ject ing ▁the ▁Indian ▁national ist ▁account ▁of ▁the ▁British ▁as ▁al ien ▁ag gress ors , ▁se izing ▁power ▁by ▁br ute ▁force ▁and ▁imp over ishing ▁all ▁of ▁India , ▁British ▁historian ▁P . ▁J . ▁Marshall ▁arg ues ▁that ▁the ▁British ▁were ▁not ▁in ▁full ▁control ▁but ▁instead ▁were ▁players ▁in ▁what ▁was ▁primarily ▁an ▁Indian ▁play ▁and ▁in ▁which ▁their ▁rise ▁to ▁power ▁dep ended ▁upon ▁excellent ▁co operation ▁with ▁Indian ▁el ites . ▁Marshall ▁adm its ▁that ▁much ▁of ▁his ▁interpretation ▁is ▁still ▁rejected ▁by ▁many ▁histor ians . ▁Marshall ▁arg ues ▁that ▁recent ▁scholar ship ▁has ▁re inter pre ted ▁the ▁view ▁that ▁the ▁prosper ity ▁of ▁the ▁formerly ▁ben ign ▁M ug hal ▁rule ▁gave ▁way ▁to ▁pover ty ▁and ▁an archy . ▁Marshall ▁arg ues ▁the ▁British ▁take over ▁did ▁not ▁make ▁any ▁sharp ▁break ▁with ▁the ▁past . ▁The ▁British ▁largely ▁deleg ated ▁control ▁to ▁regional ▁M ug hal ▁r ul ers ▁and ▁sust ained ▁a ▁generally ▁prosper ous ▁economy ▁for ▁the ▁rest ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 8 th ▁century . ▁Marshall ▁notes ▁the ▁British ▁went ▁into ▁partners hip ▁with ▁Indian ▁bank ers ▁and ▁raised ▁re venue ▁through ▁local ▁tax ▁administr ators ▁and ▁kept ▁the ▁old ▁M ug hal ▁rates ▁of ▁tax ation . ▁Professor ▁Ray ▁agre es ▁that ▁the ▁East ▁India ▁Company ▁inherited ▁an ▁on er ous ▁tax ation ▁system ▁that ▁took ▁one - third ▁of ▁the ▁produce ▁of ▁Indian ▁cultiv ators . ▁ ▁Trop ical ▁Africa ▁The ▁first ▁historical ▁studies ▁appeared ▁in