Indian Business History

This course will familiarise students with the modern history of the evolution of businesses in the Indian subcontinent during the twentieth century. It will discuss case studies of businesses and industries to highlight the multi-faceted history of entrepreneurship in India at the turn of the twentieth century ranging from post-Independence banking history to liberal reforms of the 1990s. It will examine the history of major Indian industrial houses as well as the use of financial diplomacy as an instrument of India’s foreign policy after 1947. The course will highlight the historical nature of policies that shaped Indian business cultures in the wider socio-political landscape

INTENDED AUDIENCE : UG and PG Students of Humanities and Social Sciences, Management, Human Resource and Engineering StreamsPRE-REQUISITE : NilSUPPORT INDUSTRY : Nil

COURSE LAYOUT

Week 1 : Introduction to Indian Business HistoryWeek 2 : The arrival and Impact of the east India Company, 1700-1800Week 3 : Rise of Indian Cities and Industrial Houses, 1750-1850Week 4 : Swadeshi Movement and Indian entrepreneurs, 1850-1900Week 5 : Indian Business and Economy during the First and Second World Wars, 1914-1945, (HAL)Week 6 : Independence & Industrial Planning, 1947-1960: Origin and evolution of PSUsWeek 7 : “License Raj” and Impact on Business, 1960-1980: Nationalisation of Banks and Key Energy Sector PSUsWeek 8 : Liberalization and Contemporary Business Trends: ONGC and Oil Diplomacy