HIST103: World History in the Early Modern and Modern Eras (1600–Present)

Read Chapter 4 on pages 246–307. As you read, think about how national politics shaped British trade practices during this era.

Chapter 4 of this book focuses on the economic and political impact of the East India trade on England at the end of the 17th century. Advocates of free trade challenged the British East India Company's trade monopoly with India and Asia and asserted that state-sponsored monopolies were harmful, rather than helpful, to the national economy.