E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi – His Life & TimesOn July 8, 1497, five years after Columbus in three Spanish vessels discoveredAmerica, Vasco da Gama in three Portuguese ships, the largest of whichdisplaced 150 tons, anchored off the south-west shore of India. Thus began thefirst sea borne invasion of India.The Papal bulls of 1493 and an agreement with Spain gave Portugal, then aworld power, a Catholic monopoly in South-East Asia. That did not prevent theDutch from establishing several lucrative trading posts in India early in thesixteenth century. The French followed a few years later. They sent homepepper, cinnamon and other spices.England hesitated to encroach on the formidable Portuguese. Instead, sincethey had wool to sell which torrid southern Asia did not need, the Britishsearched for a north-west passage through North America and a north-eastpassage around northern Europe to the colder regions of China. But when thisquest proved vain, England, emboldened by her victory over the SpanishArmada in July 1588, dared to defy ortugal, Spain's confederate, anddispatched her first expedition into the Indian Ocean in 1591. Despite the warwith Spain and Portugal, other British expeditions followed. The peace ®ignedwith these nations increased the traffic and intensified commercialcompetition.An East India Company was formed in London in 1600- its renewed charter of1609 gave it a British trade monopoly in Asia unlimited in time and space.War greased the wheels of business. The Dutch, vigorous and aggressive andsupported by all the military might of the homeland, took the offensive againstPortuguese settlements in India and, with British co-operation, achievedconsiderable success. In 1625, an Anglo-Dutch fleet defeated the Portuguese.The victors divided the spoils.In 1642, England abandoned the Dutch and became Portugal's ally. As reward,British merchants won unhampered trade facilities with all Portuguesepossessions in Asia except Macao. Ten years later, Britain went to war withHolland in Europe and Anglo-Portuguese forces fought the Dutch in India. At thewww.mkgandhi.org Page 185