The Brutish Empire: Four Centuries of Colonial Atrocities

(Paperback)

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The Bloody History of British Colonisation For centuries, a small island nation cast a shadow across the world. The British Empire's methods of expansion were often brutal, usually devastating. From Amritsar to Zululand, from the Opium Wars in China to the deliberate infection of Native Americans with smallpox and the cold-blooded treatment of the starving during the Irish Famine, Des Ekin lays bare the atrocities committed in the name of colonisation. With many nations worldwide still grappling with the legacy of British rule, Ekin explores the justifications used to dehumanise other people and rationalise their abuse, exploitation and slaughter. In this rigorously researched and eminently readable book, Des Ekin lifts the veil on the harrowing realities of colonial rule.

Reviews

Ekin is a fine journalist and stylist, who writes with a brio and enthusiasm that is infectious. The research is impeccable and the chapter-by-chapter bibliographies are exhaustive. This is a harrowing and rip-roaring read

this is not a pleasant book, but it is an important one. If we do not recognise the errors of the past we will repeat them. On a less noble note, it is a useful weapon to counter any lingering notions of British superiority

For the history buff, The Brutish Empire by Des Ekin. The shadow cast for centuries by the British Empire is the subject of this new book by the author of The Stolen Village). From the Opium Wars in China to the Irish Famine, Ekin lays bare the atrocities of the empire and examines the ways in which abuse, exploitation, and slaughter were rationalised in the name of colonisation

one of the finest history books Ive read this year essential reading

Author Bio

Des Ekinis a retired journalist and the author of four books. Born in County Down, Northern Ireland, he began his career as a reporter. After spending several years covering the Ulster Troubles, he rose to become Deputy Editor of the Belfast Sunday News before moving to his current home in Dublin. He worked as a journalist, columnist, Assistant Editor and finally Political Correspondent for The Sunday World until 2012. His book The Stolen Village (2006) was shortlisted for the Argosy Irish Nonfiction Book of the Year and for Book of the Decade in the Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Awards 2010. He is married with a son and two daughters.