Rating: 
Summary: Of Warriors and Captive
Review: A concise, readable account, not just of empires and immigration patterns, but of the sweep of world history in general. I would be hard put to imagine how one could do as much as Mr. Pagden has done in as few pages. It includes a chronology of key events, and a description of central historical figures. This is a great book to read prior to or in conjunction with more in-depth surveys of world history. Pagden notes some watershed transformations including, (1) the empire of Charles V and its maritime reach, (2) the role of the Netherlands both within Europe and in the Asia-Pacific arena, (3) slavery and its long history from 1444 to approximately 1870, (4) the "scientific" justification for colonization and/or indirect rule from mid-18th to early 20th century, and (5) the current view of empires today, which negates the distinction, held somewhere in the West (and in China and Japan as well) since the Greek polis, of citizens and barbarians. Mr. Pagden has given us a fast, smooth and informative trip through a central facet of global, historical evolution.
Rating:
Summary: Of Warriors and Captive
Review: A concise, readable account, not just of empires and immigration patterns, but of the sweep of world history in general. I would be hard put to imagine how one could do as much as Mr. Pagden has done in as few pages. It includes a chronology of key events, and a description of central historical figures. This is a great book to read prior to or in conjunction with more in-depth surveys of world history. Pagden notes some watershed transformations including, (1) the empire of Charles V and its maritime reach, (2) the role of the Netherlands both within Europe and in the Asia-Pacific arena, (3) slavery and its long history from 1444 to approximately 1870, (4) the "scientific" justification for colonization and/or indirect rule from mid-18th to early 20th century, and (5) the current view of empires today, which negates the distinction, held somewhere in the West (and in China and Japan as well) since the Greek polis, of citizens and barbarians. Mr. Pagden has given us a fast, smooth and informative trip through a central facet of global, historical evolution.
Rating:
Summary: I sighed with relief
Review: After all the fragments, the history classes, this book helped me put the pieces together.
Rating: 
Summary: Masterful. This one's for the discerning reader
Review: Anthropologists seem to have debated and for now settled that the human race originated somewhere in the interiors of Africa and over the next few millions of years trekked their way to the farthest inhabitable corners of earth, successfully transitioning from nomadic hunter-gatherers to civilized settlers. These initial migrations delivered the firm broad base for human race to thrive upon spawning off diverse civilizations and cultures in their wake, without which all of us would still be hanging around in the African wilderness and arguable picking berries and shrubs for a living.
However, in this rather long and protracted development, it's the proceedings over the last 3000 years or so that has dictated for better or for worse the transformation of the human society from relatively small and local settlements to large nation states and empires. Never before had we humans thought of ourselves in terms of an overriding racial, religious or national identity, or found it important to have a common and binding rules and regulations to govern such monolithic entities. With the notion of race and religion came theories of supremacy and the need for bringing more and more of the non-conformers into the benevolent folds of civilization. One recurring theme of these 3000 years has been the European White man's quest to explore and wherever possible subjugate other geographies. And this is the theme of Anthony Pagden's book tiled "Peoples and Empires".
The author sets forth the leitmotif succinctly in the introduction and proceeds to discuss the subject over 10 masterfully crafted chapters, each one dedicated to deliberations on one pivotal event in human history. Beginning with Alexander's conquests and successive Greeko-Roman efforts at empire building, Pagden examines the raison detre for European nation states and empires, explorations into the orient and the unknown world and the purported justifications offered for these enterprises by those who fuelled them and the indelible effect these had on the current world order. With due consideration perhaps to the massive scope of the subject matter and in view of the fact his primary audience would be the educated non-expert, the author (wisely) glosses over large tracts of the intervening years. Those pages thus saved are however effectively devoted to debate the socio-political aspects of these events. Pagden's is by far the best "Independent third party perspective" that was ever presented to me on tricky subjects such as racial supremacy theories, colonial excursions, and the strife between the worlds dominant religions. His arguments are convincing, pithy and supported by well-researched and documented references. He is nothing short of magisterial while dealing with the shameful scourge of slavery. The only shortcomings of the book seems to be the total eclipse of the eastern hemisphere in the narrative, the eastern hemisphere being broached upon just as a backdrop for the colonial enterprises. However, the author seems partly justified in this, considering that the Chinese, Indian and Far-eastern societies remained largely self-contained, inert and did little to significantly alter the political landscape beyond their own domestic boundaries. More so, since this is a book dedicated to the study of European migration exploration and conquest.
If you have been reasonably well initiated into world history and would appreciate someone presenting the whole conundrum in perspective, look no further and dig in for a rewarding time.
Rating: 
Summary: The structures of empires from Greece to present.
