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Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India Audio CD – Unabridged, March 1, 2021

by Shashi Tharoor (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 2,248 ratings
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In the eighteenth century, India's share of the world economy was as large as Europe's. By 1947, after two centuries of British rule, it had decreased six-fold. Beyond conquest and deception, the Empire blew rebels from cannons, massacred unarmed protesters, entrenched institutionalized racism, and caused millions to die from starvation.

British imperialism justified itself as enlightened despotism for the benefit of the governed, but Shashi Tharoor takes on and demolishes this position, demonstrating how every supposed imperial "gift"—from the railways to the rule of law—was designed in Britain's interests alone. He goes on to show how Britain's Industrial Revolution was founded on India's deindustrialization and the destruction of its textile industry. In this bold and incisive reassessment of colonialism, Tharoor exposes to devastating effect the inglorious reality of Britain's stained Indian legacy.
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  1. Print length
    1 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Tantor and Blackstone Publishing
  4. Publication date
    March 1, 2021
  5. Dimensions
    5.2 x 5.7 inches
  6. ISBN-13
    979-8200395941
  7. See all details
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About the Author

Shashi Tharoor served for twenty-nine years at the UN, culminating as Under-Secretary-General. He is a Congress MP in India and an award-winning author. Tharoor has a PhD from the Fletcher School, and was named by the World Economic Forum in Davos in 1998 as a Global Leader of Tomorrow.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08Z88S1V4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tantor and Blackstone Publishing; Unabridged edition (March 1, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Audio CD ‏ : ‎ 1 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8200395941
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.2 x 5.7 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 2,248 ratings

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Shashi Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
2,248 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Bayard B.
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! Describes British impositions on India but is weak on reasons why the British succeeded.
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2020
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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).
25 people found this helpful
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Gagi
5.0 out of 5 stars Hard and honest look on colonialism
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2023
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The reason why this book is maybe a bit longer than necessary lay also in colonialism. The author has to make a point for almost all his statements, by providing a western (or better say Anglo-American) sources.
I'm looking forward for a world in which that would be unnecessary.
3 people found this helpful
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Novel Devouress
4.0 out of 5 stars Written with knowledge and depth
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2021
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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.
13 people found this helpful
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TK Sharma
5.0 out of 5 stars Very succinct arguments supported with facts.
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2023
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The book provides a good overview of harms from the colonial era for India based on facts and numbers from the time. It also explains the thoughts that have led to current predicament in the region. Highly recommended read for anyone who would like to become or already claims to be well read on the matter.
3 people found this helpful
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Mercedes Madden
5.0 out of 5 stars Factual account of what the British did to India.
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2020
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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.
5 people found this helpful
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Tiger N.
3.0 out of 5 stars True what the British did to India, but...
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2018
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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.
82 people found this helpful
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George P. Dreckmann
5.0 out of 5 stars Exploitation at its worst
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2021
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The book was very good. I knew that the British treated India poorly. I did not know the extend of the financial exploitation through taxes that went back to England not to build up India. I was also unaware how the destroyed a thriving Indian economy in textiles, steel, etc to create a market for British goods. Before occupation India had accounted for over 20% of world trade after less than 2%. India was not a backward country. The Brits showed it into a deep hole
7 people found this helpful
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AKS
4.0 out of 5 stars Really provocative thesis, most engagingly written
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2019
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The author covers nearly 200 years of continuously horrifying encounters between the conquering British and conquered Indians. I believe his expectations of fair play were set too high from the 15% brutal “bad” guys, who were indeed in charge - notwithstanding the brave kindness of the 3-5% “conscientious” ones. The other 80% simply rode the free, lucrative and long ride, just like their counterparts in Germany did during the short rise of the third Reich. The book would have earned 5 stars if there were more inspiring examples of individual and groups of Indians who overcame those institutionalized handicaps and thrived against all the odds. Instead of asking for apologies or reparations (good luck!), perhaps an India-based museum of colonial atrocities alongside successful examples of individual/group achievements should prove to be a lasting legacy against future amnesia. A possible location? Backyard of the Viceroy’s palace (now the Rashtrapati Bhavan).
17 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Mr. Lee D. Rolls
5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling, persuasive and undeniably historically true
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 20, 2024
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A brilliant rebuttal to Britain's fanciful notions about its own Empire. Well argued and shines a much needed light on the brutal realities of Empire's intentions. Its undeniable Britain extracted the wealth of India for its own benefit. He is critical when Britain's actions deserve but also gives credit when needed.
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Akif Uygur
5.0 out of 5 stars Engländer in Indien
Reviewed in Germany on April 6, 2024
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Sollte jeder das Buch gelesen haben der sich mit der kolonialen Vergangenheit beschäftigt
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Catherine
3.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Reviewed in Italy on September 26, 2021
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The book is really an eye-opener, but the quality of papers is not good, and took longer to receive (like 2-3 weeks)
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ARUN KUMAR
5.0 out of 5 stars An Eye Opener
Reviewed in Canada on June 29, 2020
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I always wondered how come the narrative on the two sides of the aisles so different. If you have lived in India and you can hear the stories of the elders and a lot of indigenous literature in the native languages like Hindi, you will find so much of the excesses that British did to India. While on the other hand if you read the books by British writers which floods the western world you will find the romanticized starry eyed description of the India as the crown jewel of the colony. Trying to gloss over their cruelty and masquerading their wrongdoings as some kind of reform. This book cuts through that narrative and fills this gap.

How systematically industries were destroyed, exorbitant taxes were levied and used as the market for the finished goods from Britain. Natives were denied fair competition their industries, arts and cultures were destroyed and Economy decimated. Kohinoor was not the only diamond looted from India read Pitts Diamond and how it helped him buying the parliament seat and helped create the prime minister in UK, William Pitt junior and senior. No wonder no British remained in India after the Independence of India in 1947 like South Africa or Zimbabwe, because they sucked it dry. It is heartening to see India pipped UK to become 5th highest GDP in the world just over 70 years of independence, hope it finds its rightful place soon.

Anything that British did in India was to strengthen their instruments of exploitation like Railway, English Education but if the Indians took this and turned it around to their advantage it is their strength and not some kind of British Contribution. You just have to look at the African countries or for that matter any other former British colony.

While the contributions of even animals are recognized during the world war, the contributions of the Indians are largely ignored by the Britain. Even though, Indians were the first one to take the brunt of the offensive. Winston Churchill who is hailed as hero in the west is no less a tyrant than Heitler. He is responsible for deaths of millions of the poor peasants in the Bengal famine, just to shore up the stocks for world war. He lost all the respect I had for him and its nauseating to see the roads and towns named after him.
9 people found this helpful
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alfredo arche
5.0 out of 5 stars Raj visto del otro lado
Reviewed in Spain on November 13, 2018
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No es frecuente en Occidente ver editados libros sobre la época colonial inglesa en India que escapen de la visión romántica de los oficiales de caballería cargando contra los malvados rebeldes nativos o bailando valses en Darjeeling,como se presenta el Raj en el reciente libro de David Gilmour. La continua explotación de los recursos y los pobladores de la India,que tenían una avanzada cultura cuando llegaron los inglese está detalladamente expuesta en este libro. No permite olvidar que la East India Company fue una aventura comercial respaldada por la corona y la élite financiera inglesa durante unos dos siglos.
4 people found this helpful
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