The ghosts of the British Empire continue to haunt today's international scene and many of the problems faced by the Empire have still not been resolved. In Iraq, Kashmir, Burma, Sudan, Nigeria and Hong Kong, new difficulties, resulting from British imperialism, have arisen and continue to baffle politicians and diplomats. This powerful new book addresses the realities of the British Empire from its inception to its demise, skewering fantasies of its glory and cataloguing both the inadequacies of its ideals and the short-termism of its actions.
Ghosts of Empire
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Review
Well-written, witty, but above all fair-minded, this is the best general overview of the British Empire to appear in years. Kwasi Kwarteng has emerged as a significant scholar on the historical scene (Andrew Roberts )
I learned something new on virtually every page of this fine book (Michael Burleigh )
Refreshing, original and well-researched ... "Britain knows best" arrogance is unmasked in chapter after chapter of this devastating book ... No one will understand the political situation in the world today who has not grasped the truths enshrined in Kwarteng's brilliant book (A.N. Wilson Evening Standard )
A successful and convincing biography of the empire's ruling elites and their modern day legacies (Economist )
Smart, witty and personable ... This is a book alive with wild and wonderful characters ... A cracking debut from a very accomplished historian (Daily Telegraph )
Highly thought-provoking ... original, stimulating and insightful (Times Literary Supplement )
It won't please jingoists, but this unsparing account of the British Empire, written by a Tory MP with Ghanaian roots, exposes the dangerous folly of imperial pretensions (Sally Cousins Sunday Telegraph )
I learned something new on virtually every page of this fine book (Michael Burleigh )
Refreshing, original and well-researched ... "Britain knows best" arrogance is unmasked in chapter after chapter of this devastating book ... No one will understand the political situation in the world today who has not grasped the truths enshrined in Kwarteng's brilliant book (A.N. Wilson Evening Standard )
A successful and convincing biography of the empire's ruling elites and their modern day legacies (Economist )
Smart, witty and personable ... This is a book alive with wild and wonderful characters ... A cracking debut from a very accomplished historian (Daily Telegraph )
Highly thought-provoking ... original, stimulating and insightful (Times Literary Supplement )
It won't please jingoists, but this unsparing account of the British Empire, written by a Tory MP with Ghanaian roots, exposes the dangerous folly of imperial pretensions (Sally Cousins Sunday Telegraph )
Book Description
This fascinating book shows how the later years of the British Empire were characterised by accidental oversights, irresponsible opportunism and uncertain pragmatism
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By JP
Format:Hardcover
Kwasi Kwarteng's brilliant book Ghosts of Empire deserves the fantastic reviews it has received from the Sunday Times to the Guardian, Independent and Telegraph. By focusing each section on different areas of the British Empire the reader is able to get a thoughtful overview of the conflicting policies and Kwarteng skillfully provides the rationale for British occupation, the key policies employed by the colonial administrators and then reviews the countries' fate since independence in a very succinct manner - no mean feat given the geography and timelines covered! The quirky facts and personal stories of the leaders involved bring the story alive and often provide a real insight into the social context and norms of the day. By not simply arguing for or against Britain's colonial past, Kwarteng adds an interesting dimension to the debate on Britain's legacy and with that context for the country's responsibilities today.
46 of 55 people found the following review helpful
By Groundhog
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was influenced to buy this book by several effusive reviews. The book does not warrant such praise. Kwarteng selects 6 case studies to illustrate his theme that the formation of the British Empire lacked a coherent policy. Surely this is a truism which was recognised in the later 19th century. One reviewer (in the Guardian) enthused that he learnt something new on every page. Perhaps, but filling the volume with a plethora of interesting but gossipy facts distracted from rather than enhanced the argument. The fact that Mountbatten left Rangoon on HMS Birmingham in January 1948, the constituency that Randolph Churchill failed to win in 1885 is not 'ironic' relevent or even interesting (p205). One or two facts were dubious. Is it possible that the daily death rate for indigenous Burmese was as high as 80,000? (p195) I got the impression that the book had been rushed out. It would benefit from more focussed editing and proof reading. At one point the word 'not' is omitted!
The book needs maps! I challenge anyone to follow the narrative without the benefit of a high resolution atlas. The single map of the world hardly facilitates following the action in the Sudan or tracking the pipeline debate in inter-war Iraq. The book is saved by being an easy read but it is not a serious contribution to the historiography of empire.
The book needs maps! I challenge anyone to follow the narrative without the benefit of a high resolution atlas. The single map of the world hardly facilitates following the action in the Sudan or tracking the pipeline debate in inter-war Iraq. The book is saved by being an easy read but it is not a serious contribution to the historiography of empire.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The author, a British-borne Ghanaian and Member of Parliament has selected a group of countries to demonstrate the good and the bad of their being part of the Empire. He considers that most of their present problems arrose from the autonomous system of administration in which key decisions were made by career-diplomats. His historical descriptions of these individuals are superb and his knowlege of the countries involved of the highest order.
Having worked in the colonial service myself this is a fair appraisal although one wonders what better system the author might have recommended, certainly the present experience of these countries with democracy or with whatever system of government they have adopted leaves much to be desired.
Roger Webber
Having worked in the colonial service myself this is a fair appraisal although one wonders what better system the author might have recommended, certainly the present experience of these countries with democracy or with whatever system of government they have adopted leaves much to be desired.
Roger Webber
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
A misleading cover and title.
The cover and title of this book is grosley misleading and only a third of the way through I'm regretting buying it. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Henry.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Opening eyes on the effects of history
This was an easy to read book. It seemed rational and dealt with how past actions have so much influence on what is happening today in countries such as Iraq, Sudan, Kashmir and... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Suzanne McKay
4.0 out of 5 stars
Kwasi Kwarteng's in depth analysis
"Ghosts of Empire" or more appropriately "Britain's Legacies in the Modern World" is a well researched, balanced insight which benfits from the authors in depth knowledge and... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Louvre
3.0 out of 5 stars
Thank goodness Kindle has a built in dictionary
I did consider myself well-read but this book has some unusual words in it which made me grateful for Kindle's dictionary. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Bryan Jones
4.0 out of 5 stars
Idiosyncratic Imperialism
The author's thesis is that there was no unifying pattern to or control of the British Empire. It was run by a small number of public school and Oxbridge educated men, free usually... Read more
Published 9 months ago by G. J. Weeks
5.0 out of 5 stars
review ghosts of empire
A truly excellent book equally good as jeremy paxmans empire what ruling the world did to the british. these books ought to be made compulsiry reading for british schoolchidren
Published 16 months ago by Fred
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating
Well, I agree with the critic who said he learnt something new on every page. I did too, much of it radically adjusting my views on both the debit and credit side of our Imperial... Read more
Published 18 months ago by F. M. Stockdale
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Wonderful Book
A wonderful book, interesting, wry, humourous. Kwazi Kwarteng puts at centre stage the stories of men and woman who ran the British Empire, and the locals who inherited the new... Read more
Published 19 months ago by T. J. Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent book - with one proviso!
Kwarteng's book is an overview of the British Empire, told through a series of pen portraits of the nations, characters, intrigue and wars that comprise the Empire's history. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Adam Bell
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ghosts of Empire
I read most newspaper reviews before I bought this book, therefore was not expecting anything other than what I had expected. Read more
Published 19 months ago by JR
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