Review: For such a difficult subject, Pagden does a good job of creating a readable book detailing the rise and fall of European Empires. From Alexander the Great, and the Roman Empire to the decline of the British Empire, Pagden details the rise of these empires and why they fell. In the end, it was the weakness of the colonizers along with the rise of nationalism which spurred the end of all empires. Pagden also details that some of the early empires were not racially divided, but with the rise of science and some of the new European nation states, racism along with slavery reared its ugly head. Commerce and the search for raw materials spurred on the exploitation of these colonies, and reduced the natives to subject status.
This is a nice theory book about why empires came about. It gives a lot of information in a few short pages.
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent Book for General Readers!
Review: I don't know about the other readers, but my high school world history teacher was the swim coach. Let's just say I know a lot about the fortunes of a certain swim team from Connecticut circa 1967. If PEOPLES AND EMPIRES has achieved little else, it has plugged the gaping holes in my education and pulled three ensuing decades of idiosyncratic, untutored reading into context. For that it gets the 5 stars.The Modern Library Chronicles are intended to be short works to serve as general introductions or refresher courses. When covering more than two millennia in less than 200 pages (it is 167 pages plus introduction and addenda), choices have to be made in what to keep, what to skip. Pagden's focus is the concept of empire and how it was adapted and revised over time to shape European civilization as it gradually circled the globe, then ebbed. There are entire wars, events and personalities that are left out because they do not directly relate to the conceptual development of empire. You will not find the Crusades in this text (though noted in the chronology) nor the Spanish Armada. You will find a detailed, charged discussion of slavery and its role in empire development. Likewise, you will find an energetic account of the conquistadors. Pagden's prose is always lucid and level, but in those chapters he shines. This is the second Chronicles volume I've read. The series editor displays a knack for identifying authors who infuse their topics with voice, vision and heart. The books are well documented with indexes, chronologies and bibliographies. While seasoned historians may debate their perspective or find the content too general, it is just what a mainstream reader needs.
Rating: 
Summary: Too Much For One Book
Review: I have read three of these new Modern Library Chronicle books so far and this one has been the least enjoyable. I think the subject matter is too much for a small book like this. The author may have bitten off a little more than he can chew here. We're talking 3000 years of conquests covered in less than 200 pages. Way too much for one book. Pagden does a very good job in parts. I especially enjoyed the section on the Byzantine Empire. He explains quit well how Rome fell apart, but simplifies a little too much at times. The later hegemony of the Americas was a section that was way oversimplified for example. One advantage is the book is so easy to read. I think it has something to do with the type font the Modern Library publishers use. You can really fly through the pages. Unlike the other Modern Library books I've read this one does not cover its subject matter completely. This material could be better presented in separate volumes like the Roman Empire, The British Empire, and so on. All of them in one small volume is just too much material to try and cover.
Rating:
Summary: Why - not how - to get an empire
Review: The book is very good overview of European history from the imperialist point of view. From Alexander the Great to Hitler the imperialistic ambitions of peoples - manifested through their leaders - of the various ages get set into a context so that the reader can see the similarities and differences between them. However one should keep in mind that the book is not focused so much on events like battles and proclamations of empires but rather on the underlying ideology of the time - why peoples wanted an empire and why they supported "their" heroes and villains seeking to establish them and overlooked how they did it. Where the book is open to criticism is a) the rather offhanded way it deals with religion as a motivation for Empire - the 1000 years of the middle ages get hardly a mentioning in comparison with others - and b) that it mostly omits non-West-European empires. But on the other hand some sacrifices had to be made for brevity and clarity. I consider it a toss-up between a 4- and a 5-star book. For a knowledgeable reader well-versed in history it is nothing new, hence 4-stars, but for someone who wants to understand history's great trends and needs an introduction its 5-stars.
Rating:
Summary: A telescopic view of Western Civilization
Review: The skeptical reader approaches this book with some misgivings: a history of European migration, exploration and conquest from Greece to the present in 169 pages? It can be no more than a highly condensed, oversimplified synopsis! What emerges, however, is a surprisingly rich and thoughtful account not only of the succession of empires from Alexander's time through the Roman and, later, the Holy Roman Empire, to the colonial powers of the 18th and 19th centuries and, finally, the present-day superpowers; but also of the shifting concepts and forces that assisted in their creation and led to their eventual demise.
Viewed through this telescopic lens, some events that seemed earth-shaking at the time are reduced to mere blips.
Readers struggling to come to grips with Western Civilization in all its glory and vanity may do well to start here.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinatingly different
Review: This short work is simultaneously breathtaking in its reach and simple in its execution. Herein, Professor Pagden gives a conceptual history of western empires: from Hellenistic Greece to late Western European colonial empires and their aftermath. Giving a bare minimum of dates and battles (the usual fodder for history books), the book explains the concept of empire, and its execution, as it evolved over millennia. This is a fascinatingly different way to look at history. While not providing specifics (date and battles), it does give the reader a remarkably profound understanding of forces of history and their meaning. I recommend this book to both readers of history, and those who have always found such books boring.
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