Episode 27.3 - The Rise and Fall of the British Empire by Lawrence James

This week we’re discussing Part 5 from the Rise and Fall of the British Empire by Lawrence James.

Parts 5 bring us from the Second World War to the anti-climactic end of the British Empire. Lawrence gives much focus to how the empire’s colonial subjects responded to the call for support from Britain during its fight against Hitler - whole hearted support with an implicit understanding that independence would soon follow. The Suez Crisis of 1956, in which British and French forces attempted to reclaim the Suez Canal from the Egyptian President Nasser, turned out to be the last hurrah of “great” British imperialism. Slowly and then quickly the British Empire began to dissolve, from Canada to India to South Africa - with the final major decolonisation taking place in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbawbwe) in 1979. Lawrence mulls over the legacy of the British Empire, was it the spread of civilization, the spread of barbarism, or as with most things, a lot a bit of both?

From the back of the book:



“Lawrence James studied history and English at York University and subsequently took a research degree at Merton College, Oxford. Following a career as a teacher, he became a full-time writer in 1985. He is the author of seven critically acclaimed works of nonfiction. He lives in St. Andrews, Scotland, with his wife, who is the headmistress of St. Leonard’s School, and his two sons.”