Empire has ratings and 59 reviews. תניה said: Mr Paxman makes no secret of his nostalgia for the British colonial empire. If anyone has watched the B.
Table of contents
- Empire: What Ruling the World Did to the British by Jeremy Paxman
- Visit my Facebook author page
- Empire: What Ruling the World Did to the British
I'm not sure that many Kenyans, Malayans and Cypriots would accept that "little".
- The Pirates Dilemma: How hackers, punk capitalists, graffiti millionaires and other youth movements ?
- Health Through New Thought and Fasting.
- See a Problem??
- !
Overall, "if you had to live under a foreign government," then the British empire "was better than many of the other possibilities". That "if you had to", however, is a crucial caveat. If you have to have a popular introduction to British imperial history, too, this book could be said to be better than many of the other possibilities, in particular it is far preferable to Michael Gove's "patriotic" approach.
It's a very engaging account, built mainly around dramatic incidents in exotic places just right for the forthcoming TV series , and the lives of fascinating people, with a good sprinkling of jokes, funny nicknames and sexual references. Paxman makes some very sharp points, and writes well.
Here's an example, towards the end: Finally, after wandering aimlessly for a while, it slunk away. He doesn't, however, delve much beneath appearances. There's nothing here on the economic, cultural or any other roots of British imperialism. Paxman is insistent that there was no great plan behind it, and that often governments were simply bumped into taking countries without really wanting to. At times he appears to be going along with what he takes to be the 19th-century historian JR Seeley 's view, that the empire was accumulated "absent-mindedly".
In fact Seeley said the opposite. Everyone gets this wrong. To his credit, Paxman repeatedly confesses his own puzzlement: He might not agree with it, but he should try to understand it. Dismissing things as "nonsense" is a way of avoiding the bother of explaining them. In view of the book's subtitle, it's a shame he doesn't say more about what the empire did to the British. He claims it "convinced the British that they were somehow special", but is very woolly about whom he means by "the British" in this context.
- Empire: What Ruling the World Did to the British - Jeremy Paxman - Google Книги;
- ?
- ESSENCE OF BHAGAVAD GITA!
- Veer Abhimanyu?
- Sold [Wicked Missions 4] (Siren Publishing Menage Everlasting).
- ?
- .
- Empire: What Ruling the World Did to the British by Jeremy Paxman – review.
- Le corps (Limagerie des tout-petits) (French Edition);
- .
- Empire: What Ruling the World Did to the British by Jeremy Paxman – review | Books | The Guardian?
- Burke in the Land of Silver.
Later on he claims that it was "mainly a ruling-class thing", with attempts to foist it on "the people" largely unsuccessful. Most astonishing of all, Paxman claims that the women and children murdered in what is generally became known as the massacre of the bibighar, had not been included in the promise of safe passage given by the Nana Sahib. This is quite astounding, as even the most cursory reading of any of the literature about Cawnpore shows it to be simply untrue.
The point, though not significant in the context of Paxman's arguments, is not a trivial one. The cold-blooded massacre of women and children who had surrendered under promise of safe conduct was a significant factor in the horrific level of reprisals conducted by British forces. Whilst it does not excuse British conduct which did lead to expressions of concern even at the time simply rewriting history in this way is quite extraordinary.
Perhaps we should not blame Paxman for all of these errors. His acknowledgements start with a credit to Jillian Taylor, who seems to have done much of the work. Paxman refers to himself as the writer. And here is the nub of the problem. Historians research their subject areas and, from the mass of information which they gather, they try to tease out some proper understanding of the subject.
Paxman clearly started with his own prejudices he read English at Cambridge and has no background in history and then sent Ms Taylor off to gather up whatever factoids she could dredge up to support his position. In fairness, many of the factoids are fascinating. We learn, for example, that Lord Crewe, the Colonial Secretary, was so dull that it is alleged that a woman lost her mind listening to one of his speeches.
