Inglorious Empire
by Shashi Tharoor · first published 2017
10mentions
7recommended by
10HN commenters
2018–2026first – last mentioned
70% recommend30% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Well-researched account of British rule in India that draws on statements and letters from British officials to show intent, and gives context on the scale of wealth taken. Suits readers wanting colonial history depth.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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…our times has been along those lines. Reading this book (amongst others) about the atrocities committed in service of the British idea of utopia in India evoked similar feelings: https://www.amazon.com/Inglorious-Empire-What-British-India/.... In comparison, the turn towards soft power in the 21st century on the macro (political) and micro (personal) levels is much appreciated, despite all of its ills.
on “The Khmer Rouge: Genocide in the Name of Utopia (2016)” ↗Anyone interested in a very thorough writing on the British occupation of India should read "The Inglorious Empire" by Shashi Tharoor. It is a very well researched work!
on “Some things to learn from the British East India Company's growth and demise” ↗I recommend reading this book as a supplement. https://www.amazon.in/Inglorious-Empire-What-British-India/d...
on “Before the East India Company” ↗Inglorious empire is another good one by Tharoor. Provides letters and statements from British officials and officers to show the intent and exploits.
on “An Englishwoman who sketched India before photography took hold” ↗I second this excellent book, "Inglorious Empire -- What the British did to India". My American girlfriend was shocked when she picked this up and glanced through it -- she had had no idea. Her understanding, such as it was, was entirely from British…
on “New research on the cost of colonization to India” ↗…accountable nor forced to pay reparations till date. In particular; the devastation wrought on India beggars belief. Watch this first: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB5ykS-_-CI . Also Read the book Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India, (aka An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India) by the above speaker. British Raj siphoned out $45 trillion from India: https://www.livemint.com/Companies/HNZA71LNVNNVXQ1eaIKu6M/Br...…
on “The worst atrocities carried out by the British Empire” ↗On the topic of the colonization of India, "Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India" is an illustrative book - especially if you want more context to draw conclusions about the scale of wealth taken from India.
on “What made the Irish famine so deadly” ↗There is already a wealth of information out there. I am reading through "Inglorious Empire" by Shashi Tharoor [1] after a friend recommended it. It's extremely detailed, down to the exact numbers and what's more convincing is that this data cited from British sources and historical accounts,…
on “Britain stole $45T from India (2018)” ↗…warrior. Yet none of these qualities makes the interpretation wrong, however. Few professional historians think that the British Empire ruled India with India’s best interests in mind. > Another review of Inglorious Empire, published in the Literary Review, by historian John Keay, whose many writings on India include India: A History, applauds Tharoor for "tackling an impossibly contentious subject". However, he deplores…
on “Some things to learn from the British East India Company's growth and demise” ↗…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7CW7S0zxv4. Text version of this speech available here: https://www.news18.com/news/india/read-shashi-tharoors-full-.... His book on the same topic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inglorious_Empire Then there is the famines. Famines during british rule is estimated to have killed from 20-50 million Indians: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_major_famines_in_I.... Google image search of…
on “Indian Railways Works Manual (2000) [pdf]” ↗