The Decline and Fall of the British Empire
Piers Brendon’s narrative history of the British Empire from the loss of the American colonies in 1781 to the handover of Hong Kong in 1997. He follows the empire’s rise and long unravelling across every continent, with a sharp eye for the personalities and self-deceptions of the people who ran it.
Recommended by 1 Person
Adam Foulds
The book is also good on the fact that the Empire for British society as a whole was a minority pursuit. It was a very big part of British culture, but not that many British people were involved in it directly. All the time, right from the beginning, there were large sections of the British population who didn’t think it was a good idea and had no interest in it.
Interview · February 2010
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