We don't know who the woman was and no authority for the story is given, suggesting it is apocryphal, but it's amusing nonetheless. It isn't exactly history, but then neither is the extended summary of the plot of Rider Haggard's She with which he opens a chapter on the role of women in the Empire. Unattributed quote, after-dinner tales and outright fiction — it's all grist to Paxman's mill. It would be easier to forgive the way in which Paxman has subjugated historical fact to the presentation of his rhetoric if all of this was done to illustrate some worthwhile argument.
But, though the whole idea of Empire is clearly anathema to Paxman's 21st-century liberalism, it's not at all clear where he is going with this. He argues that modern Britain is itself a product of Empire, an argument that would surely be better supported by an analysis of modern Britain than by a trip through years of colonial adventurism. He claims that the Empire was always about making money, but later discusses at length the good that was done by many young men who served abroad, dedicating themselves to the welfare of people that Britain had taken responsibility for and from whom it could never sensibly expect to make a profit.
He details the brutality of some British military ventures but, finally, concedes that other nations have often behaved even worse and that, given the geo-political realities, many countries were better off under the protection of Britain than had they been left to other occupiers. Perhaps, in the end, Paxman has accidentally stumbled on the truth of the British Empire. It was, indeed, in many ways a very bad thing, but sometimes it achieved things that changed the world for the better. Paxman singles out the abolition of slavery as one of Britain's greatest achievements.
It was run by some wise men and a great number of fools. Many were in it just for what they could get out of it, while many a young man died far from home convinced that the good that he could achieve more than made up for his meagre salary. The British Empire was vast, inchoate and very, very complicated. The consequent sustainability of the Empire, so Paxman goes onto explains, can be put down to the British public school system, which turned out jolly good chaps to go into the colonial service and their stiff-upper lip wives to support them in their endeavours. Dean Rusk once said that Britain has lost an Empire, but yet to find a role.
It remains, firmly stuck in its past glories which, well, were not so glorious, as it turns out. My personal favourite part of this book is the description of the colonial service recruitment process, which sought to select sound-but-not-to-bright chaps churned out by the public school system able to take the hardship of serving as district officers in the remotest parts of the world. The most important quality, it seemed, was a sense of fair play inculcated through the game of cricket.
The British Empire, unfairly, comes off worse than Home Secretary Michael Howard did after Paxman had quite fairly bludgeoned him into being the parody of the evasive politician, in their notorious interview. The export of the rule of law, globalization through international trade and English as a Lingua Franka, are achievements not be sniffed at. I live and work in Hong Kong and, incidentally, being part British and part Chinese, am a product of a union between one of those public-school jolly good chaps and a Hong Kong lass.
Not for nothing, does Hong Kong, one of the most important international finance centres in the world, trumpet these three achievements as its main selling points. In education as well, one cannot help noticing that the British public school system which Paxman punishes, is much in demand from the wealthy families in China not just Hong Kong and India and elsewhere. Probably the most lasting feature of Empire, however and Paxman does elude to this are the sports which the British created to keep their district officers trained and entertained: On a Monday morning, offices from Shanghai to Singapore, from Hong Kong to Hanoi, will abound with conversations about the exploits Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal at the weekend.
The football shirt is one of the most observable fashion items across Asia. And the multi-racial Britain on display in the Jubilee and Olympic year of , showed a nation more comfortable with its place in the world, and the contribution it has made to it, than perhaps Paxman makes out. All in all, therefore, although I may not agree with all his conclusions, this is a well-written, thoroughly thought-provoking book, full of wit and observation and worthy of a five-star rating.
Peter Gregoire author of Article Peter Gregoire Jun 13, Fran Macilvey rated it it was amazing. I loved this book, and will definitely read more of Paxman's work. His writing cuts a swathe through the meanderings of British Imperial history, collecting up salient points, on which he opines with a mix of caustic wit and regret. If you want a quick gallop through the lamentable past of the great ol' British Empire, this is a good starter. Apr 21, Mid rated it it was ok Shelves: The great tragedy of Jeremy Paxman's literary career is that it exists.
