The second British Empire : in the crucible of the twentieth century / Timothy H. Parsons.

Incluye referencias bibliográficas e índice.

The empire at high tide -- The empire between the wars, 1918 to 1939 -- The 1940s: a new kind of empire? -- The final retreat from empire, 1950 to 1970 -- Global legacies of the British Empire.

´At its peak, the British Empire spanned the world and linked diverse populations in a vast network of exchange that spread people, wealth, commodities, cultures, and ideas around the globe. By the turn of the twentieth century, this empire, which made Britain one of the premier global superpowers, appeared invincible and eternal. This compelling book reveals, however, that it was actually remarkably fragile. Reconciling the humanitarian ideals of liberal British democracy with the inherent authoritarianism of imperial rule required the men and women who ran the empire to portray their non-Western subjects as backward and in need of the civilizing benefits of British rule. However, their lack of administrative manpower and financial resources meant that they had to recruit cooperative local allies to actually govern their colonies.´--Publisher description.