On july 16, 1940, hitler issued a directive ordering the preparation and, if necessary, the execution of a plan for the invasion of great britain. The book thief by markus zusak, all the light we cannot see by anthony doerr, the nightingale by kristin hannah, night by elie wies. Decolonization and the collapse of the british empire. Twentyfive years after its publication, midnight s children stands. The british empire in 1945 history yesterday channel. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Ww2 was the moment of utmost importance which brought people belonging to all classes the home front together. Never mind that britains empire was a precursor to the forces of globalization and migration that the. Guardian books of the year the familiar image of the british in the second world war is that of the plucky underdog taking on german might. Britain may not have realized it, but it was now just a matter of time before the british raj came to an end. David edgertons bold, compelling new history shows the conflict in a new light, with britain as a very wealthy country, formidable in arms, ruthless in pursuit of its interests and sitting at the heart of a global production system. The partitioning was planned in several agreements made by the allied powers early in the course of world war i.
Labour rejoiced at its political triumph, the first independent parliamentary majority in the partys history, but it faced grave problems. But the fantasy of britains past collides almost farcically against britains present. Britains asian empire and the war with japan 9780140293319. Perhaps you could describe for us continental europe in the months and years immediately after ve day in may 1945, the date when hostilities officially ended.
The keystone for this is thesupreme commander for the allied powers name for the effective. The british empire and the ravaging of india during. The best books on the british empire, as recommended by one of its most. A specialist in latin american affairs, his books include cuba. This is a list of alternate history fiction, sorted by type. Labour rejoiced at its political triumph, the first independent parliamentary majority in the party s history, but it faced grave problems. His southern victory or timeline191 series has the confederates beating the union. It shows on a vast canvas how the british empire in the 19th century spearheaded real globalisation with steampower, telegraphs, guns, engineers, missionaries and millions of settlers.
The war had stripped britain of virtually all its foreign financial resources, and the country had built up sterling creditsdebts owed to other countries that would have to be paid in foreign. The undisputed king of alternative histories is the prolific harry turtledove, who has helped guide the genre into mainstream reading. Unknown to the cabinet and parliament, a tiny cabal had made a decision fateful for britain, the empire, and the world. The definitive nonfiction work on the postwar period in britain, a primer for anyone born after the war who. The very day the shooting stopped in europe, anticolonial actions started happening, specifically in setif algeria where a massive demonstrations took to the street demanding the french leave the french opened fire and killed about 6,000 people. What are some good books about the reconstruction of japan. The second world war was for the brits a very important turning point. Malaya are something often left out of normal narratives on malaya, which usually end after the fall of singapore. Under the guidance of edward grey, the foreign secretary from 1905 to 1916, british and french officers plotted britain s entry into a francogerman war from the first shot. Was british decolonization after 1945 a voluntary process. The best books on the aftermath of world war ii five. The british empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the united kingdom and its predecessor states. Britain, the commonwealth and the end of empire bbc. The thesis argues that the war left britain with historically high debt and a much larger empire that was difficult to consolidate.
Whereas the first world war witnessed the disappearance of no fewer than four great empires german, habsburg, ottoman and russian britain emerged from the conflict with greatly extended imperial possessions that stretched unbroken from the suez canal to singapore and from cairo to the cape. Before world war ii it was stated fairly, the sun never set on the british empire. This is a list of wars involving the united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland and its predecessor states the kingdom of great britain, kingdom of england, kingdom of scotland and generally the british isles. How did the second world war affect the british society. After the second world war, the disintegration of britains empire transformed global politics.
If you are even slightly interested in this area, i highly, highly recommend the last thousand days of the british empire. Further, this work examines the reasons for the high cost of the war. Britains war volume 1 is a most readable account, which is notable for three reasons. Keith lowe is the awardwinning author of savage continent. Appointed deputy fuhrer to adolf hitler in 1933, hess served in that position until 1941, when he flew solo to scotland in an attempt to negotiate peace with the united kingdom during world war ii. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. The veterans stories feature in the bbc four documentary, fighting for king and empire. Fergusons most revolutionary and popular work, empire is a major reinterpretation of the british empire as one of the worlds greatest modernising forces. Before world war ii, britain s welfare programsuch as payments to support the sickwas overwhelmingly provided by private, volunteer institutions. Her books include a peoples history of britain pimlico, 2004 and the biography charlotte brontevintage, 2003. Great britain, which was protected from the formidable german army by the waters of the english channel. Mass demonstrations were carried out across the country but were crushed by the british army. The end of the british empire after the second world war.
In the years since 1945 that empire has disappeared, and the crucial fact that the british empire fought together as a whole during the war has been forgotten. After the second world war, the disintegration of britain s empire transformed global politics. The partition of the ottoman empire armistice of mudros, 30 october 1918 abolition of the ottoman sultanate, 1 november 1922 was a political event that occurred after world war i and the occupation of constantinople by british, french and italian troops in november 1918. A cornerstone in how the public and its elite perceived the future of the british isles as a country and political regime. In 1939 hitler went to war not just with great britain. In 1939 the british empire was a global power, with direct.