Truth be told, I have been a little biased against Paxman since I happened to see an episode of University Challenge in which Paxman condemned out of hand the work of Marshal McLuhan, particularly The Medium is the Massage. This condemnation would have been fine if Paxman had at least read the title out correctly - he thought it was The Medium is the Message. Over such small ignorances is celebrity respect lost.
Onto the book The great tragedy of Jeremy Paxman's literary career is that it exists. Only the last chapter really addresses this - the other twelve are pop history albeit with some good researching and tasty flavours. Ironically, given Paxman's tone throughout the book to historical figures, the last chapter starts with a quote from J. In a way this adds authenticity - those who are very quick to harshly judge the forebears of their own culture often refuse point blank to judge other cultures - and gives us an insight into Paxman's mind. Sadly for me, I don't really care what Paxman's personal opinions are on things.
I can save any future reader the hassle by simply saying "read the Independent or the Grauniad and save yourself the time". He rather exaggerates the taxes levied on the Americas prior to the Civil War, and he spends approximately a third of the book on denigrating slavery and slavers, but mentions Wilberforce the anti-slavery campaigner only in passing.
This rather undermines his criticism of slavery by demonstrating modern sensibilities without any of the historian's usual care for context, which is a shame. Another pet bugbear that comes out is Baden-Powell, who gets criticism for his imperial thinking whilst being described as setting down a credo of racial equality and service to others in the Scouts. The last chapter is the only one that really tries to address the question the book asks, and sadly it is too short - which is a shame, because Paxman raises some excellent questions in it although his tentative suggestion of Britain's purpose becoming the EU is perhaps more shaky now than when he wrote it.
Still, his premise that the nation lacks a goal and therefore is content to just become a society that consumes until it ceases being able to produce wealth, is a strong one. Tl;dr - light historical book, frequently polluted by author's condescension. Jeremy Paxman here contributes an enthusiastic and engaging, not to mention wide-reaching review of the British Empire, exploring what life was like in our territories abroad and how it shaped the very notion of Britain as a whole.
As an armchair historian, Paxman isn't afraid to offer plenty of criticism at the behaviour of the Brits abroad, but Jeremy Paxman here contributes an enthusiastic and engaging, not to mention wide-reaching review of the British Empire, exploring what life was like in our territories abroad and how it shaped the very notion of Britain as a whole. As an armchair historian, Paxman isn't afraid to offer plenty of criticism at the behaviour of the Brits abroad, but at the same time said criticism is balanced with other, positive aspects.
Empire: What Ruling the World Did to the British by Jeremy Paxman
There's no political angle here, just entertaining, anecdotal reading that keeps on coming. Jun 17, Samuel Middleton rated it really liked it. I've just finished reading the paperback edition, renamed simply 'Empire' the 'What ruling the world did to the British' more than likely having been removed following the criticism of the hardback and can say that I've thoroughly enjoyed it.
If you approach reading 'Empire' as Paxman's take on history rather than a definitive account then the book is very enjoyable, albeit rather condensed, Paxman cramming years of history across every continent into less than pages. If you are lookin I've just finished reading the paperback edition, renamed simply 'Empire' the 'What ruling the world did to the British' more than likely having been removed following the criticism of the hardback and can say that I've thoroughly enjoyed it. If you are looking for an introduction to the historical and socio-political justifications and rationalizations of the Empire delivered with Paxman's dry sense of wit and sarcasm the I would highly recommend 'Empire' as an engaging read.
Dec 03, Frank rated it it was amazing. There's a coherent through-line to the analysis. It's self-aware without being too pleased with itself. I see several nay-Sayers elsewhere, all of whom seem unable to forget Paxman the tv personality and just view the book as a stand-alone entity yes, there's a BBC series that ties in with the book; no, I haven't seen it; no, you can read a book without having to see the tv series, it shouldn't diminish the experience.
