The Anarchy by William Dalrymple is a history and culture book. Published for readers interested in history and culture, it offers context for study, teaching and thoughtful reading. The riveting history of the East India Company, a private enterprise that became a de facto colonial power, William Dalrymple’s latest book is a cautionary tale about the pernicious effects of capitalism and the dangers of unregulated corporate greed. In August 1765 the East India Company defeated the young Mughal emperor and forced him to establish a new administration in his richest provinces. Run by English merchants who collected taxes using a ruthless private army, this new regime saw the East India Company transform itself from an international trading corporation into something much more unusual: an aggressive colonial power in the guise of a multinational business. William Dalrymple tells the remarkable story of the East India Company as it has never been told before, unfolding a timely cautionary tale of the first global corporate power.
