The Empire

In this episode, titled “The Empire,” Shashi Tharoor and RT’s South Asia Correspondent Runjhun Sharma explore how and why the British built railways in India, with Dr. Tharoor arguing that “for the British to claim the slightest credit for having done any good to India through the railways is arrant hypocrisy.” They go on to examine how the British East India Company, essentially a trading firm, managed to take over an entire subcontinent through coercion. Dr. Tharoor also weighs in on whether the widely cited figure of $45 trillion is an accurate estimate of the wealth looted from India, and offers his view on Winston Churchill, whom he places on par with the worst dictators of the 20th century.