A recent remark by a well-known politician about the potential Balkanisation of India set me wondering. The analogy was made with the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991-92. But rather than looking at the one-party system of the 20th century USSR, a look at the map of the subcontinent circa 1721 may prove more illuminating.
At that time, the Mughal Empire controlled vast dominions and Mughal coinage was acceptable everywhere. So you had a central power based in Delhi, and a de facto currency union. The Mughals also had the largest military force. Various regional forces chipped ...
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