A magisterial work of narrative history, hailed in Britain as “the best one-volume account of the British Empire” and “an outstan...
read full description
reviews
Aug 09, 2011
Piers Brendon succeeds in 'The Decline and Fall of the British Empire' in conveying the various complexities and contradictions of the British Empire and those who ran it, arguing that it was these counter-acting forces that eventually led to its demise. Through the decades and centuries of British imperial rule Brendon again and again shows numerous officials, politicians, soldiers, businessmen and missionaries expanding the borders of the Empire - some with noble intentions, some without - all
More...
Jan 17, 2012
John
rated it: 
Piers Brendon's "The Decline and Fall of the British Empire: 11781 - 1997" certainly will strike well-versed readers as a clever homage to Edward Gibbon's justly celebrated literary landmark on the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. While it isn't nearly as vast in scope as Gibbon's work, it does come across as a brilliant bit of historical writing in its own right, tracing the rise and fall of a British Empire that claimed mastery of the world's oceans in the aftermath of the Ameri
More...
Feb 28, 2011
Palmyrah
rated it: 
Being a product of the British Empire, I have something of a soft spot for it. Piers Brendon doesn't. This massive book, which took me nearly a month to finish, has almost nothing good to say about history's biggest-ever empire, concentrating instead on land-grabs, exploitation of peoples and resources, on imperial arrogance, corruption and perfidy, on military and political blunders, atrocities of various kinds, acts of cowardice and betrayal, policies of neglect and policies of divide and rule
More...
Dec 13, 2010
Coinboy
rated it: 
This was a pretty thorough if workmanlike review of the British decline from Yorktown onward. The sheer bodycount is pretty staggering when taken as a whole, and Churchill comes off as far less than heroic, desperate to hold on to Empire at almost any cost. It was interesting how labor governments pronounced themselves so opposed to Empire until they came into power, and claimed they had little choice but to continue government policies, else catastrophe for the affected parts of the world wou
More...
Sep 05, 2010
David
rated it: 
Very much a mainstream 'narrative' history of the empire with very little, to no, deep analysis provided. This was disappointing to me because I ended up with Herodotus when I had been expecting Thucydides.
Not a bad history as histories go but nothing particularly insightful.
If you had not read a history of the Empire before this then the Decline and Fall is a good place to begin...rock solid actually. However, if you are aware of the 'narrative' then this is just giving the More...
Not a bad history as histories go but nothing particularly insightful.
If you had not read a history of the Empire before this then the Decline and Fall is a good place to begin...rock solid actually. However, if you are aware of the 'narrative' then this is just giving the More...
Oct 24, 2009
Michael
rated it:
Amazing history of the British Empire; Brendon has a genuine gift for the idiosyncratic detail, particularly the character detail. A dizzying array of whacked out racists, fumbling mamas boys, stranded intellectuals, brutal Kurtz-esque leaders, incompetents. At all times Brendon keeps focused on the Empire itself, not dipping into any of the major conflicts (the world wars) other than how they impacted the Empire itself. What's amazing about the book is not just the scope and scale of the Brit
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jun 13, 2011
L Greyfort
rated it: 
Brendon is not the only writer/historian who finds little to love about the Britsh conduct of their empire (see Simon Winchester's "Outposts"). But this is certainly a useful overview for those of us who have only a general idea of the events in the various major locations of the empire ("What was the Indian Revolt, exactly?"). It quickly becomes clear which parts one would most like to explore more thoroughly.
BUT -- what would make this a more useful, fun More...
Jan 22, 2009
Jon
rated it:
At just under 700 small-font pages, Brendon does a thorough job of detailing many of the major episodes of the Empire's dissolution. These events are examined through the eyes of the Colonial and Foreign Offices, Viceroys, and civil service officers spread across a quarter of the globe and ruling over one-fifth of its population. There is no overarching theory about the causes and nature of the decline and fall of the Empire, although the narrative is unmistakably told through the lens of Edward
More...
Aug 10, 2011
Christina
rated it:
A sweeping and highly detailed look at the decline of the British Empire and its eventual demise. Major downfall: focuses too much on comparisons between the fall of the Roman and British Empires. Although this comparison serves as a great central theme for the book, it also simplifies the differences between the two great world empires. Most markedly, Brendan does not explore the place of colonialist agency in the British colonies. Also does not delve into the important postcolonial theories of
More...
Dec 09, 2010
Gordon
rated it:
Modeled after Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, the book cuts a broad swath across modern history - perhaps too broad. The panoply of historical figures and events grows occasionally tedious, and the chapters have a definite pattern. One annoying habit the author has is the juxtaposition of two paragraphs, the second saying the exact opposite about a figure or event than the first. Nevertheless, this is a compellling story, as we watch the mighty British empire slowly stumble its wa
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
May 10, 2010
John
rated it:
This book is gigantic, and it is a major accomplishment for the author to have carried out and transmitted his investigations. The author would like to be hailed as "the new Gibbon," and he is very pleased with himself; he also often offers non-insightful personal opinions in his presentation of the material. These shortcomings, however, cannot undermine the worth of this work. This book offers comprehensive coverage of the British Empire, organized in chapters that covers specific
More...
Feb 12, 2012
Richard
rated it:
Immense - but lots of fun, with a picaresque novelist's eye for the barmy character in bizarre circumstances. And, after 200 years of books about how marvelous the Empire was, the sheer monotonous incompetence, blindness and brutality recorded in these pages is salutary. On the other hand (I hate to agree with conservatives about anything, but...) the book is weakened somewhat by the earnest monotony of its revisionism: although well-researched, it will feed the kind of self-indulgent, off-the-p
More...