In the eighteenth century, india s share of the world economy was as large as europe s. They try to prevent the axis powers from winning world war ii. After the war concluded, however, a worldwide process of decolonization commenced in which britain granted independence to all of its major colonies, beginning notably in india. At its height, it was the largest empire in history and, for over a century, was the. The best books on the british empire five books expert. Meanwhile, britain committed itself to raising colonial living. Agent of byzantium has the byzantine empire surviving. From imperial power to junior partner, edited by zach levey and elie podeh eastbourne, sussex academic press, 2008, p. I have thousands of books on world war ii, from my work of writing magazine articles and e books on the subject, so ive read heaps, from meretricious potboilers to scholarly dissertations to selfserving memoirs. Edgerton never really explains britains terrible military performance in the early part of the war. This is the first if the two books by bayly and harper the other being forgotten wars. They had a common purpose and that was to support their fellow countrymen who were. The best books about colonialism and imperialism mr online. The subtitle of empire of the clouds is when britains aircraft ruled the world.
Ireland was in 1939 nominally a dominion of the british empire and a member of the commonwealth. Notable militarised interstate disputes are included. Although the author, richard gott, covers only one century from the 1750 s to the 1850 s he makes it eminently clear that the tentacles of british aggression worldwide since the eighteenth. From the shock victory of labour at the 1945 general election, to the founding of the promised welfare state, derek brown trawls the archives and presents a. With france conquered, hitler could now turn his forces on germanys sole remaining enemy. List of wars involving the united kingdom wikipedia. Britain, the united states and postwar decolonization, 19451973 abingdon, routledge, 2012, p. The guns of the south has the confederates equipped with ak47s by. Brexit and britains delusions of empire the washington post. But a change in outlook during the war allowed britain to construct a welfare state after the war. Overall, ive found interwar information more difficult to find that stuff about the war, or even postwar. During the war, britain had promised eventual selfgovernment for the colonies, and new constitutions were introduced in many territories soon after the war. When the united kingdom declared war on nazi germany at the outset of world war ii it controlled to varying degrees numerous crown colonies, protectorates and the indian empire. The british empire has often been portrayed in fiction.
Books set in wwii england that show the struggle and sacrifice the english people faced. An empire built on sand, in britain and the middle east. He is widely recognized as an authority on the second world war, and has often spoken on tv and radio, both in britain and the united states. Before the war, britain maintained colonies all over the world.
That meant staying on in the middle east even after the breakdown of. An early symptom of the weakness of the empire was britains withdrawal. All the parts of the empire joined the struggle and were involved in it from. The honesty of his intellectual conscience, page after page, given hes white. Top 10 books about postwar britain books the guardian. Following rosa luxemburgs successful 1918 revolution in germany, hitler. Postworld war ii american and british policies during the war presupposed angloamerican dominance of postwar policies. It s very convenient to think of wars as having neat beginnings and endings but that s rarely the case, especially world war ii. Before the war, britain maintained colonies all over the world, which provided valuable raw materials, manpower and strategic bases. Nehrus planned economy and the welfareorientated developmental state that he tried to craft after 1947 had its roots in the rajs transformation of the 1940s. The book also explores the weakening power of britain after world war ii and the. In response, the british arrested the inc s leadership, including gandhi and his wife. For the remaining sixty or more territories forming britains colonial empire, 1945 also seemed to represent a watershed.
How did britain recover after the second world war. Instructions for american servicemen in britain 1942 which was written and issued by the us war department is good for its between the lines comparison of british and american societies. Europe in the aftermath of world war ii, and the critically acclaimed history inferno. The author makes it abundantly clear that britains aircraft never did actually rule the world although there were some world records along the way. The book was written and published after sir john s death, so he can be excused for missing it. As the author points out, only one government since wwii has attempted the. An excellent read from someone who really knows his subject and can write informatively. From that darwin moved on to write a general account of britains loss of empire after 1945, published in 1988 as britain and decolonisation.
From that darwin moved on to write a general account of britain s loss of empire after 1945, published in 1988 as britain and decolonisation. For a list of wars that have been fought on the united kingdom mainland, see the list of wars in great britain. First, the critical interactions between the many facets of the british war effort, especially the empire and britains relationships with two expanding ones, the us and the ussr. And now we have niall fergusons new television series, of which this is the book, arguing in 1066 and all that fashion that britains version of empire was more a good thing than a bad, an. Resistance, repression and revolt richard gott on amazon. It also maintained unique political ties to four semiindependent dominionsaustralia, canada, south africa, and new zealand as part of the commonwealth. His days of infamy books have japan occupying hawaii. In inglorious empire, shashi tharoor tells the real story of the british in india, from the arrival of the east india company in 1757 to the end of the raj, and reveals how britain s rise was built upon its depredations in india. The premise of the book is that britain was not in danger of losing the second world war even in june 1940 because of britains great wealth, the empire and its technological superiority over germany. The untold story of britains pow camps immigration is a huge issue in britain but during wwii almost half a million enemy pows became part of local communities fri, jul 28, 2017, 11. Resistance repression and revolt holds clear answers.