British Empire: A Very Short Introduction: A Commentary

Basically had everything I needed to know about the topic in one very compact and readable volume.

Is already in the bin. Paid for historical facts. Got a sub-sixth form rant about how baaad the empire was.

Grande aide lorsque l'on fait des études en civilisation

I recommend "The British Empire: A Very Short Introduction." I read it as a complement to "The Oxford Illustrated History of Britain," which is too internally focused (if that's even possible when it comes to the history of Britain) and whose chapters are sold as other books in the Very Short Introduction series. I think "The British Empire: A Very Short Introduction" provides a fine overview of one of the most fascinating aspects of the history of Britain. In my view, its main shortcoming is the quality of its text. It's full of unnecessarily long and complex sentences to the point of impairing the reading flow sometimes. It could have been better polished, and that's why I didn't give the book five stars. That said, contrary to other reviews I've seen here, I think that the text does provide a relatively balanced account of the British Empire up to its fifth chapter. In that chapter, the author makes his critical view on the subject explicit. As he himself recognized, he opened a hornet's nest by doing this. We can naturally discuss whether it was up to a historian to pass judgment on the phenomena he/she was studying. Nevertheless, I personally think that he articulates his critique very well and makes some fine points. Even so, it's his view; it doesn't need to be yours. So, if you have no problem reading opinions that don't match yours, you can give this book a chance.

A Very Short Introduction to the British Empire is the first book I’ve read in this series. For this topic, I was going to make my starting point Niall Ferguson’s Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World, but I’m glad I didn’t. Indeed, historian Ashley Jackson cuts Ferguson down to size, and illustrates empire history’s vast complexity, at odds with Ferguson’s “it was basically good” conclusion. In addition to providing an excellent overview, this volume reads like an extended argument, one which is super intelligent and engaging. In fact, even though this book has just 170 pages, it’s one of the best histories I’ve ever read, causing me to order the series’ editions on Carl Jung and Northern Ireland. Here’s to hoping they’re up to the same high standard. Five stars. Troy Parfitt is the author of War Torn: Adventures in the Brave New Canada