John Crawfurd's 1829 pamphlet on free trade and colonisation and his liberal campaign for British imperial reforms in India and Southwest Asia

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    Abstract

    The radical Scottish doctor, Orientalist, colonial administrator and lobbyist, John Crawfurd was a proponent for the creation of a utopian empire based on free trade. He worked for the British East India Company for more than twenty years and played a crucial part in the administration of the British Empire in nineteenth century Southeast Asia. Crawfurd's 1829 pamphlet was remarkable, if for no other reason than, as part of the anti-monopoly campaigns leading to the Charter Act of 1833, it helped end the Company's monopoly over the trade to China. Crawfurd had already spoken out against the British East India Company even before he ended his career with them. As a liberal proponent of imperial policy, he believed that measures should be taken to promote the welfare of Britain's colonised subjects. The liberal administrative practices of other colonising nations, like Russia, were described in glowing terms to add support to his proposed liberal colonial reforms for India.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationLiberalism and the British Empire in Southeast Asia
    EditorsGareth Knapman, Anthony Milner, Mary Quilty
    Place of PublicationNew York, USA
    PublisherRoutledge, Taylor & Francis Group
    Pages141-166pp
    Volume1
    Edition1st edition
    ISBN (Print)9781138082052
    Publication statusPublished - 2018

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