The Second British Empire: In the Crucible of the Twentieth Century

by Timothy H. Parsons

At its peak, the British Empire spanned the world and linked diverse populations in a vast network of exchange that spread people, wealth, commodities, cultures, and ideas around the globe. By the turn of the twentieth century, this empire, which made Britain one of the premier global superpowers, appeared invincible and eternal. This compelling book reveals, however, that it was actually remarkably fragile. Reconciling the humanitarian ideals of liberal British democracy with the inherent authoritarianism of imperial rule required the men and women who ran the empire to portray their non-Western subjects as backward and in need of the civilizing benefits of British rule. However, their lack of administrative manpower and financial resources meant that they had to recruit cooperative local allies to actually govern their colonies. Timothy H. Parsons provides vivid detail of the experiences of subject peoples to explain how this became increasingly difficult and finally impossible after World War II as Afr

Genres: History

440 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2014

Reviews

[Owen Hatherley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative, critical and often very ironic book on the British Empire from its interwar height to its postwar collapse; with particular emphasis on Africa but usefully global and synoptic.