Thread by @TheAtulMishra

“The Mugal were champions of economy and they built a India theory demystified” - A thread

Numerically challenged, statistically unhinged and data noob liberals quote data to prove that Mughals were some sort of economic geniuses who led India to its most prosperous years.

According to data compiled by economic historian Angus Maddison:

“…as recently as 1700, Qing China and Mughal India each represented a little less than 25 per cent of world GDP”,

Liberal elites in media and academia latched on to it. This soon became the dominant narrative.

25% is a huge deal but this is what we can call a classic example of half truth.

So did Maddison lie? No she didn’t.
But she did hide (or overlooked) the data prior to the period she mentions. Hers was not the most detailed study.

The reality is that under Mughals, India registered a steep decline in its GDP share of the world. India’s highest GDP share was during the Gupta ages when India strictly followed the Hindu way of life.

This chart that I have taken from Jeff Desjardins’ essay “2,000 Years of Economic History in One Chart” puts data into the correct perspective.

As is clear from the chart, Angus Maddison’s 1700 CE data while big is significantly narrower than that in 1000 CE. And that was when Mughals were at their zenith.

It again registers a sharp decline when British capture India ~ 1850 CE. The share continues to get narrower as successive congress governments continue pillaging India.

There is very famous quote about statistics. There are lies. There are damned lies. And then there are statistics. Here’s my own take on it - Statistics when used responsibly and in the right context can cut through all lies and damned lies.

So in a nutshell Mughals were what they were. A barbarous clan that practiced hardcore Islamism. They had utter disregard for Hinduism. They pillaged India to fill their own coffers and build lofty mausoleums.

Their contribution to India’s growth is nil, nada, zilch.