Empire: The British Imperial Experience From 1765 To The Present [Paperback]

Denis Judd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 10, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0465019544 | ISBN-13: 978-0465019540

The British Empire radically altered the modern world. At its height, it governed over a quarter of the human race and encompassed more than a fifth of the globe. As well as providing the British people with profits and a sense of international purpose, the Empire afforded them the opportunity to create new lives for themselves through emigration and settlement. It supplied jobs at home and overseas, encouraged national aggrandizement, and allowed experiments in social engineering. For those it ruled over, the Empire often represented arbitrary power, gunboat diplomacy, and the disruption of local customs, social structures, and government by a distant and sometimes coldly unsympathetic administration. Yet while the Empire rested ultimately upon military force and direct rule, it also pulsated with ideals—ideals of freedom, democracy, and even equality.In this impressively researched and always entertaining book, the esteemed British historian Denis Judd analyzes the imperial experience from the American revolution to the present day. He examines the ways in which the British Empire affected both rulers and ruled, and the roles of significant personalities—from Queen Victoria to Nelson Mandela, Cecil Rhodes to Jomo Kenyatta, Joseph Chamberlain to Mahatma GhandiWhat was so special about the ”special relationship” between Britain and the United States? Did the maintenance of the Empire artificially prolong Britain’s Great Power status? Did it encourage chauvinistic, even racist, attitudes? Were subjects better off under their own elites and leaders than under British rule? In the end, what does the balance sheet of the Empire look like?The story of Empire is central to Britain’s national mythology and its sense of place in the world, and essential to an understanding of its changing role as we approach the end of the millennium. Denis Judd’s fine, magisterial history does full justice to a complex and epic theme.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

By the middle of the 18th century, writes English historian Denis Judd, the British empire extended around the world, so that truly, as the adage had it, the sun never set on it. Yet within years that empire began to unravel, beginning with the loss of the American colonies. (The colonies, Judd opines, were not as badly treated by the crown as they professed to have been). He examines the battles, stratagems, and intrigues that helped extend British rule so far afield, drawing into his account the contributions of the great men and women of imperial history as well as the not so great ones. The latter group, in Judd's view, misjudged the tides of popular sentiment and lost the crown many friends through violence and reaction. The historian closes his study with the election of Nelson Mandela to the presidency of South Africa, and with the arguable observation that the British did their best in governing their far-flung holdings. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Denis Judd is a professor of British Imperial and Commonwealth History at the University of North London, and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Among his publications are Balfour and the British Empire, Radical Joe: A Life of Joseph Chamberlain, The Victorian Empire, Lord Reading, The Boer War, Someone Has Blundered, Palmerston, The British Raj, Jawaharlal Nehru, and, with Peter Slinn, The Evolution of the Modern Commonwealth.

Product Details

• Paperback: 568 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (July 10, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465019544
• ISBN-13: 978-0465019540
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,254,034 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great analysis of the Rise and Fall of the British Empire, September 24, 2007

By 

Lehigh History Student (Bethlehem, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Empire: The British Imperial Experience From 1765 To The Present (Paperback)

Dennis Judd's book on the history of the British Empire is not a day by day approach to empire but a focus on the most important events that shaped that empire. Things such as the India uprising in 1857 or the work of Cecil Rhodes are the main focus. The stories that are chosen do an excellent job of showing how the empire developed and the path it took to formation. This really is the best single volume work on the British Empire in terms of a pure history. The book covers all parts of the empire and has interesting vignettes such as the formation of the boy scouts. It also covers some of the major internal domestic squabbles within Great Britain as they relate to empire. I found that the discussions on how world war 1 and 2 affected the empire were very accurate and to the point. The reader can get a very good sense of how the British were drained of resources by the wars and see the effect this had on empire. As nationalistic movements took root in the various countries the British found it more difficult to control. Particularly with the end of Lend Lease by Truman the British were forced to grant independence to their colonies. The last few chapters focus on the remaining parts of the empire and how they fit into the commonwealth including the struggle with the Falkland Islands. If the reader wants a much more detailed account of the empire try to the Oxford history five volume British Empire. Judd's account is very readable and well done for those wanting a review of the salient points in the Empire's history.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Get the Lawrence James book instead, April 9, 2008

By 

Olde American (Richmond, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Empire: The British Imperial Experience From 1765 To The Present (Paperback)

As a historian I find that Mr Judd makes far too many ignorant and simplistic mistakes in this book for me to overlook. For instance he makes no distinction between Australia's or South Africa's Dominion status and Southern Rhodesia's self governing status, something anyone who studies the subject should know, the difference is remarkably important and greatly influenced why white-rule and segregation were eventually ended in that country (today Zimbabwe). His tone on the matter of self-governing settlers and his refusal to distinguish between Dominions and self-governing colonies (of which Southern Rhodesia was the only one) strongly implies that Britain was capable of dictating foreign policy to Australia and Canada during the 20th century! He also focuses an unnecessary amount on who was homosexual and he devotes dozens of pages to sexuality, particularly homosexuality throughout the Empire, which is childish and very beside the point. He also makes lazy broad generalizations such as referring to places like Burma and Ceylon as being part of the Raj in India; they were British territories but they were never in fact governed by the Raj, they were crown colonies with appointed governors much like Nigeria or Bermuda, Judd show's a remarkable inability to get these sorts of details right and there are so many of them that as someone who studies the British Empire in much depth this book was disgruntling and I find it to frankly be irresponsible to publish something so subtley and casually inaccurate and call yourself a historian. The amount of demonizing of the British that again, he does very subtly seems to hint and some sort of either Anglophobia or since he is from Britain, a distinct sense of self-loathing and which compounds his inaccuracies and gives me the impression he has some sort of angle here other than that of a historian. Do not buy this book if you want a good book on the history of the British Empire, as someone who is relatively obsessed with the topic, I would recommend the Rise and Fall of the British Empire by Lawrence James.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A vivid, detailed analysis of the Empire, March 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Empire: The British Imperial Experience From 1765 To The Present (Hardcover)

This book looks at specific events over the course of the history of the British Empire, and analyzes each in telling detail. A wonderful introduction seemingly designed for those, like me, who are fascinated by the British Empire and who want an overall introduction to its complicated history.