Question

The British established the east india company to acquire

Answer 1

To trade but really it was to break the dutch "monopoly" of the spice trade with the East Indies

Answer 2

The British East India Company in early 1800s represented the interest of the Crown in South East Asia, basically to gain the monopoly of the spice trade at that time and avoid The Netherlands to have that much poweer in the world, albeit it helped Britain to acquire spices and other goods located almost exclusively in Asia; they also needed workers for their factories and soldiers for their armies.

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