Rethinking the origins of British India:state formation and military-fiscal undertakings in an eighteenth century world region

This paper discusses the rise of the East India Company in the contested political world of eighteenth century India, with reference to the manner in which economic power was deployed to enhance military power. It is shown that there was only one successful model of military-fiscal strategy during this time, and that the Company's success was due to interactions between three factors - taxable resources, the strategies of its rivals, and institutional choices.