Based on a number of historical documents, Breaking into the Monopoly examines how the commercial pressure groups of Glasgow, Liverpool, and Manchester organised nationwide campaigns to break into the British East India Companyâs monopoly for free access to Asian markets from 1812-1813 and 1829-1833. The analysis includes various aspects of the campaignersâ motives, strategies, methods, and networks, as well as their relationship with the London mercantile society in nineteenth-century Britain. The author, Yukihisa Kumagai, brings new insights to the question regarding the connection between the rapidly growing provincial mercantile and manufacturing interests and Britainâs economic and imperial policies during the Industrial Revolution.
Yukihisa Kumagai, Ph.D. (2008), University of Glasgow, is Assistant Professor of Economics Course at University of the Ryukyus, Japan. He has published academic journal articles on British economic history in the UK and Japan.
List of Tables and Figures
Abbreviations
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Defending the Monopoly: The East India Company, 1790sâ1830s
2. Challenging the Commercial Giant: The Glasgow East India Association, 1812â1813
3. Struggling for Lucrative Trade: The Glasgow East India Association, 1829â1833
4. Aiming for the Premier Port of the Empire: The Liverpool East India Association, 1812â1813 and 1829â1833
5. Searching for New Markets: The Manchester Chamber of Commerce and Manufacturers, 1829â1833
Conclusion
Appendices
Bibliographies
Index
Anyone interested in the histotry of the British East India Company as well as the growth of provincial cities in Britain during the period of the Industrial Revolution.