The British Empire built the first truly global trading system—and the East India Company was the corporation at its centre, wielding more power than most nations. Study it for the intersection of commerce, governance, and the limits of corporate power.
East India Company
The Anarchy
William Dalrymple · Book
How a trading company became an imperial power—corporate governance failure at civilisational scale.
The Honourable Company
John Keay · Book
Institutional history of the EIC from charter to dissolution.
Trade and Empire
Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World
Niall Ferguson · Book
Provocative argument for imperial contribution to globalisation—read critically alongside postcolonial perspectives.
The Wealth and Poverty of Nations
David S. Landes · Book
Why some nations industrialised and others didn't—trade networks and institutions as explanatory factors.