The history of Asia in the 17th, 18th, and 19th century is centered around the great impact of European empires. Nations such as France, The Netherlands, and Britain significantly impacted many port cities in Asia. One nation, India, first lost many port cities such as Calcutta to the British and eventually the entire nation. There were many factors that led to this conquest of territories, including economic, social, and political factors. The most important factor leading to the conquest of territories in India were the political actions of both the Mughal empire, and Britain.
             India, before the presence of European nations was mainly ruled by the Mughal empire. They were centered in Delhi lying in the northern part of the country away from the ocean. For a significant portion of history the Mughals were one of the most powerful empires in all of Asia, but as will be shown, the Mughal political system was in serious decay when the British arrive. Many of these political problems directly led to the British's occupation of territories in India.
             One problem with the Mughal empire was its lack of control and regulation of its port cites. The Mughal Empire chose to focus its economy almost solely on agricultural production, worrying very little about the trading industry. With little control on the port cities before the arrival of the British, it was very easy for British companies to establish a small foothold with minimal interference from the Mughals. This lack of interference allowed the British to set up forts, and storage facilities, and develop the ports in to a British style trading system. C.A. Bayly, author of Imperial Meridian goes to great lengths to explain this agro-centered economy. He discusses how an implied contractual agreement between an intermediary and a ruler, helped to stimulate the growth of revenue farming . This increase in revenue farming, and thus an increase in profit convinced In...