The empire project: the rise and fall of the British world-system: 1830-1970

816 Pages·2012·3.913 MB·English

by  Darwin, John

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The Empire Project
TheBritishEmpire,wroteAdamSmith,‘hashithertobeennotanempire,butthe
projectofanempire’andJohnDarwinoffersamagisterialglobalhistoryofthe
riseandfallofthatgreatimperialproject.TheBritishEmpire,heargues,was
muchmorethanagroupofcoloniesruledoverbyascatteringofBritish
expatriatesuntileventualindependence.Itwas,aboveall,aglobalphenomenon.
Itspowerderivedratherlessfromtheassertionofimperialauthoritythanfromthe
fusingtogetherofthreedifferentkindsofempire:thesettlerempireofthe‘white
dominions’;thecommercialempireoftheCityofLondon;and‘GreaterIndia’
whichcontributedmarkets,manpowerandmilitarymuscle.Thisunprecedented
historychartshowthisintricateimperialwebwasfirststrengthened,then
weakenedandfinallyseveredontherollercoasterofglobaleconomic,political
andgeostrategicupheavalonwhichitrodefrombeginningtoend.
john darwin teachesImperialandGlobalHistoryatOxfordwhereheisa
FellowofNuffieldCollege.HispreviouspublicationsincludeAfterTamerlane:
TheGlobalHistoryofEmpiresince1405(winneroftheWolfsonHistoryPrizefor
2007),TheEndoftheBritishEmpire:TheHistoricalDebate(1991)andBritain
andDecolonization:TheRetreatfromEmpireinthePost-WarWorld(1988).

THE EMPIRE
PROJECT
The Rise and Fall of the
British World-System, 1830–1970
John Darwin
CAMBRIDGEUNIVERSITYPRESS
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São Paulo, Delhi, Dubai, Tokyo
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521302081
© John Darwin 2009
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the
provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part
may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published in print format 2009
ISBN-13 978-0-511-63015-6 eBook (Adobe Reader)
ISBN-13 978-0-521-30208-1 Hardback
ISBN-13 978-0-521-31789-4
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy
of urls for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication,
and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain,
accurate or appropriate.
IN MEMORY OF MY FATHER, G. M. DARWIN

CONTENTS
Listofmaps pageix
Prefaceandacknowledgments xi
Introduction:theprojectofanEmpire 1
PartI Towards‘TheSceptreoftheWorld’:the
elementsofEmpireinthelongnineteenthcentury
1
Victorianorigins 23
2
Theoctopuspower 64
3
Thecommercialrepublic 112
4
TheBritannicexperiment 144
5
‘Un-Britishrule’in‘Anglo-India’ 180
6
Theweakestlink:BritaininSouthAfrica 217
7
TheEdwardiantransition 255
PartII ‘Thegreatlinerissinking’:theBritish
world-systemintheageofwar
8
ThewarforEmpire,1914–1919 305
9
Makingimperialpeace,1919–1926 359
10
Holdingthecentre,1927–1937 418
11
Thestrategicabyss,1937–1942 476
12
Thepriceofsurvival,1943–1951 514
viii/Contents
13
Thethirdworldpower,1951–1959 566
14
Reluctantretreat,1959–1968 610
Conclusion 649
Notes 656
Selectbibliography 789
Index 795