Aug 27, 2011
John
rated it:
In a sane country, Piers Brendon’s narrative of the British Empire from its apogee to its end would be required reading for America’s current empire builders, publicists and apologists. That not being the case, Brendon’s masterful study will be ignored in the United States, which is a pity, for it is a virtual catalogue of the types of delusional, conflicted thinking and behavior that both created the British empire and guaranteed its sloppy dissolution. As Brendon so aptly suggests, virtually
More...
Jun 02, 2011
Moses Operandi
rated it:
This is the first serious history book I've ever read, so take this with a grain of salt, but I'm not particularly impressed. The problems with Brendon's work, 170 pages in, seem to outweigh the strengths.
Problems:
1. Like his idol Gibbon, Brendon indulges in stultifying anti-Christian rhetoric. He denies it, but I think he does have some sort of "noble savage" complex that drives him to bitter sarcasm about even the most saintly of Victorians, David Livingstone.
2. More...
Problems:
1. Like his idol Gibbon, Brendon indulges in stultifying anti-Christian rhetoric. He denies it, but I think he does have some sort of "noble savage" complex that drives him to bitter sarcasm about even the most saintly of Victorians, David Livingstone.
2. More...
May 07, 2010
Tneeno
rated it:
Very interesting account of a subject that needs discussion - the rise and collapse of the British Empire. Piers Brendan is a very good writer, with a fine eye for personal details, and the kind of stories that make history come aive. He also is a first rate historian. His analysis of how Kenya and the Sudan evolved into very different colonies is fascinating. He traces it back to how they were conquered and settled in the firs place - one with White settlers and the other without.
H More...
H More...
Jun 13, 2009
Ashish
rated it:
Not as amazing as his book on the 1930s _The Dark Valley_ but full of vivid anecdotes and thumbnail sketches of people and places. These qualities make it seem like a wonderful basis for a TV series, but does detract from it as a work of history. On the matters that I'm more familiar with - Indian colonial history and British politics at the time, he is very good - choosing people and places with a wonderful sense of their real significance in the flow of events.
Jul 24, 2011
Sam
rated it:
An easy-to-read history of the British Empire, like most history, full of atrocities. Piers Brendon bravely hat-tips Gibbon's 17th Century classic history of Rome, & summarizes with a quote from that book: There is nothing "more adverse to nature and reason than to hold in obedience remote countries and foreign nations, in opposition to their inclination and interest."
Jun 03, 2009
Vince
rated it:
This book has potential but is to difuse. The author tries to cover to much ground in detail and everything is to sketchy. On the other hand the quotes from the British ruling class make yoiu quickly realize that they were a very sick, racist bunch indeed.
Mar 18, 2010
Justin
rated it:
A highly enjoyable narrative history that provides a thorough overview of such a global encompassing topic. Brendon's style is engaging enough to make you want plow on through for the entire length of the book.
Dec 08, 2011
Irsyad
rated it:
Amazing read. This book gives all the historical reasons why things are as it is today. It describes the action, and allows the reader to see the action's consequences.
Jan 30, 2010
Monika
rated it:
Wow! This author, the former head of the Churchil archives, has a gift to write historical non-fiction. Lots of fascinating detail and interesting characterisations.
Jul 28, 2011
Andrei
rated it:
Good book, especially chapters about Africa, but some parts look superficial, first of all the chapters on the Middle East.
Jun 05, 2011
Lolene
rated it:
I decided I needed a more in-depth look at Ireland's troubled history after I read Northern Ireland: Troubled Land and Countries of the World:Ireland. I started reading this one and found it quite, quite fascinating. It's heavier sledding (very few illustrations!)...but it is multi-use. If I suddenly have a yen to dry flowers, it will work as a dandy press!!! Piers Brendon (author) has done his research and writes in a lively enough writing style that it does not IMMEDIATELY put me to sleep. The
More...
Aug 18, 2011
Joel
rated it:
This was an eye-opening read. The amount of bloodshed, rape and destruction that attended the colonies - particularly in Africa and India - was appalling. The British determination to maintain these colonies was perplexing. I wish that our modern imperialists would read this and learn from it.
Apr 24, 2010
Liz
rated it:
I am not sure I am going to finish this book. It is rather doom-laden and hateful in its prose. The author sees portents of the crumbling of the British Empire in military success of the 18th century, which is rather a stretch since the empire did not really crumble till after World
War II.
I think I would simply prefer a more objective history of British Empire. The sound of the axe-grinding in the background of this book is deafening, and spoils the experience of reading it
War II.
I think I would simply prefer a more objective history of British Empire. The sound of the axe-grinding in the background of this book is deafening, and spoils the experience of reading it
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Aug 03, 2009
Howard
rated it:
I've just read one chapter, but I think this is a great synthesis. It probably assumes some knowledge of the last couple hundred years, but pretty clearly will repay anyone willing to make the investment. There is, I suppose, the shadow of a suggestion that this book could have a place in the imagination of the American thinking class similar to that Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire had in the minds of British thinkers in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Aug 19, 2011
Cameron
rated it:
This book is a mark of genius. But an absolute MONSTER of a read, I had to read it in stages just to be able to absorb all the information.
Oct 23, 2011
Guineverethecelt
rated it:
More and more one is shown how even now there is no way that England can ever be proud of its Empire no matter how hard they try to justify it. The cruelties that were in inflicted on so many countries and the arrogance of whites is horrendous. The countries are still suffering from colonalism. Europe should appologise for its past as the Americans should.
