Empire - The Rise And Demise of the British World Order And the Lessons For Global Power

Niall Ferguson | Histoire | Basic Books | Date de parution: 2002 | ISBN-13: 9780465023295 | Couverture: Souple | Anglais

"Ferguson writes with his usual verve.... His book is timely as Americans try to work out their role in the post-Cold-War world."

-THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

"A concise and lucid exposition... Popular history at its best."

-THE WASHINGTON POST

THE BRITISH EMPIRE was the largest in all history: the nearest thing to global
domination ever achieved. The world we know today is in large measure the product of Britain's Age of Empire. The global spread of capitalism, telecommunications, the English language, and the institutions of representative government - all these can be traced back to the extraordinary expansion of Britain's economy, population and culture from the seventeenth century until the mid-twentieth. On a vast and vividly colored canvas, Empire shows how the British Empire acted as mid-wife to modernity.

Displaying the originality and rigor that have made him the brightest light among British historians, Ferguson shows that the story of the Empire is pregnant with lessons for today - in particular for the United States as it stands on the brink of a new era of imperial power. A dazzling tour de force, Empire is a remarkable reappraisal of the prizes and pitfalls of global empire.

"Ferguson... is a wonderfully fluent writer, weaving telling details and vivid anecdotes seamlessly into his narrative.... Sure to be a chilling assertion to both those in Washington eager to deny imperial ambitions and those in the Arab world suspicious of America's motives."

-THE NEW YORK TIMES

"An entertaining, engaging romp through four centuries of British imperialism."

-LOS ANGELES TIMES

"Fluently written, engaging, beautifully designed and spectacularly illustrated... Empire is a model of how to do popular history."

-THE ECONOMIST

NIALL FERGUSON is Herzog Professor of Financial History at the Stern School of
Business, New York University, Senior Research Fellow at Jesus College, Oxford University, and a Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution. He is the author of The Pity of War, Paper and Iron, The Cash Nexus, Virtual History, and the award-winning The House of Rothschild. He and his family divide their time between New York and Oxfordshire.