Historical Dictionary of the British Empire
Historical Dictionary of the British Empire

Author: Kenneth J. Panton

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2015-05-07

Total Pages: 767

ISBN-13: 0810875241

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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.

Scouting on Two Continents
Scouting on Two Continents

Author: Frederick Russell Burnham

Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing

Published: 2016-07-26

Total Pages: 574

ISBN-13: 1786259583

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All England cheered this modest American. He acquired his scouting lore warring against Apaches in Arizona. After hunting gold in the Northwest and the Klondike he rode deep into the savage territory of Africa to slay the M’Limo, treacherous Matabele high priest. During the Boer War he performed many thrilling exploits as chief of Scouts. He was honored in the friendship of Lord Roberts, Theodore Roosevelt, Cecil Rhodes, and Dr. Jameson and received the highest honors of the British Empire. In this book he tells in full detail the fascinating story of his thrilling and varied career. “In real life he is more interesting than any of my heroes of romance”—SIR RIDER HAGGARD “I have seldom been as much taken with a narrative”—REAR ADMIRAL WM. S. SIMS, U.S.N. “I have read it all with enthralled interest”—THEODORE ROOSEVELT “England was never made by her statesmen; England was made by her adventurers.”—GENERAL GORDON.

Rhodes and Rhodesia
Rhodes and Rhodesia

Author: Arthur Keppel-Jones

Publisher: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP

Published: 1983-11-01

Total Pages: 693

ISBN-13: 077356103X

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The British South Africa Company and the irregularity of its financial and political operations are dealt with in detail. Keppel-Jones also discusses the development in the midst of the indigenous population of an alien white society and state, from their crude beginnings to their emergence in a form still recognizable today. The reader is led to conclude that by 1902 Southern Rhodesia was already set on the road that would lead to the upheavals of the second half of the twentieth-century. The author examines the racial consciousness and prejudice of the white society and addresses an important question: why did the imperial government grant a royal charter to the BSA Company? The facts show conclusively that the imperial government had little interest in Central Africa or care for its fate except when foreign competition appeared. Keppel-Jones also reveals the important role played by black troops employed by the Company in suppressing the rebellions of 1896-7. For opposite reasons, neither blacks nor whites have been willing to recognize this; on the other hand the habit of the 'men-on-the-spot' of making and carrying out decisions without regard to their superiors in London is a commonplace of imperial history. One of the main themes of the book is the tension between the unofficial imperialists, straining at the leash, and the Colonial Office, struggling to hold them back. Rhodes and Rhodesia is based on extensive use of public records, mainly in the Public Record Office, London, and the National Archives of Zimbabwe, of collections of private papers, and of contemporary published works.

The Founder
The Founder

Author: Robert I. Rotberg

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 1990-10-25

Total Pages: 856

ISBN-13: 0195066685

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The definitive biography of one of the most controversial figures of the 19th century captures a life that was complex and fascinating, evil and good. Illustrated.