Adam chill modern british history reading list peter weiler general workseighteenth century john brewer, the sinews of power. Burkes handbook to the most excellent order of the british empire containing biographies, a full list of persons appointed to the order, showing their relative precedence, and coloured plates of the insignia by thorpe, a. Alfred a knopf, 1989 roy porter, english society in the eighteenth century allen lane. This marked the beginning of the conquest of india by the british. Reviews of new books ten books that shaped the british empire. How britain made the modern world by niall ferguson.
War, money and the english state, 16881783 new york. I have included below contemporary historical fiction and also historical fiction that has been written in more recent times. From the founding of colonies in north america and the west indies in the seventeenth century to the reversion of hong kong to china. This simple threat helped to keep the sepoys in line throughout most of. Lets end the myths of britains imperial past books.
Look for primary sources and types of primary sources used to create the secondary source. Jane austens mansfield park 1814, for example, cursorily acknowledges that the estate of the novels title derives some of its wealth from slavery. Take your students learning even further with the new ks3 history depth study titles. It was just so cheesy and you could tell it was really made for kids. The rule is also called crown rule in india, or direct rule in india. Yet the feudal empire of henry ii, so far from being centralized, was a mere bundle of separate lordships, thrown together by the accidents of conquest, marriage, and divorce. Library, 1943, the royal empire society edition, in english. Narrative and analysis are interwoven with revealing eyewitness quotation to provide keen insight into the minds of those involved in conquering, settling and ruling the greatest empire the world has seen. From the eighteenth century until the 1950s, the british empire was the largest and most farflung political entity in the world, holding sway at one time over one fifth of the worlds population. A rich collection of primary materials, the multivolume archives of empire provides a documentary history of nineteenthcentury british imperialism from the indian subcontinent to the suez canal to southernmost africa. David cameron would have us look back to the days of the british empire with pride.
The book sort of brought you into the time period, and wasnt as patronising. British empire, a worldwide system of dependencies colonies, protectorates, and other territoriesthat over a span of some three centuries was brought under the sovereignty of the crown of great britain and the administration of the british government. Sir thomas bertram has plantation holdings in antigua and visits there, away from the scene of. The british empire vs the roman empire historical comparison duration. The policy of granting or recognizing significant degrees of selfgovernment by dependencies, which was favoured by. In the rise and fall of the british empire, lawrence james has written a comprehensive, perceptive, and insightful history of the british empire. In english literature of the 19th century, empire is often present.
Ten minute history the early british empire short documentary duration. This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special legacy reprint series. The cambridge history of the british empire, volume 8. The rise and fall of the british empire by lawrence james, empire.
History of the british empire ebook by charles payne. Against a background of striking illustrations, twelve experts on imperial history survey the experience of colonialism in north america, the caribbean. An intimate history of the british empire in imperial intimacies, hazel carby weaves together the story of colonialism and the story of her family. The british empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the united kingdom and its predecessor states. Spanning five centuries, and charting the rise and fall of empires around the world, empire online enables students and researchers to explore colonial history, politics, culture and society. Journal of british studies jbs, the official publication of the north american conference on british studies, is the critical resource for scholars of british culture from the middle ages to the present. Top 10 books about the british in india books the guardian. Various authors contributed well written chapters to create an understanding of the empire by century. Check out the new look and enjoy easier access to your favorite features.
Creating an imperial commons will prove invaluable to scholars working on imperial print cultures, attempting to think globally in victorian or american studies, or otherwise seeking to unfield british empire studies. Spanning the years from 1600 to the present day, this critically acclaimed book combines. Lord clive of india is yet another book by nirad chaudhary which outlines the conquest of bengal province by the british east india co. The oxford history of the british empire companion series wm. Its use seems to imply in some way absolute power, the centralization which was so fundamentally characteristic of rome. Good historical fiction can teach what a standard work of history cannot. The region under british control was commonly called india in contemporaneous usage, and included areas directly administered by the united kingdom. The rise and fall of the british empire covers the history of british expansion overseas from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries. The encyclopaedia of british empire postage stamps 1639 1952 vol v the empire in north america and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Top 10 books on vladimir putins russia books the guardian. The cambridge illustrated history of the british empire is an illuminating survey of the development and impact of the british empire from the end of the american revolution to the present day. For better or worse, the impact of the british empire has earned its place in the history books.
From the babylonian, to the greek, roman, ottoman, portuguese, dutch and up to the british, each successive empire has left deep imprints on the collective human culture, philosophy and. With primary source material from american, french, dutch, spanish, portuguese, german and british perspectives, empire online provides varying pointsofview for comparative research. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other. Fiction and nonfiction score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.
London 1982 richard price, british society, 16801880. The history professor tells us why its less interesting to argue about whether the empire was a force. Winton and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Designed to support the bestselling ks3 history resources, these textbooks give a more. A good rule of thumb is that if a book on british history compiles the 600 years between the fall of the western roman empire and the norman conquest into only a couple chapters, it isnt a very good book and it is likely to treat potentially legendary accounts such as hengest and horsa as fact and, even worse, will probably adopt the. A dwindling economy, and the cost of two world wars, saw this oncemighty empire crumble, giving in the process independence to nearly all of its dominions in the years after 1945. The cambridge illustrated history of the british empire. From the founding of colonies in north america and the west indies in the seventeenth century to the reversion of hong kong to china at the end of the twentieth, british imperialism was a catalyst for farreaching. Top 10 books about the british in india from rudyard kipling to william dalrymple, these titles document the folly, cruelty and heroism of the raj ferdinand mount. An intimate history of the british empire the new yorker. Share discover in a free daily email todays famous history and birthdays enjoy the famous daily. At its height, it was the largest empire in history and, for over a.
The british empire was a crucial component in shaping lives, peoples, travel, economy, technology, politics and culture for hundreds of years. Olive patricia dickason, professor emeritus at university of alberta and adjunct professor department of history olive patricia dickason snippet view 1984. The best books on the british empire five books expert. Burkes handbook most excellent order british empire. It can introduce us to the sights, sounds and smells of the empire and can give some of the characters a voice.
The british empire was at its greatest expanse in 1922, holding sway over about 458 million people onefifth of the worlds population at the time and covered almost a quarter of the earths total land area. Slavery and the british empire provides a clear overview of the entire history of british involvement with slavery and the slave trade, from the cape colony to the caribbean. The oxford history of the british empire is a major new assessment of the empire in the light of recent scholarship and the progressive opening of historical records. Find a good secondary source book, article, and mine its bibliography. Empire is a succinct and highly readable account of this extraordinary rise and fall. History books lets end the myths of britains imperial past. Up until the late 20th century, much of the history of human civilization has been that of empire. Pages in category history books about the british empire the following 9 pages are in this category, out of 9 total. The oxford history of the british empire edited by wm roger louis is an excellent compilation of top scholarship related to all aspects of the british empire. With all about historys book of the british empire, explore a controversial period in world history and grasp the lasting impact this dominating power has had on the modern world, all through amazing images, illustrations and articles. But there is little in the brutal oppression and naked greed with which it was built that deserves our respect. England makes tentative first steps towards establishing a presence beyond the ocean in the same decade as spain and portugal, the 1490s.