What is there still to know about the British empire? And what should you know? To some, the answers to both of these questions are clear-cut. Empires, generically, were evil creations of the past that have now been satisfactorily swept away by nation states. As for the empire that was hewn out over the course of three centuries by varieties of British and Irish actors, this was the biggest of its kind, affecting every continent. Consequently, these islands must bear a disproportionate share of imperial guilt, and all that is necessary now is mass British acknowledgment of this fact, and some attempts at reparation. This is an arguable point of view; and, if you hold it, John Darwin's books on empire may not be to your taste.
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