ベンガル塩商人の活動とイギリス東インド会社の塩独占体制(1788〜1836年)

概要

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The purpose of this paper is to explore the resilience of indigenous marcantile activities under colonial control through a case study of the salt trade in Bengal. When the English East India Company introduced the sale of salt by public auction in 1788 to increase its revenue by raising the price, new indigenous salt traders emerged. They can be classified into two main groups: wealthy trader-cum-bankers from Calcutta who speculated in salt, and local traders who distributed salt to the market. These two groups met with contrasting fates in the 1820s and early 1830s, as the Company could no longer maintain high princes owing to structural deficiencies within the monopoly system. The trader-cum-bankers , havig little access to the internal market, were easily affected by the state of the monopoly. In contrast, local traders were able to use the situation to dominate the market. Through the trading system centred on ganjs [wholesale markets], they were able to gain control of salt prices. It is likely that access to the indigenous trading system determined traders' ability to participate in the internal trade in Bengal.
2002-07-25