European Trade and Colonial Conquest (vol. 1) By Biplab Dasgupta (London: Anthem Press, 2005. 398 pages.)

Abstract

European Trade and Colonial Conquest is authored by Biplab Dasgupta, a
renowned political and social activist from Calcutta who taught economics at
Calcutta University and was a member of the Parliament of India for several
years. He has authored many books on various aspects of India’s socioeconomic
and political life in the post-independence era, such as the oil industry,
the Naxalite movements, trends in Indian politics, labor issues and globalization,
agrarian change and technology, rural change, urbanization, and migration.
The present book primarily focuses on the evolution of Bengal’s economy
and society over the precolonial period, beginning from prehistoric days.
Even though there are writings on Bengal’s colonial history, we know very
little about its precolonial past except for the names of kings, the chronology
of dynasties, and scattered references to urban settlements.
Dasgupta shows a specific interest in highlighting the socioeconomic
history of the last two and half centuries, from Vasco de Gama’s journey to
India in 1498 to the battle of Palashi in 1757. The author asserts that he
explores in detail the socioeconomic and political context of Bengal that
facilitated the transfer of power to European hands, because historians generally
ignore this rather quite long and critical period. He, therefore, comments
that this is “less a book on pre-colonial Bengal” and more a book on
European trade and colonial conquest (p. vii). The book explains how
European commercial enterprise in Bengal gathered political power through
its control over trade and gradually transformed itself into a colonial power.
Although the Mughals held political power during this period, the economic
power and control of the Indian Ocean trade routes were gradually slipping
into European hands.
It is believed that Clive’s victory at the battle of Palashi led to the colonial
conquest of Bengal. However, focusing on Bengal’s socioeconomic ...