The Rise and Fall of British Empire

Rating:
Summary: Scholarly, intriguing--although rudimentary--account
Review: A book with so ambitious a title as "The Rise and Fall of the British Empire" holds much promise for the reader. Visions of 1000+ page tomes come to mind. After all, there is a lot of time and history involved with so monumental a subject. But James' account of what was arguably the greatest cultural, economic, and social force the world has ever known--the British empire--delivers solidly on that promise with clarity and brevity.

I won't mince words. The book is short for so massive a subject. But James executes it well. Some passages and accounts are agonizingly brief, of course, but the purpose of the book is not to delve deeply into the minutiae of the Empire's history. It provides a fairly elementary overview of the important events that unfolded to shape the Empire, painting an elegant background picture of the sheer scope and impact of imperialism.

Yes, pivotal situations, political turmoil, and wars are often glossed over, replaced by "big picture" statements or sweeping extrapolations and conclusions. But this is not necessarily a bad thing. The book's focus is decidely on the causes and effects of various events, and their place in the vast course of history that the Empire occupied. Events are covered in enough detail to allow James to continue his "big picture" story, but not in enough to detail to satiate an interested scholar.

Thus, the book is a fantastic background for anybody who is either completely unversed in English imperial history, or for readers wanting solid background knowledge to accomodate further, more detailed readings. But, as a background, this book is incredibly detailed. The book's accounts span some 400 years of British history, in which the nation evolved from a fairly mediocre European island power into one of the most dynamic and influential economic and military machines that the world has ever known. The people, the events, and the stories that contributed to this rise to power are all brought to live with stunning truth through James' writing. The book is divided into clear, understandable chapters that are well-written and researched.

James does not force didactic revisionist theories on us. He presents a clear, eloquent, interesting, and objective account of the British Empire, and leaves the reader with a deep and poigant understanding of the implications of the Empire's history.

This is an absolute must for not only those new to British history, but for the learned scholar who seeks a well-rounded, intriguing look into the vast span of Britain's imperial history.

Rating:
Summary: A Captivating Chronicle of the World's Greatest Empire
Review: Although Lawrence James's opinions leak out a little as he deals with recent decades, this book covers the 400 years of British pre-eminence in the world with great discipline. It concentrates on what the British did (and why) without confusing the reader with unnecessary histories of other countries.

Emerging from the 650 pages of this book is the truth of how the Empire came about, and why it was inevitable and necessary that it should be dissolved. The legacy of the British Empire to the world in terms of culture, government and social structure are patiently chronicled.

The insights into British public opinion throughout the period of Empire by the analysis of newspapers, novels (and childrens' books) and movies were very interesting.

This is the sort of book that can be read selectively and as such would be an ideal text book for education in schools around the world, or at least in the countries that were directly effected by the subject matter.

The book has the capacity to make one want to talk at length about the rich topic of the Empire. Consequently I must stop (!), but I would encourage anyone who wants to know how the world arrived at its current form, to read this book.

Rating:
Summary: More Than a History Book
Review: Gibbon wrote, in his classic Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire "It has been calculated by the ablest politicians that no State, without becoming soon exhausted, can maintain above the hundredth part of its members in arms and idleness". How true, Britain maintained only 17,000 army and 18,000 navy personnel in the peace prior to the American revolution. Which is why the Empire was so spectacular. For with just a few numbers of men (which expanded during wartimes) Britain was able to initiate, maintain, expand and control, almost all of the world trading centers from China to the USA. Hardly a country in the world today, and there are over 200, was not impacted, good or bad by this sudden expansion of a tiny nation. Bought about by its ability to design, build and crew the finest ships. Control the sea and you controlled the world, until the United States invented aircraft and the freedom of all individuals and the US took over Britains role.

To write of how this was done is a feat which cannot be acheived in a single volume (Gibbon took 6 volumes and 71 chapters).
So dont expect Gibbon. However, Lawrence James has achieved the best and most impartial history of the Empire that I have read. It is easy to read, impartial, pithy and full of irony which may sadly be missed by non native English speakers.

There are two books here - a documented history of the Empire and then between the lines, a second book about science, human nature and cause and effect that is a lesson to every living human. Which is why this book is an important read for everyone.

Rating:
Summary: What, no mention of Armenian massacres!!??
Review: I found it hard to sink my teeth into such a lengthy book which covered many events surrounding the middle east in 1915 BUT made no mention of the 2.5 million armenians killed by the Ottoman turks in April of 1915. Many British schools and orphanages in Turkey were bloody disaster areas at this time. One can't help but wonder if Mr. James has fallen prey to the bribes by the current Turkish powers - the same powers who have successfully kept this huge fact out of many history and travel books...

Rating:
Summary: If you love the study of EMPIRES you will love this book!
Review: I have studied various empires for the last 10 years. This is one of the finest books I have read on that subject. It is not an indepth study, but a very captivating story of the empire. I especially enjoyed approaching WWI and experiencing it from this perspective. With this general approach, Lawrence gives alot of insight into topics which are often covered in so much detail as to cloud the big picture. For history buffs it reads like a novel.

