The British Empire: Sunrise to Sunset

This is a broad survey of the history of the British Empire from its beginnings to its demise. It offers a comprehensive analysis not just of political events and territorial conquests but paints a picture of what life was like under colonial rule both for those who ruled and for those whose countries came under British authority.

There has been a lively debate in recent years about whether empires generally are good or bad things and the British Empire has been very much at the centre of that debate with a number of voices arguing that it was a kinder gentler Empire than its rivals. This book speaks specifically to that debate and also to a second and equally vigorous debate about whether anyone in Britain actually cared about the possession of an Empire.