Empire: The British Imperial Experience from 1765 to the Present

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The British Empire changed the face of the modern world. At its zenith it governed more than a quarter of the world's population, and spanned at least a fifth of its surface. Through these sovereign acquisitions, the British people derived wealth, influence and prestige. Empire also became a defining aspect of British identity, affording the nation a sense of international purpose and political and social unity. Yet, for many of those that it controlled, the Empire often represented something darker: an arbitrary power which disrupted local customs, social structures and government. In this new edition of his classic work, Denis Judd analyses the sweep of the British colonial story, from the American Revolution to the present day, decisively illustrating the influence of Britain's imperial past on her place in the twenty-first century. This renowned book, fully updated, will be essential reading for anyone interested in understanding modern Britain and its imperial history.

Reviews

'An excellent book... The treatment by Professor Judd cannot be faulted...[he] comes to balanced and sensible conclusions...He also gives an admirable chronology.' - The Times; 'The best general history on the subject now available...always stimulating and absorbing and sometimes an unrivalled tour d'horizon.' - Irish Times; ' - remarkably successful - Judd is judicious, vigorous and highly readable.' - Stephen Howe, New Statesman; ' - an excellent new study - compelling reading. A refreshing willingness to indulge in 'what if' speculations also shows Judd at his revisionist best.' - Andrew Roberts, Sunday Times; 'Denis Judd's book - is intelligent, extremely well-informed and insightful.' - Mail on Sunday; 'A superb, immense and very splendid book.' - Tony Palmer, BBC Radio 3, Nightwaves; ' - intelligent - informative - He has interesting points to make about modern Commonwealth relationships - He is constructively sceptical about claims by cultural historians for the overwhelming power of school textbooks and children's fiction to shape popular imperial mentalities.' - Andrew Porter, TLS; 'Wonderfully ambitious - a pungent and attractive survey of the British Empire.' - Linda Colley, London Review of Books; 'A detailed colony-by-colony and episode-by-episode narrative, written with great thoroughness and keen analysis. It is also very well written and will become an indispensable one-volume source for anyone concerned to know about the most important non-domestic institution created by the British during their existence as a single nation.' - John Keegan, Literary Review; 'Denis Judd - has a wide knowledge of his subject and writes with sympathy and clarity.' - The Tablet; 'Denis Judd has provided a valuable and sometimes innovative synthesis - Each chapter begins with a vivid narrative of a key event - [there is] the skill with which Judd intercuts his narrative with lively and well-balanced summaries of even the most rebarbative current historical debates.' - Times Higher Education Supplement; 'I like the approach of focusing on key episodes and feel this makes the book particularly lively as well as informative.' - Journal of Commonwealth Literature; 'Denis Judd covers the ground with skill.' - Daily Express; ' - this excellent book - It is one of the merits of Judd's book that he helps to restore the balance between the good and the bad, and the ugly, and in so doing helps us the better to understand the Empire in all its complexity. He brings impressive credentials to his task, the scale of which is enormous - he has wisely opted for a thematic approach. His style is clear and readable. The story of the Empire is not yet over, nor its epitaph written, but this book is a valuable contribution to our knowledge of that story thus far.' - Glasgow Herald; 'Marvellous - it is everything a book on this subject should be.' - Ronald Hyam, author of Britain's Imperial Century; 'This book is in many ways the culminating work of Professor Judd's career, bringing together immense erudition, genuine narrative gifts and a capacity to pick out important details from a vast range of materials - Judd's narrative method is highly original.' - National Review; 'Empire stands alone as a survey of the British Empire - it provides an excellent introduction to the British imperial experience in all its complexity, including issues of gender, race, sexuality, and national identity.' - Peter Weiler, Professor of History, Boston College; 'Denis Judd deserves to be better known in the United States, and this book will make him so. It is a vividly readable history of the rise, spread and fall of British imperium since 1765. Judd tells it all, accurately and without chauvinism.' - Walter Nugent, Tackes Professor Emeritus of History, Notre Dame University; 'Among the most readable and astute examinations of British imperial history ever written. Its judgement is critical but fair. It is the culmination of a career of research and thinking about the British Empire, and it clearly reflects that both have been thorough. Truly a Magnum Opus.' - Robert Cole, Professor of History, Utah State University

Author Bio

Denis Judd is Professor Emeritus of Imperial and Commonwealth History, London Metropolitan University and Visiting Professor at New York University in London. His books include The Lion and the Tiger: The Rise and Fall of the British Raj; Balfour and the British Empire; Radical Joe - A Life of Joseph Chamberlain; The Victorian Empire; Palmerston; The Crimean War; The British Raj; Jawaharlal Nehru and The Boer War. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.