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London Review of Books

Shoot them to be sure subscriber-only content

Richard Gott

  • The Oxford History of the British Empire: Vol. I: The Origins of Empire edited by William Roger Louis and Nicholas Canny
  • The Oxford History of the British Empire: Vol. II: The 18th Century edited by William Roger Louis and P.J. Marshall
  • The Oxford History of the British Empire: Vol. III: The 19th Century edited by William Roger Louis and Andrew Porter
  • The Oxford History of the British Empire: Vol. IV: The 20th Century edited by William Roger Louis and Judith Brown
  • The Oxford History of the British Empire: Vol. V: Historiography edited by William Roger Louis and Robin Winks

A new history of the British Empire might be expected to concern itself with such issues as the construction of military dictatorship through the imposition of martial law; the violent seizure and settlement of land; the genocidal destruction of indigenous peoples (and their culture and environment); the establishment of what is now called ‘institutional racism’; and the continuing coercion and induced movement of labour. The new Oxford History of the British Empire presents a more up-beat version typical of the age of Imperial sunset. An attempt to construct a positive memorial to Empire, these volumes engage only spasmodically with the ‘post-colonial’ debates of the last twenty years.

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Richard Gott has written several books about Latin America, including Cuba: A New World.