If you need a comprehensive summary of the British Empire, than this volume is a good as any, and will fill most of the gaps. Just finished reading this for a 2nd time due to a trip to England. Your selected delivery location is beyond seller's shipping coverage for this item. Be the first to ask a question about The Rise and Fall of the British Empire. For those interested in the machinations of colonial governments and lives of the subjects, much is left to be desired. The book also briefly mentioned the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and the acquisition of Palestine by Britain (which is part of the history leading into the creation of the modern nation-state of Israel). Anybody lucky enough to have a chance to study the history of the world in the twentieth century may encounter it again at about the time most of Britain’s other colonies were finally obtaining their independence. The last chapters are a bit anti-climactic, which is probably due to the subject matter, but also weirdly apologetic, such that the author’s own values shine through and seem to have the better of h. A readable, at times compelling, concise (at 500pp+!) This book really covers the British Empire ... and as an added bonus, if you have trouble sleeping, this book can help. A very impressive work on the history of the Empire and her peoples. In the end, the Empire faded away as its people, both at home and in the colonies and dominions found other priorities and the cost financially and politically of maintaining the Empire became too much. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in.

There is some effort to be objective as much as possible, but Mr James's conservative bias does shew somewhat. I was hoping for a little more Stephen Ambrose type read, but it is not. The last chapters are a bit anti-climactic, which is probably due to the subject matter, but also weirdly apologetic, such that the author’s own values shine through and seem to have the better of him, against the evidence his own text amasses in the previous 400 pages, which feel pretty honest about the racism, supremacy beliefs, rule by Gatling gun, sneaky soft coercion side of Empire. Spanning the years from 1600 to the present day, this critically acclaimed book combines detailed scholarship with readable popular history.“This is a stylish, intelligent and readable book.” —The New York Times Book Review. India, of course, is discussed in detail, as well as the reasons that pushed the empire into war with Germany in 1914. Buy a cheap copy of The Rise and Fall of British Empire book by Lawrence James. It is, however, very complete and a very well crafted historical piece. The author has set himself quite an audacious task here, and I'm sad to report that it falls a bit short, on length if nothing else - chronicling the rise and fall of the worldwide British empire is a massive undertaking, and even coming in at over 600 big pages, what you have here is mostly a very high-level overview. The focus is primarily around the government/business sector, with the social attitudes of British citizens and colonists also getting sufficient treatment. I think the problem really just boils down to scope. I thoroughly enjoyed. Please choose a different delivery location or purchase from another seller. Lawrence James’ chronicles the 400-year long history of. Whatever your standpoint, the story of how a tiny island became the most important country in the world is a compelling one. He lives in St. Andrews, Scotland with his wife who is the headmistress of St. Leonard's School, and his two sons. For all the hand-wringing guilt about exploitation in the name of the Empire, it ought to be remembered that this was a time of empire-building and if the British had not planted their flag on distant territories, some other ambitious nation would, and who can say if they would have behaved in a way more acceptable to our 21st century sensibilities. Lawrence James has written a comprehensive, perceptive and insighful history of the British Empire. A definitive single volume history, which through the extent of the British Empire and everyone else's reaction to it, pretty clearly delineates why the global map looks the way it does today. This led to sluggish responses from the empire in foreign policy and lack of loyalty in the colonies so in wwii the empire cou. Except for decisions regarding the colonies and, later, the commonwealth, little consideration is given to events in the British Isles themselves, excepting Ireland. Areas of historical interest covered in this book are mercantilism, the economic value of exploiting colonies in order to build the British Navy to the most powerful force on the international sea, the trans-Atalntic slave trade, and an in-depth focus on the East India Company and India.

Enjoyed it! A time well described. I think the problem really just boils down to scope. Easy to follow. Lawrence James has written a comprehensive, perceptive and insighful history of the British Empire. its colonies, global struggles, etc.) Refresh and try again. American schoolchildren typically don’t learn much about the British Empire after our clash with them during the War of 1812. For those who think this work a paen to the British empire, I suggest they read the entire work. Sign up to receive information about new books, author events, and special offers. Subjects like the Raj that could take up entire volumes themselves are distilled down to under 200 pages. But it covers a huge time period and manages to put interesting stories together for each region and period. Great Britain's geopolitical role has undergone many changes over the last four centuries. In this comprehensive book on the start and end of the great British Empire, Lawrence has managed to capture the cultural, moral, economic and political changes in Britain and their Empire. This book is truly epic in nature.

It lays the groundwork of what started the British along the path of empire and the events that pushed that desire along.

This does a good job covering the long history of the British Empire; you'll get to find out how the Empire acquired and lost its various lands. In The Rise and Fall of the British Empire, Lawrence James has written a comprehensive, perceptive, and insightful history of the British Empire. Once a maritime superpower and ruler of half the world, Britain now occupies an isolated position as an economically fragile island often at odds with her European neighbors. We’d love your help. once into this book it becomes impossible to sustain; the author is hell-bent to present british imperialism as a) different from the (bad) imperialism of others and b) provided a noble service of preparing hapless fools for self government. However, it is a sweeping history of the British Empire, providing detailed looks at its expansion and contraction region by region. But James clearly knows his subject very well, it's just a shame that be can't communicate his enthusiasm for the subject in a more comprehensive way. Yet, it really does shine as a concise summary of the British Empire, and it provides some useful historical context for those into postcolonial literature. Macmillan Code of Ethics for Business Partners. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. I'm not sure what to make of this book; On the one hand I was never bored reading it, but on the other it's tough to recommend. What comes across is a clear sense of the way history has impacted world relations and the book is particularly resonant now given the whole issue of Brexit and a more nationalist leaning world. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. India, of course, is discussed in detail, as well as the reasons that pushed the empire into war with Germany in 1914. Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2017. A brilliant history of the British Empire, really the structure that made the modern world! by St. Martin's Griffin (NY). I do recommend this book, however. Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2020. Otherwise, what most of us know of the British Empire consists of the names of a handful of men (i.e. The empire spread because of economic and political organization that trumped it's continental rivals. A vast subject, which is hard to cover in a single volume, so in that respect the deal has been done. He makes the valid point about how (generally) civilised the retreat from empire was, contrasting with the French exit from Algeria and the Belgians from the Congo. The result is a good, but unfortunately shallow; I would recommend this as a first read before seeing which parts of the history described whet your appetite, then looking for books that cover those areas in more detail.

Except for decisions regarding the colonies and, later, the commonwealth, little consideration is given to events in the British Isles themselves, excepting Ireland. I found this book to offer excellent insight into the condition of empire, and despite a reasonable understanding of Britain's exploits overseas, James' book provided me with a context I hadn't found elsewhere. I don't think I learned must of anything about the British Empire in school honestly, except for as it concerned America... A definitive single volume history, which through the extent of the British Empire and everyone else's reaction to it, pretty clearly delineates why the global map looks the way it does today. Its over 600 pages long but is mostly easy reading which is what I wanted for an overall history of the British Empire. It manages to make an extremely complex topic (The Rise and Fall of the British Empire) easy to understand without neglecting detail, something that most books fail to do. James also closely examines the reasons for the prevailing politically correct national scab picking in Britain, and why the "smart set" is unable to abide national pride.

Suez and the Falklands show British blimpishness is still present in the leaders and working class of Britain. Leftist readers and anti-colonialists will be appalled by the closing sentences of this history. It covers the American Revolution and the symptoms that would eventually cause the empire problems at a later date. and comprehensive (500pp+...) survey of the history of the British Empire.