The Politics of Trade: Anglo-French Commerce on the Coromandel Coast 1763-1793

The politics of Trade: Anglo-French Commerce on the Coromandel Coast, 1763-1793 deals with the period of transition in the Indian economy from pre-colonial to colonial times. Since post-1763 French trading activities are rarely discussed by historians in India, this book attempts to fill part of this gap. The focus is on French trade in relation to the English presence along the Coromandel coast and is based on French and the English primary sources. This book questions the traditional view that trade virtually ceased after the Treaty of Paris in 1763 and suggests that the two rival powers, France and England, were engaged in a peculiar game that required public antagonism but private cooperation. It also examines the active collaboration of the European banking houses in financing the French trade in India. The factors responsible for the vagaries in the French policy, which resulted first in the abolition and then the re-creation of their companies, have also been explained. It also takes into account the impact of the Anglo-French rivalry on Indian trading and weaving communities. An important feature of this book is its emphasis on the varied range of Indian textile, which also makes the work of equal interest to scholars of colonial history and the lay readers.