Rating:
Summary: Rule Britannia!
Review: I just knocked off "Rise and Fall of the British Empire" and was impressed. James tackles a big subject-this was the empire on which the sun never set-and gives as good a one-volume narritive as can probably be given. It was interesting to see the Revolution from the other side of the pond. One can get a good grasp of the Imperial mindset, which makes you think that Britain was the most reluctant imperial power in history. There were two things that I wish he would have addressed more. The first would be more about Guyana. The second would be why did the British never seriously consider closer political ties with the white dominions-especially at an early stage-with an eye on eventual intigration with Great Britain, something like how territories in the United States eventually could become full states? I inferred that the British were just happy to get excess population off the islands, and that by the time they desired closer political bonds, the dominions had already started to carve out their own identities. But other than that, I think that this was a great book, I couldn't put it down.

Rating:
Summary: Rule Britannia!
Review: I just knocked off "Rise and Fall of the British Empire" and was impressed. James tackles a big subject-this was the empire on which the sun never set-and gives as good a one-volume narritive as can probably be given. It was interesting to see the Revolution from the other side of the pond. One can get a good grasp of the Imperial mindset, which makes you think that Britain was the most reluctant imperial power in history. There were two things that I wish he would have addressed more. The first would be more about Guyana. The second would be why did the British never seriously consider closer political ties with the white dominions-especially at an early stage-with an eye on eventual intigration with Great Britain, something like how territories in the United States eventually could become full states? I inferred that the British were just happy to get excess population off the islands, and that by the time they desired closer political bonds, the dominions had already started to carve out their own identities. But other than that, I think that this was a great book, I couldn't put it down.

Rating:
Summary: Poorly written but good since there isn't another like it.
Review: I wanted to read a book about the British empire and this is what I found. It was my first, so I have to say it was pretty good compared to the lack of competition. I found it to be a little bit hard to read because new names and dates come at you almost every sentence and they don't seem to go in a very cronological order. I think it could have been written better, but it does give you lots of information that is very interesting.

One thing I read that struck me was when he wrote that "a glancing blow against imperial ideology" was the book "Lord of the Flies", where schoolboys stranded on a tropical island do not act like Robinson Crusoe and hold on to their old standards(superiority and a sense of higher self))and master their enviroment, but regress to primitive savagery like South Sea Islanders on pg. 598. I question whether the South Sea Islanders were savage considering the willingness of the English and French to spread venereal disease to these peace loving people.

Another interesting sentence I read in this book was that Captain James Cook was dismayed that the Tahitians called venereal disease "Apa no Britannia' or 'Brit-tanne' (British Disease). You have to laugh at these things, but maybe the author should have credited European lifestyles which led to all these diseases also as a part of the success of the British Empire. How Europeans lived in squalid conditions and threw their refuse out windows onto streets and "invented" all kinds of plagues, diseases, and flues, which made it all the more easier to convert people to a more "Civilised" and "Christianised" way of life. You know, "Live like us, you won't get sick :-)"

Anyways, It was pretty good. I'm glad I read it but would not read it again because it's a pretty boring book. Not the subject matter mind you, just the way it was written. If your just starting to get in to history like me than read it. Otherwise, just skip it, copy his Bibliography, and read those books which I might do. Cheers!

Rating:
Summary: Depraved and sordid history.
Review: James heroically captures the depravity of the British Empire. From the exploits of the King Henry V and his eight wives, to the definitive naval victories of Lord Horatio Nelson in the Hudson Bay, this magnificent tome is a must-read for anyone who enjoys provocative, seductive storytelling. James is particularly successful in his portrayal of the moral bankruptcy which heralded the fall of the "greatest empire on the face of this earth. EVER."

Indie

Rating:
Summary: Well done, but whats the point?
Review: James' history of the British Empire occupies a precarious position. It is too short to provide the sort of depth required by a scholarly history and his attempt to record the 400 year rise and fall of the Empire leaves little room for the sorts of anecdotes and character development one finds in the best popular histories. He does manage to give the reader a rough sketch of the history of the Empire. It covers the basics: where the British possessions were along with how and when they were acquired(and lost). But because of the massive scale of the Empire there is little room for much else. Large parts of this book read like a list, but when James quits listing events and analyzes them he is both enjoyable and informative. He also does an excellent job integrating popular culture into his text. He includes quotations from plays, poems, and advertisements. James' writing is clear, lucid and enjoyable to read. However I gave it three stars because the book lacks focus. It is nice to read a history in which the author attempts, and largely succeeds, in being unbiased but James' aloof stance from the history makes it quite bland. Another major weakness of the work is that while he provides an adequate explanation for why the British were so successful in building thier Empire(technology and naval power) he offers little insight into the far more interesting question, why the Empire fell apart. Maybe the answer to that question is too obvious, but if it is he should have at least given a paragraph explaining it to dolts like me who read his book. He mentions several times that the fall was inevitable, and hints that it was the exposure to the British traditions of liberty and self-government that led to the fall, but he really skirts the issue of. Other helpful additions would have been a timeline and a biographical index of major figures. The book is well researched and provides a lot of information, but seems a bit pointless. I recommend it for someone wanting to know the basics about the Empire, but for anyone with more than an elementary understanding of the Empire it will not suffice.