Empires in world history

In 1800, Europeans governed about one-third of the world's land surface; by the start of World War I in 1914, Europeans had imposed some form of political or economic ascendancy on over 80 percent of the globe. The basic structure of global and European politics in the twentieth century was fashioned in the previous century out of the clash of competing imperial interests and the effects, both beneficial and harmful, of the imperial powers on the societies they dominated. This encyclopedia offers current, detailed information on the major world powers and their global empires, as well as on the people, events, ideas, and movements, both European and non-European, that shaped the Age of Imperialism. Besides over 800 clearly written and highly informative entries, the encyclopedia includes primary documents, a chronology, and extensive introductory essay, a bibliography, a guide to related topics, and a series of useful maps.

Now in its second edition, The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism is the definitive reference work for students and scholars interested in the theory and history of imperialism and anti-imperialism from the sixteenth century to the present day. Written by an international and interdisciplinary group of scholars, it provides detailed studies of imperialism's roots, goals, methods and impact around the world. It also explores the rich and varied tradition of anti-imperialism, focusing on its most significant leaders, intellectuals, theories and social movements.  The second edition has been expanded to include a number of topics not covered in the first edition, such as feminism, the environment, crime, international law, imperialism and anti-imperialism in art, literature and poetry, and medicine. In addition, existing entries have been updated and revised to reflect the latest scholarship. Offering a more comprehensive and thorough treatment of imperialism and anti-imperialism, the second edition of this encyclopedia takes a comparative, global approach to challenge and enhance our understanding of today's world.

Written by leading scholars, this collection provides a comprehensive and authoritative overview of modern empires. Spanning the era of modern imperial history from the early sixteenth century to the present, it challenges both the rather insular focuses on specific experiences, and gives due attention to imperial formations outside the West including the Russian, Japanese, Mughal, Ottoman and Chinese. The companion is divided into three broad sections. Part I - Times - surveys the three main eras of modern imperialism. The first was that dominated by the settlement impulse, with migrants - many voluntarily and many more by force - making new lives in the colonies. This impulse gave way, most especially in the nineteenth century, to a period of busy and rapid expansion which was less likely to promote new settlement, and in which colonists more frequently saw their sojourn in colonial lands as temporary and related to the business mostly of governance and trade. Lastly, in the twentieth century in particular, empires began to fail and to fall. Part II - Spaces - studies the principal imperial formations of the modern world. Each chapter charts the experience of a specific empire while at the same time placing it within the complex patterns of wider imperial constellations. The individual chapters thus survey the broad dynamics of change within the empires themselves and their relationships with other imperial formations, and reflect critically on the ways in which these topics have been approached in the literature. In Part III - Themes - scholars think critically about some of the key features of imperial expansion and decline. These chapters are brief and many are provocative. They reflect the current state of the field, and suggest new lines of inquiry which may follow from more comparative perspectives on empire. The broad range of themes captures the vitality and diversity of contemporary scholarship on questions of empire and colonialism, encompassing political, economic and cultural processes central to the formation and maintenance of empires as well as institutions, ideologies and social categories that shaped the lives both of those implementing and those experiencing the force of empire. In these pages the reader will find the slave and the criminal, the merchant and the maid, the scientist and the artist alongside the structures which sustained their lives and their livelihoods. Overall, the companion emphasises the diversity of imperial experience and process. Comprehensive in its scope, it draws attention to the particularities of individual empires, rather than over-generalising as if all empires, at all times, and in all places, behaved in a similar manner. It is this contingent and historical specificity that enables us to explore in expansive ways precisely what constituted the modern empire.

History from 1500 to 2001 has been dominated by colonialism and decolonization. No single subject offers deeper insight into the meeting of East and West. This is a thorough examination of the politics, economy, culture and society of both colonizers and colonized.

The British Empire, especially in its late-Victorian heyday, spanned the world and linked a quarter of world's population to Britain through a shared, official, allegiance to the Crown. In the long history of empires the British imperial state was among the most powerful ever and a major global player. "A New A-Z of Empire" catches the current burgeoning interest in empires and covers over 400 years of British imperial history from the founding of the East India Company in 1600, to the 'First' and 'Second' British Empires, the time of 'High Empire' following the War of American Independence, the unprecedented expansion of the 'Scramble' for Africa, the development of Dominion Status and the history - often turbulent - of decolonization and the growth of Commonwealth. The 400-plus entries include a rich panoply of individuals, territories, treaties, politics, the law, diplomacy, war and peace, administration, business and commerce, exploration, literature, art, literature and scholarship. Readers will find a mine of fascinating factual information, in concise form, with expert historical assessment, cross-referencing between entries and suggestions for further reading.The valuable time-line is essential to pick through the long period of complex history and links to key web resources are provided. "A New A-Z of Empire" is an indispensable tool for the scholar and student, and for the general reader interested in the rich history of the British Empire: a story of obscure foundation leading to dominance over a huge swathe of the globe, now represented by mere pinpricks on the world map.

Ranging in length from a few lines to several pages and listed alphabetically, the 3000 entries in this book aim to provide a comprehensive source of information on the Third Reich. The work includes 22 developed essays on important subjects such as anti-semitism, women in the Third Reich, the persecution of Jews, concentration camps, education, the economy, opposition to the Nazis, the attitude of the church, propaganda, the SS, social policies and the implementation of the Final Solution. There are also detailed biographical entries on the leading figures associated with, or opposed to, the regime. The work is extensively cross-referenced .

In the 50 years since the fall of the 12-year Nazi Reich, thousands of books have been written on every conceivable aspect of the subject, each with its own axe to grind. Fischer's book, however, tells the story vividly and well, providing the most reliable and balanced history to date.