Inglorious Empire

Tharoor’s indictment of the Raj, grown out of his 2015 Oxford Union speech — deindustrialisation of Indian textiles, the famines, the drain of revenue, and a point-by-point answer to the case that Britain left India better off.

Why it’s on the list: Named in the replies to @SpencrGreenberg asking what non-fiction book taught you the most about how the world really works — a crowd-sourced list Kyle recovered by hand and saved.

Where I saw it: In the replies to @SpencrGreenberg asking “What non-fiction book taught you the most about how the world (or how humanity or society) really works?” (June 5, 2025). Kyle recovered the reply list by hand and saved it to his “Books To Read” Apple Note; the full transcribed list lives on A question for you — What non-fiction… (tweet).

Connections

• A question for you — What non-fiction… (tweet) — the thread this came out of; the full recovered list lives there.
• Economic History — the frame the argument works in.
• People Over Politics — the portfolio idea this sits closest to.