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"Volume 4, on the 20th century, is the highly impressive conclusion of the narrative volumes....an indispensable resource."--Choice
Review
Impressive ... a neat balance of thematic and area-specific chapters, all of which are exceptionally well written ... will serve as a vital work of reference for any library concerned with the history of the empire. Nicholas J. White, The Economic Hist. Rev., Vol.LIII, No.4, Nov.2000. impressive ... the overall achievement is undeniably impressive. Under the magisterial guidance of Louis ... a vast array of historians has produced a solid monument of contemporary scholarship. David Gilmour, FT Weekend 19/2/00 this chapter [The Nineteenth Century] is infinitely more enlightening then anything to be found in the Cambridge Volumes. Bernard Porter, TLS These final three volumes should be compulsory reading for anyone with an interest in the subject Bernard Porter, TLS
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Queen Victoria's death in 1901 and the end of the South African War in the following year mark the beginning, in a convenient but nevertheless arbitrary fashion, of the British Empire in the twentieth century. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Queen Victoria's death in 1901 and the end of the South African War in the following year mark the beginning, in a convenient but nevertheless arbitrary fashion, of the British Empire in the twentieth century. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The story of the dismantlement of the Empire is usually told piece-meal and selectively, focussing on the more dramatic areas: Ireland, India, Palestine, Suez. But it is a subject that benefits from being treated as a whole, because there is a certain unity to it, as this excellent collection (for me, the best of the series) points out.
It was clear to successive British governments after World War 1 and its aftermaths in Ireland and Amritsar that there were neither the funds available, nor the stomach to police any part of the Empire in the face of serious civil disobedience, so that policy between the wars was to try to paper over such uncomfortable facts. The failure to construct the planned Singapore naval base and create a Pacific fleet meant that such inadequacies were made evident when Japan launched its assaults.
The task after 1945 therefore was to try to portray the withdrawal from Empire as a planned process. Mostly there weren't any plans, and even those that were made - for federations in the Caribbean, East Africa and Rhodesia and Nyasaland for intance - came to nothing.
There is a success story. Given its limited objectives, the Commonwealth functions extremely well, with countries with no connection to the Empire queuing for admission. But the current structure of the Commonwealth wasn't planned either. Fitting really.
It was clear to successive British governments after World War 1 and its aftermaths in Ireland and Amritsar that there were neither the funds available, nor the stomach to police any part of the Empire in the face of serious civil disobedience, so that policy between the wars was to try to paper over such uncomfortable facts. The failure to construct the planned Singapore naval base and create a Pacific fleet meant that such inadequacies were made evident when Japan launched its assaults.
The task after 1945 therefore was to try to portray the withdrawal from Empire as a planned process. Mostly there weren't any plans, and even those that were made - for federations in the Caribbean, East Africa and Rhodesia and Nyasaland for intance - came to nothing.
There is a success story. Given its limited objectives, the Commonwealth functions extremely well, with countries with no connection to the Empire queuing for admission. But the current structure of the Commonwealth wasn't planned either. Fitting really.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
The best overview of Empire in the 20th Century
9 Oct 2007
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The Oxford History of the British Empire edited by WM Roger Louis is an excellent compilation of top scholarship related to all aspects of the British Empire. Various authors contributed well written chapters to create an understanding of the Empire by century. Volume four is an understanding of the twentieth century and looks at the fall of the empire. The Empires performance in World War 1 and 2 are assessed in the first half and the myth of the unified empire is explored. The British Empire in World War 2 was able to harness the power of all the countries to move as a unified force but the myth of British invincibility was shattered. The promises of freedom that the allies fought for was transformed into a reality as the Dominions and Commonwealth argued for independence after the war. Some areas were granted independence very quickly after the war and British trusteeship proved unable to combat the flaring ethnic and racial tensions appearing around the world. In Asia the myth of British invincibility was destroyed by the fall of Singapore and proved that Britain as a paper tiger in the east. The empire went into severe decline with the Suez Crises and Britain's miscalculations of their position as a world power. The book does an excellent job of tying together a wide range of sources and giving a great perspective on the British Empire as a whole. It covers the areas of the globe relevant to the Empire and is very focused on the information presented. If you want to learn about any aspect of the Empire in the 20th century this is a great place to start.
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