The East India Company had three major exports -- first textiles, then tea, and finally opium. Tea became important because the working class could no longer afford to drink milk.
Money from the East India Company was used to buy estates, which did help to revolutionize the countryside. Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University michael at ecst.csuchico.edu Chico, CA 95929 530-898-5321 fax 530-898-5901 michaelperelman.wordpress.com Jim Devine Since as far as I know, tea can't be grown in W. Europe and thus would play no significant role in revolutionizing social relations there. (Perhaps it gave workers extra energy to work, however, like coffee does. Also, global warming might allow tea cultivation in W. Europe.)