This was enjoyable, lucid and unwilling to regurgitate prev I enjoyed this. This was enjoyable, lucid and unwilling to regurgitate previous hagiographers of Empire. I'd happily read more of his stuff. Nov 28, Lois rated it did not like it Shelves: I found this to be unapologetic of the true crimes of Empire. There's form given to say the polite politically correct forms however many cases are made for the 'but'? Sep 12, Adam McKenna rated it it was amazing. Paxman's Empire was quite an unexpectedly emotionally-challenging read. The author has managed to weave the book into a well paced, contextually well detailed, thoroughly informative and overall enjoyable read.
Visit my Facebook author page
At times, Paxman is amusing the author with a passing satirical comment on the hindsight hilarity of the Empire's 18th century officials, reflecting the satirical nature of the British media itself a comment he makes in the latter part of the book , whereas at other times, he leaves the Paxman's Empire was quite an unexpectedly emotionally-challenging read.
At times, Paxman is amusing the author with a passing satirical comment on the hindsight hilarity of the Empire's 18th century officials, reflecting the satirical nature of the British media itself a comment he makes in the latter part of the book , whereas at other times, he leaves the reader in disbelief and, especially as a European, or more specifically, an Englishman, disgrace at the actions of our ancestors, from slavery to sheer genocide. Empire is an eyeopening read. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! Paxman delivered an incisive analysis of an empire that lasted centuries and told the story of both its momentous beginnings and its egregious end.
It has definitely enabled me to take a step back and fully appreciate the magnitude of the British Empire and the impact it had in a multitude of countries. By and large, the British Empire was an astonishment in what it accomplished but the legacy it imprinted on various colonies was far more glaring and can hel Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! By and large, the British Empire was an astonishment in what it accomplished but the legacy it imprinted on various colonies was far more glaring and can help to explain many of the existing conflicts around the world.
Jan 19, Shlomz rated it it was ok. Not what the cover says.
Empire: What Ruling the World Did to the British
The title promises to tell us "what ruling the world did to the British", but never really does. Add to the mix the author's overt prejudices, and you receive something more resembling a long newspaper column than historical research. There are far better books on the subject of British Imperalism. Sep 14, Peter Ellwood rated it it was ok. Good fun, but as a contribution to the body of material on the British empire: Imagine someone being asked to write a book about the local school.
In response, he gets hold of information on five or six well known bullies and writes about them instead — but still presenting it as the story of the school as a whole. It is as if he decided to write a polemic against the empire and then looked for the juicy bits t Good fun, but as a contribution to the body of material on the British empire: It is as if he decided to write a polemic against the empire and then looked for the juicy bits that would illustrate his point.
Right from the start his sneering, supercilious tone is omnipresent. One random comment, worth quoting in full, gives the flavour: Again and again throughout the book he resorts to cheapshot journalistic comment like this — and it diminishes the authority of his narrative. So does his choice of material. He does for example devote a page or two to the growing pressure to abolish slavery as a thread of imperialism.
But the first half of the book consists exclusively of anecdotes on: In the second half of the book he moves slightly towards some comments on random aspects of empire: But if anything it is as if he is carried away by getting so much written, as the tone becomes steadily more jeering and schoolboyish.
Try his passing description of Cecil Rhodes: Or his attempt at a national self-image: It seems to demonstrate a higher moral purpose. Make no mistake, he writes fluently and entertainingly. It feels like a series of pictures, a cartoon strip history; and whilst the episodes he selects did indeed happen and do indeed need to be addressed: Quite right too, because he barely addresses that question. If you want a sometimes-amusing exercise in journalistic masturbation, then this is the place; but for a balanced assessment of the empire you really need to look elsewhere.
I would go for Jan Morris's brilliant trilogy every time. Sep 16, Palmyrah rated it really liked it. What did ruling the world do the British? You may find some hints towards an answer here, but the question like the parallel question of what the British did to the peoples they ruled is unanswerable. Or rather, there are too many answers, some contradictory, and all true; together with another heap of answers, all false and more or less accusatory.
A definitive answer is impossible, so why write a book like this? Whatever Jeremy Paxman's reasons for doing so, his book is an informative and enj What did ruling the world do the British?