Imperial Legacies: The British Empire Around the World

by Jeremy Black

"Britain yesterday; America today. The reality of being top dog is that everybody hates you. In this provocative book, noted historian and commentator Jeremy Black shows how criticisms of the legacy of the British Empire are in part criticisms of the reality of American power today. He emphasizes the prominence of imperial rule in history and in the world today, and the selective way in which certain countries are castigated. A wide ranging and vigorous assault on political correctness, it's language, misuse of the past, and grasping of both present and future."--Provided by publisher.

Genres: History

201 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 9, 2019

About the author

Jeremy Black is an English historian, who was formerly a professor of history at the University of Exeter. He is a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of America and the West at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US.
Black is the author of over 180 books, principally but not exclusively on 18th-century British politics and international relations, and has been described by one commentator as "the most prolific historical scholar of our age". He has published on military and political history, including Warfare in the Western World, 1882–1975 (2001) and The World in the Twentieth Century (2002).

Reviews

[B · Rating 2 out of 5]

A controversial take on the legacy (and to some extent a covert apology?) of the British empire – and the ideology of empires overall.

While the author has some merit in pointing out that not every development problem of post-colonial countries is necessarily associated with its history (obvious point), that there has to be some contextualization (judging those times by the norms of the day rather than through the lens of today), and that blaming the British imperialism is the easy way to cop-out and simplify current issues, he nonetheless unabashedly justifies imperialism on the grounds that it was based on ‘survival’ or on a “we did it, otherwise others would do it anyway” type of argument. This “apology” takes away the impartiality of the book (even if I wasn’t sure it had one to begin with...) and stretches to rubbish comparisons of British rule in India with the native rulers of that country for example – conveniently overlooking that British had no business to be there in the first place 😊

Presenting Britain as the leader of morality and altruism among nations based on its leading the way for abolition (reality check: profited handsomely from it, and now with industrial revolution, they have indentured workers/servants anyway), and “preparing colonies for independence" are arguments bordering on farce.

Sure, people may not have been living in unified, fair, and democratic societies happily before the Britain conquered their lands but, deflecting the vice of imperialism on them through half-baked reasoning (at best) hardly makes up for an elegant defence. In short, a book written mostly just to be controversial.

[Allegria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a contentious and provocative read. Professor Black in his academic and scrupulous fashion has covered every aspect of Imperial legacies.. It is a reappraisal together with his criticism, and as such will re-awaken controversy and divided opinion in readers. I found it fascinating and with his many extra personal asides of interesting tidbits, never boring. The book gives one much to consider and I recommend this to anyone who wants an up to date distillation by an historian of Jeremy Black's calibre, of the true facts of Imperial legacies.

[Pau Rivera · Rating 1 out of 5]

No l'he acabat perquè no cal acabar-lo per saber que és terrible. Una estrella perquè és complicat expressar tantíssimes opinions equivocades en tan poques pàgines .

[Michael Beashel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read on the current take on what "Empire" meant in the context of former times. It takes today's views of what was wrong years ago and Black responds with context and freshness. These's no defence of Empire, per se, without Black giving concrete facts on what happened. Black also refers to Historical Amnesia which is often present in the current vogue of knocking the past.

Black's content in sound. His style is sometimes complex to get his point across but it's a worthwhile read to those who seek to get "facts" on the past.

[Turgut · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book...I mean, curious to know British position on the subject of Empire. The author mentions that Empire was a response to international Catholicism. This is interesting. Also, in Chapter 5 when discussing history of British colonialism in America, the author tries to explain the reason behind burning White House etc. The important thing is what he omits, namely the assasination if Abraham Lincoln by the British Rothschilds and role of Britain in U.S. Civil War. I mean, one can understand the author’s explanations that British burned White House in 1814 in response to U.S. attack on Canada, but what one can’t understand is what business did British have in U.S. Civil War? Which is probably the reason this information was omitted.

I mean, I understand the complex position British are in, they try to make sure that the cost of their past colonialism isn’t born by today’s Britain.