Victor Kiernan’s *The Lords of Human Kind* is old but still pretty good.
TheMightyGrimm on
Simon Scharma’s History of Britain volume 3: The Fate of empire has a lot of information in it but needs to be taken with a pinch of salt as it doesn’t really delve into some of the darker sides of the empire.
There is also Caroline Elkins’ book Legacy of Violence but, again, needs to be taken with a pinch of salt because it only focuses on the negatives.
Personally, I’d suggest reading both then forming your own views.
The issues are mainly that the empire helped forge the modern world as we know it but at one hell of a cost to the subjugated people’s of the world. If the empire never happened, the world would be a very different place – and not necessarily a better one – but you cannot ignore the atrocities committed in the name of progress.
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Victor Kiernan’s *The Lords of Human Kind* is old but still pretty good.
Simon Scharma’s History of Britain volume 3: The Fate of empire has a lot of information in it but needs to be taken with a pinch of salt as it doesn’t really delve into some of the darker sides of the empire.
There is also Caroline Elkins’ book Legacy of Violence but, again, needs to be taken with a pinch of salt because it only focuses on the negatives.
Personally, I’d suggest reading both then forming your own views.
The issues are mainly that the empire helped forge the modern world as we know it but at one hell of a cost to the subjugated people’s of the world. If the empire never happened, the world would be a very different place – and not necessarily a better one – but you cannot ignore the atrocities committed in the name of progress.
How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney
Inglorious Empire by Shashi Tharoor