Many historians have argued that European colonization of India and other parts of the world was facilitated by a so-called “Military Revolution.” Between the 14th and 18th centuries a series of innovations in military technology and organization reshaped not only the conduct of warfare but also the whole of European society. Rising Western powers designed new tools of war, commerce and statecraft in their constant conflicts with each other – and then used them to impose their will on the rest of the world. Yet this process was not unique. During this time the Mughal Empire also emerged as one of the wealthiest and most powerful states on the planet. It controlled almost all of South Asia and fielded vast armies equipped with weapons that were modern even by European standards. Its success was the product of remarkable advances in technology, tactics and organization promoted by the great Emperors Babur and Akbar. This Indian military revolution paralleled many of the early developments of its Western counterpart. Ironically it was the overwhelming dominance of the Mughals that caused the revolution to remain unfinished. There were no remaining enemies powerful enough to demand continued excellence and innovation – and no successors strong enough to halt European expansion into the vacuum left by the Empire's eventual decline and fall.