When non-Western peoples resisted efforts to reshape long-standing economic relationships or refused to give up control of natural resources, the industrialized nations of the West proved willing to use force to remake the global economic map to their own advantage. The activities of the British East India Company provide a case in point. Although formed as a commercial organization, the British East India Company had its own military forces, which it used to gain direct or indirect control of Indian territories and principalities. The image included here shows a scene from the Sikh Wars (1845–1846, 1848–1849), which pitted the British East India Company against the Sikh Kingdom of Punjab. Although the Sikhs put up a stiff defense, aided by Western artillery and other advanced military technology, their eventual defeat led to the annexation of the Punjab by the British, in effect completing the British conquest of India. As you examine the image, compare and contrast the two sides. What do they have in common? In what important ways do the opposing forces differ?
