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AN ELABORATE, BUT TYPICAL, MAP OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE, 1886.
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Up until the late 20th century, much of the history of human civilization has been that of empire. From the Babylonian, to the Greek, Roman, Ottoman, Portuguese, Dutch and up to the British, each successive empire has left deep imprints on the collective human culture, philosophy and technology.
One of the first overseas British colony, at Jamestown, Virginia, established in 1607.
Arguably the greatest of these empire, and certainly the most recent, was the British Empire, which most agree started with the colonisation of the eastern seaboard of America in the 1600s, eventually stretching "from shore to shore" over the north American, African, Asian and Australasian continents.
At its peak, around 1900, the Empire was far-flung, "wider still and wider." Jan Morris, the enigmatic and eloquent narrator of the British Empire, vividly described the the joyous sentiments of the British people:
"…their pride was understandable, as they contemplated their possessions that summer. It was a world of their own that they commanded, stamped to their pattern and set in motion by their will. Their flag was, if not loved, at least respected everywhere. Their ships lay in every port, and majestically moved down every waterway. Their trams puffed to intricate time-tables across the plains of Asia. Their armies stood to their guns in gullys of Chitral or barrack squares of Canada, their administrators ordered the affairs of strangers from Lagos to Hong Kong…. In every continent the Queen’s judges decreed lives or deaths, the Queen’s warships swanked into harbour and the sounds of empire echoed: hymn tunes, reveilles, halloos, sirens, rifle chatter, “Play the game,” from their schoolmasters and “Boy!” from the lounging planters. It was a stupendous surge of their own energy that the British were witnessing and it stood beyond logic or even self-control: as when a man suddenly realises his own strength and expects life itself to obey him."
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STUDYING THE EMPIRE
There are many aspects of the Empire well worth the study. The common and easily accessible ones include: political and economic influences, sport, culture and military encounters.
One might consider its wars, battles, expeditions, voyages of discovery, mercantile exchanges, exploits of great men, and women.
Some rather more unusual but none the less fascinating studies cover: the contest over "space," architecture, the role of collaborators, gender, race relations and medicine.
In fact, there are numerous areas of study. Check out the Oxford University Press website for just a sampling.
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USEFUL WEBSITES
Over the years, this has proven to be the go-to portal for many things imperial. The scope of this popular website is very wide indeed. I especially like the articles page, where numerous easy-to-digest papers have been contributed by readers from all over the world! This is a must-read for all empire-afficionados.
An internet gateway, by Dr Jane Samson, provides avenues for a more serious, academic study of the subject.
The British Empire 1815 - 1914
This site focusses on the Victorian era, when the Second British Empire reached her zenith, between the monumental Battle of Waterloo and the start of World War One.
This forum page is maintained by the University of Exeter, UK. Its full title is "Blog of the Centre for Imperial and Global History at the University of Exeter." This is reading for the serious minded.
This is the online forum of the academic reading group convened by the History Department, National University of Singapore, in 2013 and 2014. This very academic and erudite community of historians set out to reassess imperial influences from a Asia-centric viewpoint.
Historical Atlas of the British Empire
A blatant and ardent apologist for the Empire!
The Sun Never Sets on the British Empire
A very quirky and messy website that set out to verify the geographic accuracy of the well-worn boast that "the sun never sets on the empire."
The Great Courses: Rise and Fall of the British Empire
If you're willing to pay, you can now even purchase a full university course online, conducted by a proper university professor!
Looking for an imperial angle to your travels? Check out wikivoyage's brief but informative page.
Empire: The Controversies of British Imperialism
This is a free online course on the effects of Empire. This is actually an excellent course with a very wide coverage of topics. Presented in an engaging manner by university historians, and replete with documents, sources and articles. Highly recommended!
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