, who simply pulverised weaker people into submission if they put up any form of resistance, then laid claim to their lands, and then hoodwinked them into accepting that all of this was for their own good. Through organs like the BEIC, the British became the most successful colonizers in history. But the BEIC itself (and all their other Chartered companies) was never anything more than a department of the civil surface. A good read none the less, made more interesting by a look in the rear view mirror through rose tinted spectacles.

Pas encore lu mais en effet les caractères sont grands. S'en est même assez désagréable. Le format quasi A4 n'est pas non plus le bienvenu cumulé à une mise en page vraiment pas au top. Je noterai le fond plus tard mais pour la forme peut faire (beaucoup) mieux

While this book provided basic information itappears it was 2 1st year university essays joined together. Referencing is inadequate and it doesn't flow as it should.

to read

This is an easy read with enough references to allow you to the option of digging further into details if you want.