A BRIEF HISTORICAL AND ANALYTICAL REVIEW OF THE BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY: FROM ITS FOUNDATION TO ITS FALL

Mochalov Evgeny Vladimirovich, Shegulova Margarita Alekseevna

The English presence in the Indian subcontinent is a complex tangle of myths, stereotypes and different points of view. The article examines the main myths about the «pearl of the English crown» and clarifies the key points of its history. The research is based on an extensive source base, which is dominated by works by domestic authors such as K.A. Fursov and K.A. Antonova, etc., and also includes foreign publications by P. Brandon, W. McNeil and others. The methodological approach is based on interdisciplinary methods, which allows for a comprehensive analysis of the East India Company from historical, philosophical and general scientific perspectives. The article offers a deep understanding of the historical context and debunks common myths about the East India Company.

Keywords:East India Company, Great Britain, Mughal Empire, «powder empire», monopoly, corruption, famine, sepoys, zamindari, rayatwari, sati, tugi, caste system, varna system.