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The Balance Sheet of Empire, 1850–1914 *
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Mammon and the Pursuit of Empire by Lance Davis and Robert Huttenback is here as discussed by the authors, and after some ten years in the making and much anticipation on all sides, this event will remind many of how Richard Cobb, writing about Jack Gallagher's coming to Oxford as Beit Professor of Commonwealth History, recalled that for a long time no-one knew whether or not Gallagher had actually arrived in town.Abstract:
Mammon and the Pursuit of Empire by Lance Davis and Robert Huttenback is here.' After some ten years in the making and much anticipation on all sides, this event will remind many of how Richard Cobb, writing about Jack Gallagher's coming to Oxford as Beit Professor of Commonwealth History, recalled that for a long time no-one knew whether or not Gallagher had actually arrived in town. Transatlantic connexions and publisher's ability to deliver the goods are not what they used to be. Nevertheless, imperial historians have good cause to be delighted. Not only the willingness of two distinguished American scholars to devote so much time and personal effort to a major project in the study of British overseas expansion, but the interest of the cliometricians and their financial sponsors in providing for it very substantial resources, are welcome pointers to the vitality of the field. Still more important perhaps is the demonstration provided by the book of the central place which the study of British imperial activity should have in the understanding of Britain's metropolitan or domestic history. Recent research clearly demonstrates a tendency towards reintegrating analysis of Britain's colonial and overseas presence with that of the metropole under the umbrella of imperial history. Historians are currently working in several rather different directions. Following John MacKenzie's example, a number are now exploring the implications of the imperial experience for Britain's social and cultural traditions in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.2 Peter Cain and A. G. Hopkins are engaged in redefining the nature and development of the British economy, as revealed in the writings of the last decade, and in assessing the contribution which this may have made to the shaping of empire.3read more
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Trade and Empire
TL;DR: This article employed a new database of over 21,000 bilateral trade observations during the Age of High Imperialism, 1870-1913, to quantitatively assess the effect of empire on trade and found that belonging to an empire roughly doubled trade relative to those countries that were not part of an empire.
Journal ArticleDOI
Colonial taxation and government spending in British Africa, 1880–1940: Maximizing revenue or minimizing effort?
TL;DR: This article developed an analytical framework for comparing colonial tax and spending patterns and applied it to eight British African colonies (1880-1940) and found that colonial fiscal systems did not adhere to a uniform logic, that minimalism prevailed in West Africa, extractive features were more pronounced in East Africa, and that Mauritius revealed characteristics of a developmental state already before 1940.
Journal ArticleDOI
Trade and Empire
TL;DR: The authors employed a new database of over 21,000 bilateral trade observations from 1870-1913 to assess the contemporaneous effects of empire on trade and found that belonging to an empire roughly doubled trade relative to those countries that were not part of an empire.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Political Economy of Imperialism, Decolonization, and Development
Erik Gartzke,Dominic Rohner +1 more
TL;DR: A theory of imperialism and decolonization that explains both historic cycles of expansion and decline and the demise of the urge to colonize has been proposed in this paper, where the authors argue that technological shocks enable expansion, while military technology gradually disseminates, diluting imperial advantage.
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Book
The Economic History of Britain since 1700
TL;DR: An economic history of Britain since 1700, in three volumes by 39 eminent historians and economists, is described in this article, which will appeal particularly to first and second year university students but is also suitable for anyone interested in the history of the British economy.
Book
Propaganda and empire
TL;DR: Mackenzie explores the manifestations of the imperial idea, from the trappings of royalty through writers like G. A. Henty to the humble cigarette card, and shows that it was so powerful and pervasive that it outlived the passing of Empire itself.
Book
Imperialism and Popular Culture
TL;DR: MacKenzie and MacKenzie as discussed by the authors discussed the role of music hall entertainment in the development of the British Empire and its role in popular art, such as Boy's Own and Springhall of England.
Book
Mammon and the Pursuit of Empire: The Political Economy of British Imperialism, 1860–1912
TL;DR: The British Empire and the economics of imperialism: an introductory statement as mentioned in this paper, the export of British finance: 1865-1914, British business and the profits from Empire 4. Government expenditure in support of business 5. The costs of defending an empire: the British and colonial taxpayer 6. British subsidies to the Empire: the nondefence component 7. The shareholders in imperial enterprises 8. The sources of government revenues 9. Empire, the special interests, and the House of Commons 10. Imperium economicus - in retrospect Official documents Private papers Private papers Company records Notes Bibliography Index