British Empire; Sunrise to Sunset, 2nd edition

By Philippa Levine
June 2013
Pearson Education
Distributed by the Trans-Atlantic Publications 
ISBN: 9781408269206
290 Pages, Illustrated
$55.00 Paper original

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This is a broad survey of the history of the British Empire from its beginnings to its demise. It offers a comprehensive analysis not just of political events and territorial conquests but paints a picture of what life was like under colonial rule, both for those who ruled and for those whose countries came under British authority.

There has been a lively debate in recent years about whether empires generally are good or bad things, and the British Empire has been very much at the centre of that debate, with a number of voices arguing that it was a kinder, gentler Empire than its rivals. This book speaks specifically to that debate, and also to a second and equally vigorous debate about whether anyone in Britain actually cared about the possession of an Empire.

 

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations i

List of Maps iii

Preface to 1st edition iv

Preface to 2nd edition vi

Acknowledgements viii

Publisher’s Acknowledgements ix

Chapter 1: Uniting the Kingdom 1

Chapter 2: Slaves, Merchants and Trade 23

Chapter 3: Settling the ‘New World’ 51

Chapter 4: After America 71

Chapter 5: Britain in India 102

Chapter 6: Global Growth 133

Chapter 7: Ruling an Empire 163

Chapter 8: Being Ruled 192

Chapter 9: Gender and Sexuality 220

Chapter 10: Contesting Empire 256

Chapter 11: Decolonisation 291

Chronology 331

Index

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