Contains 650 entries in alpha. order on the Brit. Imperial past and Commonwealth present. A ref. companion to the political, cultural, religious, mil. and econ. events that have shaped the transformation of a Victorian Empire into a world community of 51 sovereign states and 26 dependencies, still linked in free assoc. It looks back to the beginning of Brit. maritime expansion, but concentrates chiefly on the last 2 cent. As well as providing outline histories of individual states, it offers guidance to the many Commonwealth org. which link them. Includes biographical sketches; entries on cinema and theater, sports, natural disasters, railways, hill stations, and hotels. 7 maps.

For much of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Britain was the dominant world power, its strength based in large part on its command of an Empire that, in the years immediately after World War I, encompassed almost one-quarter of the earth’s land surface and one-fifth of its population. Writers boasted that the sun never set on British possessions, which provided raw materials that, processed in British factories, could be re-exported as manufactured products to expanding colonial markets. The commercial and political might was not based on any grand strategic plan of territorial acquisition, however. The Empire grew piecemeal, shaped by the diplomatic, economic, and military circumstances of the times, and its speedy dismemberment in the mid-twentieth century was, similarly, a reaction to the realities of geopolitics in post-World War II conditions. Today the Empire has gone but it has left a legacy that remains of great significance in the modern world. The Historical Dictionary of the British Empire covers its history through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 700 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Britain.

Contains 650 entries in alphabetical order on the British Imperial past & Commonwealth present. A reference companion to the political, cultural, religious, military & economic events that have shaped the transformation of a Victorian Empire into a world community of 51 sovereign states & 26 dependencies, still linked in free association. It looks back to the beginning of British maritime expansion, but concentrates chiefly on the last 2 centuries. As well as providing outline histories of individual states, it offers guidance to the many Commonwealth organizations which link them. Includes biographical sketches; entries on cinema & theater, sports, natural disasters, railways, hill stations, & hotels. 7 maps.

At its height, the British Empire encompassed three-quarters of the world. Hundreds of countries came under the domination of the British Empire at various stages in history. Through the Commonwealth of Nations, the Empire is very much alive even today. From Aden to Zululand, all the crown's holdings from the beginning of the meaningfulness of the word holdings, around 1493, through 1995, are included. Each possession is an entry: the date it became a part of the British Empire; the date it gained its independence (when appropriate); a description of its geographic location, and its capital; a history of British rule of the colony is followed by a listing of the British administrators, such as residents, governors, commissioners and ministers. There are extensive see references; a thorough index to alternate geographical or political names completes the work.